Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Silver Resistance
by ScytheRider
Summary: In a world where an evil master oppresses all free Pokémon, a human-turned-Charmander teams up with a fugitive Bulbasaur and embarks on a journey for answers.
1. Prologue: A Silver Soul

_Welcome!_

_In just a few moments, I am going to guide you through a portal which leads into a world inhabited only by Pokémon._

_But before we leave, I have some questions I would like to ask you. I need to determine what kind of a person you are._

_The world of Pokémon is a bit different from the world of humans, you see. A Pokémon's nature is very strong. It can be as passionate as the roiling tides of the ocean, as bright and pure as a tongue of flame, as stubborn and steadfast as stone, or as tender and strong as the ancient forests…_

_It is what shapes a Pokémon's character. It is what guides and defines them._

_ Your character makes a big difference in the world of Pokémon, you see. That is why I wish to understand you; I would prefer to give you a form that best suits the true nature of your soul._

_So, then, let us begin. Don't think too hard about each question; just trust your instincts. They will know the truth._

_First… Are you often disappointed in yourself? Do you often find yourself wishing you were better at the things you do? _

**_Y… yes…_**

_Do you often find yourself wishing you could start everything over again?_

**_Yes, but… I know I can't. My mistakes… are all in the past. So, I try to have hope… I make the best of what I have… What little I have…_**

_When you find that you have failed an important task that you were given, do you get angry? Or cry? Or, do you, perhaps, shrug it off? _

**_I get angry a lot… but… only at myself. I try not to let other people see…_**

_You must value their opinions of you, then. Your reputation must be very important to you._

**_Yes… I really care about what other people think of me. When they look down on me, it hurts…_**

_I understand. Now, tell me something else: do you ever do favors for people, even when they don't ask for them? Or do you find yourself avoiding work even when they __**do**__ ask?_

**_I don't like work… Well, I… I don't like it when people tell me to do things, but I do take pride in my own work… the things that I do on my own my own… that is, when I decide to work on my own. But… that doesn't happen very often._**

_So, you have trouble motivating yourself?_

**_Yes. Yes, I do._**

_Why?_

**_I know there's so much I can do… but it seems like I'm never in the mood. I'm always passing the time, waiting for the right mood to come… but it never seems to come._**

_I see. Now, let's talk about someone other than yourself… how do you think other people see you? Do you have any close friends, or just formal acquaintances? _

**_I… I have some friends… but not very many…_**

_And these friends… do you see them as enduring, unconditional companions? Or are they… a little more distant than that?_

**_The few friends I have… they're very close. But I… can't help but think that they're slipping away…_**

_And do you see it as your own fault that they're slipping away?_

**_I don't know. Maybe. Maybe we're just taking our own separate paths through life… I don't know if there's anything I can do to help that._**

_So, do you believe in fate? Or do you believe you choose your own path in life?_

**_I don't really know. I just live the way I think I should… Whether or not things happen by fate or choice… it doesn't really matter to me._**

_I'm starting to see what kind of a person you are. Let me ask just a few more questions... _

_Are you adventurous? Do you enjoy trying new things and venturing out to new places? Or do you prefer to stay in the comfort of your home?_

…**_I like to stay home. I prefer having someone with me when I go out. So, no… I'm not adventurous. I'm withdrawn. _**

_Would you call yourself shy, then?_

…**_Yes._**

_Do you feel less shy when you are with your friends? Do you find that you can open yourself to some of the people around you?_

**_Yes. I act like a completely different person when I'm with my friends._**

_I understand. _

_Now, for the last question. What do you think of the world as a whole? Do you think that other people are good? Do you think the world is good? _

**_I… I think… that the world is good. Or, it could be really good. But there's a lot standing in the way of it._**

_And do you wish that you could change that?_

**_Yes, every day… but I… I don't think I have the courage… or the skill… to do anything about it. I mean, maybe I can change a little bit of it, if I try… _**

**_I just do what I can… with what little I have._**

_Ah, very good. At last, all the questions have been asked. Now, I must look into your spirit before I make my final judgment. Now, relax, and let me probe your soul… _

_Let yourself drift away, and trust me… _

…

…

_It is done. Your spirit… is a shimmering __**Silver.**_

**_Silver?_**

_Yes, and a very special sort of Silver. is a resolute, eternal silver… like the lining of the moon… A silver which does not fade, regardless of what may try to tarnish it._

…

_As for you… I have considered all your answers carefully, and I see what kind of a person you are. You are the vulnerable type. _

**_Vulnerable? What do you mean?_**

_You… are troubled my many things. Your own inadequacies haunt you. The vastness and unpredictability of the wide world intimidate you. You are… a coward, but not without purpose. You act cowardly only because you feel you understand your own weaknesses and limitations, and you feel you are simply not good enough._

_But, despite this, there is a fire burning within you, something you have always known to be there, but have always been afraid, or perhaps unable, to let it shine. _

_Your closest friends see this fire within you, and this is why they enjoy your company. Like me, they see that you have the potential to create an extraordinary future for yourself. And I believe you see it, too; this is why you always find yourself enraged at your own shortcomings. Despite it all, your lack of confidence keeps you from seeking out this future for yourself; instead, you harbor a deep hope that someday you will be lucky, that your future will be delivered to you on a silver lining. _

_But you know that day will never arrive. Instead, perhaps you should begin to consider the possibility that you, yourself, are the silver lining upon which the future will be delivered._

…

_As for your friends, you fear it is your own fault they are drifting away, but not because you offend them. It is because you find it difficult to see through the eyes of other people, and so, in your imagination, your friends see you the same way you see yourself, and so you imagine they are growing dissatisfied with you… even when they aren't. The truth is that you need your friends like food and water, for, it is only among them that you turn into the person you wish to be._

_You need to let go, take a deep breath, immerse yourself in the world. Jump right in. Yes, it will hurt sometimes, but the hurt means that you are learning and growing. And as you learn, you will find more confidence in yourself and become more comfortable with your new surroundings. _

_To help motivate yourself, you must start practicing making resolutions… and keeping every single one. Willpower is the cornerstone of confidence. It won't be easy or painless, especially since you are stubborn… but if you'd only make the choice, you may grow from the tiny, vulnerable candle-flame you are now, into a glorious, blazing star which will light the way for the world._

**_What? I'm… a candle-flame?_**

_Yes… your character… is that of __**Charmander!**_

_Now, there is one final matter to attend to, before we depart! You may choose the species of the one who is to become your deepest friend._

_ Choose carefully; this friend will be your dearest and most faithful companion. Nothing, but nothing, will have the strength to tear a rift in your friendship. Your partner is the one who will stay at your side until the very end… even when you would otherwise find yourself abandoned and alone. _

_Now, choose. Who will be your partner?_

…

_An interesting choice. So be it, then! It is time for you to enter the world of Pokémon. Now, I must take away your memories of this conversation. You will remember nothing of me, of your previous life, or, indeed, even of yourself… but this is the beginning of your new chance to shine. Be brave! Don't hold back! Show them the fire that burns inside you!_

* * *

_On this day, a fate is born  
A star begins to rise_  
_And in the heart, an ember glows;_  
_A fire which never dies._

_..._

ScytheRider presents...

**Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Silver Resistance**


	2. Chapter 1: Charmander Awakens

**Season I: Gold**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

"We're wasting our time. They're expecting us back."

"No! I swear, I felt it! It was unmistakable."

In the waning sunlight of the early evening, two figures slashed their way through the overgrowth of Shamble Forest. One marched forward with determination, the other followed reluctantly behind.

"Scythe…"

"I swear! It came from this way. We need to investigate!"

The twosome foraged their way through shrubs and saplings as the sun slowly sank out of sight, filling the sky with hues of red. Soon, night would be upon them. The trailing figure cast a worried glance upward, knowing they'd soon be out of precious sunlight if he didn't get his stubborn partner to listen.

"Scythe, are you certain you're not just hearing things again?"

"I don't know. That's why I need to see for myself."

"Scythe… nothing lives in this forest except for some dumb Pidgey and Butterfree."

As the two emerged into a clearing, a startled flock of Pidgey scattered and hid themselves in the branches of nearby trees. The frustrated Sandslash grumbled in resentment, knowing inside it was all probably just a bad idea.

"Scythe, it's almost night, and we're still miles from the base. It's too late for this! If we don't head back now, the Watchers will catch us. Are you _sure_ you're in a mood to fight with the Watchers?"

"And what if I'm right?!" the Scyther snapped as he turned to face his partner, causing the Sandslash to jump at the sudden reaction. "What if I'm right, and I _did_ hear something coming from in there? If not, what's the worst that can happen? We get back a little late, and the team worries about us for a few extra hours? Somehow, that does not worry me. But Shander… what if the Call is here? Consider that. What if this is our only chance to capture the Call before our enemies do? We can't turn our back on this possibility."

"I know, I know," said the Sandslash. "But the time is not right for the Call. That's all I'm saying. We still have another three years, at the very least…"

"I _know_ the time is not right," The Scyther grumbled. "It doesn't matter. This could be some kind of an anomaly. However, speaking as one of the only Pokémon sensitive enough to the Call to notice it, I feel _obliged_ to look farther. And frankly, I'm growing frustrated that no one else seems to take this matter as seriously as I do."

The Sandslash shook its head. He knew it was hopeless. The same exchange had happened between them at least three times in the prior months, and it always ended the same way. The Scyther was stubborn in his obsession.

"If there _is _someone in there, we need to get to it before the Watchers do," the Scyther spoke, focusing on the path ahead. "We cannot afford to have it fall into the wrong hands. Shander… if you do not agree with me, you're free to return by yourself. I'll go on alone."

The Scyther smiled wryly to himself, knowing full well that the Sandslash was too much of a coward to part ways and venture back on his own. There was a _reason_ the team followed a strict buddy system. It was difficult—in more than one way—to recount all of the Pokémon who had been defeated in dungeons or captured by the Watchers because they had gotten separated from the team, either by accident or by overconfidence.

"I'll go with you," the Sandslash replied with a sigh of resignation. "I trust you. Besides, I'm a bit rusty at fighting the Watchers. I could use the experience. But just one thing… It's been twenty-four years since the Call. Are you _sure_ you remember what it sounds like?"

"It's not something one can easily forget," the Scyther said.

Bracing himself for the unexpected, the Sandslash followed his partner deeper into the woods.

* * *

**Shamble Forest**

It was nearly nightfall as a small Bulbasaur scampered through Shamble Forest all alone.

"No!" it cried to nobody in particular. "No! _No_! I won't! I _won't_! I won't do it!"

Deftly leaping over rocks and fallen logs, the Bulbasaur followed a path through the woods it knew well. As it ran, it seemed intent to violently share its anguish with every passing tree in eyeshot.

"No, no, NO!" it shouted, extending its vines and snapping away the twigs and drooping tree limbs that hung in the way. "I can't take it! I won't do it! I… I can't! You _can't_ make me! You _can't!_"

The little Pokémon had long since reached the end of his patience. He dashed off the path and repeatedly whipped his vines against the nearest tree as hard as he could manage. With a scream, he put gash after gash into the tree's bark. After he'd done quite a bit of damage to the poor tree, he leaped to another and tackled it with all its might, barely even feeling the painful pulse it sent through his forehead. He wrapped his vines around the tree trunk and squeezed, pulling and constricting it violently, as tears trickled out from under his closed eyes.

"Why?! Why are you _doing_ this to me?!" he cried in anguish at nobody but the setting sun. "By Dialga, why?! By _Arceus_, Why?!"

He released the tree from his grasp and tumbled to the ground. Lashing out with a vine, he grasped a nearby rock and flung it at a different tree, and then threw another rock, then a twig, then whatever else he could find within reach, grunting loudly with each projectile he launched.

"I don't care what they say," he seethed as he felt the weariness set in. "They're not going to make me do it. I'll **never** go! I'll… I'll hold my ground, and… if they try to make me go, I'll… I'll run away. Yeah! I'll run away! And I'll _stay_ away!"

When the Bulbasaur had spent nearly all his strength, he stood in the dimming light of the woods, gasping for air and trying to endure the throbbing pain from his self-induced headache. It took him a moment to realize how deeply his rampage had taken him into the forest, a place he loved and treasured. Tonight, these woods seemed like the only place he belonged; he felt a measure of happiness knowing he was so far away from his home. At the moment, his home was the last place he wanted to be.

The environment calmed him. As his furious heart returned to normal, he could feel his rage slowly fading, turning into misery. He knew there was nothing he could do. He knew he would have to accept the fate that was decided for him—or suffer the consequences. He wondered how it could have happened like this, that this beautiful forest, and everything else he ever knew and loved, was about to be taken away. That his _free will_ was about to be taken away…

Looking up at the sky, he caught a glimpse of the first star of the night.

"Oh, great Pokémon of legend…" he whispered in prayer, just as he was taught to do from childhood, "Great and immortal Arceus, please... if you find it within yourself to help one of us, the Pokémon of the earth… Please… _do something!_"

Soon, many more stars appeared in the sky. A Noctowl fluttered down from somewhere and landed on a nearby branch. It stared oddly at the little seed-creature on the forest floor below, as if to ask it what it was doing out at such an hour.

"Night…" the Bulbasaur suddenly realized, wide-eyed. "I have to get somewhere safe! The Watchers are coming!"

The Bulbasaur knew that, at night, legions of ghostly Pokémon known as "the Watchers" rose up from beneath the surface of the earth. For as long as any Pokémon could recount, the Watchers surfaced each and every night as soon as the last of the sunlight faded away. They were wild spirits, lacking the intelligence of the sentient Pokémon or the ability to understand speech. To every Pokémon, children and adults alike, only one thing was certain about them: if they caught you, they did unspeakable, horrifying things to you. Accounts told of Pokémon captured by the Watchers getting cursed, losing their memories or their intellect, being kidnapped and pulled down into the Earth, or being cast into a nightmare from which they would never awaken…

In the dim rays of the remaining sunlight, the Bulbasaur found the path he'd taken deep into the forest, and started to follow it back toward home.

"No…" he realized, stopping in his tracks. "I can't go back home. I might not make it back… I have to go the other way. I have to get to the cave."

The full moon was high in the sky as Bulbasaur found the place he sought. He thanked Cresselia for blessing him with the moonlight, a bright beacon which kept the Watchers at bay for perhaps an extra hour, and turned his attention to a solid rock cliff-face which marked the outer boundary of Shamble Forest. By tradition, he glanced all around to make sure nobody was watching. When he was satisfied that he wouldn't be seen, he extended his vines to wrap a medium-sized rock. Clutching it tightly, Bulbasaur yanked, pulling the rock to the side and revealing a cave entrance.

It was Bulbasaur's secret clubhouse, a place which only he and a select few others knew about. It was the place Bulbasaur would always come when he just wanted to be alone. Tonight, nothing would make him happier than simply being alone.

After waiting impatiently for a few Zubat to swarm out of the cave, the little Pokémon crawled inside. Using his vines, he pulled the rock back into place for privacy.

Comfortable and content in his newfound solitude, and weary from his anger, Bulbasaur laid itself down on the gravel-covered cave floor to sleep. He knew in the back of his mind that his family would be furious about him going missing overnight, but somehow, he didn't care about them anymore. At least, not for tonight.

_They can spend all night looking for me if they want,_ Bulbasaur told itself. _Serves them right._

Soon, the wind began to pick up outside, making strange whistles and howls as it found its way through cracks in the door-stone. A light storm was brewing. It was early spring, after all, and storms were common around the time of year. Bulbasaur took even greater comfort in the fact that he had found shelter from the rain—if dark clouds covered the moon, the Watchers would most certainly be out in full force.

At last, once the Bulbasaur calmed his thoughts, he felt himself pulled down into the dark hallows of sleep…

But something caught his attention.

It was a tiny annoyance, something so minor that only the most perceptive of senses would have noticed it. Truth was, Bulbasaur had spent the night here in this very cave many times before (when he'd lied to his parents that he was staying with his brothers in Sitrus City), and he had grown accustomed to the cave's feel. Tonight, something was different than usual—something he couldn't quite place.

Feeling irritated, Bulbasaur's eyes snapped open. He glanced around at the cave's walls for a few moments before realizing what it was that bugged him.

_I can see?_

Except for when he'd intentionally leave the cave door open, the cave was normally pitch-black—the kind of absolute black where it doesn't matter whether or not your eyes are open. He was used to finding the way around the cave's interior by feel with his vines. But not today; today, he could dimly see the rocky cave walls which surrounded him. It was such a faint sight, like the image that stays on the back of the eyelid after closing it, but there was no mistaking it: there was light coming from somewhere.

Bulbasaur checked the cave door. The door only responded with dull roar of thunder as the storm edged closer to the forest. It was sealed shut, as usual. That much was clear to see.

_The light_, Bulbasaur realized, _it must be coming from deeper inside the cave. But… I can't go too far in. Just one step too far, and… I'd be lost. Maybe even for good._

Gritting his teeth, he warily prowled into the depths of the cave, hoping to find the source of the light before he reached the point which he'd resolved never to cross. As well as he knew the cave, he knew that it held certain secrets deeper down that he wouldn't be wise to try exploring on his own.

His search didn't last very long. He turned the corner… and he saw it.

There, propped up against a rock, with its tail crushed beneath its body weight and burning faintly, was a Charmander. The flame upon its tail cast a faint, dancing light upon the cave walls.

"_Whoa!"_ Bulbasaur croaked in disbelief. "A… Charmander! It… it can't be! There aren't supposed to be any Charmander living around here!"

Indeed, a Charmander was such a rare sight around Bulbasaur's corner of the world, he couldn't even remember the last time he'd seen one.

As Bulbasaur approached the intruder, countless questions danced around in his head. _Who is this? Is it wild? Or is it intelligent? Should I wake it up? Is it… dead? No, it can't be dead, its fire is still burning. Where did it come from? How young is it? Has it been running from the Watchers? _

Bulbasaur's eyes widened as he approached the intruder. It looked pained, like it had just sustained a major headache. Extending both vines very gently, Bulbasaur tried to roll the Charmander on its side and off its tail flame. But his anxiety got the better of him; he flinched and slipped, accidentally touching the fire with the end of a vine.

"Owww! _Youch_!" he hissed, whipping his vine against the wall to put out the burn.

Once the pain subsided, Bulbasaur stepped forward to nudge the little Charmander with his forehead, taking great care not to collide with its flame again.

"Hey," Bulbasaur whispered. "Hey, wake up! Are you okay? Wake up!"

There was no response.

"C'mon, wake up!" Bulbasaur pleaded further, whispering a little louder into the red lizard's ear.

Bulbasaur looked again at the tail flame, which was mostly smothered below the Charmander's belly as it slept in such an awkward position. He imagined how painful it must have been for the sleeper, and wondered if that were the reason for the unpleasant expression on its unconscious face. Mustering his courage once more, Bulbasaur set his forehead against the Carmander's shoulder and pushed until the tail was free and the sleeper lay on its side.

But suddenly…

"Aahhh! _Ahhh_!"

With a heavy gasp, the Charmander suddenly jumped up, slamming its head into a long rock which protruded from the wall.

"Aiahh!" Bulbasaur responded, jumping back. "S-sorry! I was just… You were… Are you okay?"

"Ugh…" the Charmander groaned, slumping back down to the floor. "Ugh… my head…"

"Who _are_ you?" Bulbasaur asked impatiently. "There aren't supposed to be any Charmander around here. How did you _get_ here? How did you find my cave?"

"Ch-charmander?" the Charmander moaned, barely paying any attention. "W…what do you mean? A Charmander's a… Pokémon."

"You… didn't hit your head _too_ hard, did you?" Bulbasaur said, tilting his head oddly at the statement.

"I… I think I hit it pretty hard," the Charmander admitted, rubbing its forehead. "I don't even know where I am. But you… _WAAH_!"

Once again, the Charmander leapt up in surprise, banging its head against the same rock. It cringed for a second at the pain, then stared speechlessly at its companion with a sort of horrified astonishment.

"_WHAT_?!" demanded Bulbasaur. "What?! What is it?"

"Y-you're a—Pokémon!" the Charmander yelped. "And you _talk! _You're a… _talking Bulbasaur_!_"_

"Well, you talk, too!" Bulbasaur said. "And you're a Charmander! What's wrong?"

"I'm not a Charmander!" it yelped. "I'm… I'm a human!"

"A _human?!"_ Bulbasaur yelped back. "You look like a perfectly normal Charmander to me! Your head must be hurt pretty bad… Maybe I should try to get you some help. Hold on a second, I think I have some oran berries stashed back here… well, if the Rattatas haven't gotten to them yet…"

As Bulbasaur started to walk away, feeling around in the crannies of the cave with his vines, the Charmander cried out once again.

"No, you don't understand!" the Charmander insisted. "I'm a human! I just—"

"Look at yourself!" Bulbasaur pleaded, turning back around to face him. "Look at your claws, your body, your tail! It's in the middle of the night and you're in a cave. Wonder how you can see me? It's because your tail's on fire! You're a _Charmander_!"

Reluctantly, the Charmander did as instructed. He looked at his hands, his legs…

"It's true!" he cried in disbelief, testing his arms and legs awkwardly. "I—I've been turned into a Charmander! But how… how can this be?! I… I was just…"

"Here, have this," Bulbasaur said, returning to offer him a large blue berry in his mouth. "It'll make you feel better."

"How am I a Charmander?" he wondered again, trying to grasp the idea. "I was a human! I know it! I was turned into a Pokémon! I—"

Bulbasaur gazed oddly at the confused little Charmander, pondering for a second what it would mean if he were telling the truth.

"If you were a human, then let me ask you something that only a human would know," Bulbasaur challenged. "How does a Poké Ball work? How is it possible to keep a Pokémon of any size in such a tiny little thing? No Pokémon has ever been able to figure that out. Humans invented them. They would know how they work. What about the TM Machines? How do they teach techniques to a Pokémon so… efficiently? Without them, it takes years and years of practice…"

"I don't know," the Charmander admitted. "I was never a Pokémon trainer, I… I think."

"Oh," Bulbasaur said in disappointment.

For a few moments, Bulbasaur said nothing further. The Charmander bit into the berry.

"I'm Saura," the Bulbasaur said. "What's your name?"

"My… name…" the Charmander repeated, racking his thoughts for the answer as he turned the blue berry over in his hands, enjoying the strong but bittersweet taste it provided. "I don't know what my name is."

His eyes widened.

"I don't remember!" he gasped, dropping the berry on the ground. He couldn't even believe his own words. "I can't remember my own name!"

"Calm down for a second," Saura said. "Do you… remember _anything_ about being a human? Anything at all?"

"No, I don't… not anything." The Charmander fretted. "Here I am… as a Pokémon… stuck in this cave I've never seen before in my life… And I can't even remember how I got here?!"

"It's okay," Saura said in a comforting voice. "Eat your berry. It will make you feel better."

The Charmander immediately felt it when the oran berry began to take effect. His body tingled, leaving behind a relaxing, strengthening sensation. His headache faded away a little bit, and his thoughts started to form orderly patterns. The flame on his tail flared up, giving a little more light to the room than when he had first awakened.

"My name…" he fretted, tossing the oran berry seed onto the ground. "I have a name. I know I do! I just… can't believe I… I can't remember it."

"It's okay," Saura said. "Mind if I call you Char?"

"Char?" The Charmander repeated, finding the name to be demeaning somehow. "Isn't that name a little… silly?"

"Well, that _is_ what we call Charmanders when we meet them," he explained. "It's polite to call a Pokémon by the name of their species, or part of it, unless they otherwise have a nickname. We use nicknames if there's more than one of the same kind of Pokémon and you have to tell them apart. It's etiquette. Actually, we got that tradition from the way human Pokémon trainers raise their Pokémon. "

"Fine, call me Char," The Charmander said reluctantly. "But only until I remember what my name was."

"Whatever you want," Saura said, a smile forming on his face. "You're the human."

"You believe me? You really believe that I was turned into a Pokémon?" Char asked again, still not able to fathom the Bulbasaur's faith. "If I were a human running around trying to tell other humans that I was once a Pokémon, they'd write me off as crazy."

"Pokémon aren't like humans very much," Saura said, still smiling. "And, yes, I believe you. You don't seem like the deceitful kind of Pokémon. And besides, I _wanted_ to believe your story from the beginning. These are the kinds of things that are written in the human legend-books. Who knows? You could have been the world's greatest Pokémon trainer, or the _President_, and here I am, just chatting with you! It's pretty cool just thinking about it."

"Heh, I guess," Char replied. "But I don't think I was anyone _too_ special…"

A few more moments passed in silence. Saura brought out another oran berry and offered it to Char, but he refused. Saura began munching on it himself. Char clutched his tail and fiddled with the flame, amused at how his hands seemed completely fireproof as he passed them through it. He didn't feel the slightest inkling of a burn. Instead, the fire provided his claw with a surprisingly intense comfort, as though it was a refreshingly warm stream of water. He wondered if jumping headfirst into a blazing fire would feel roughly like taking a nice warm bath.

"So, your nickname is Saura?" Char asked, still playing with his tail. "Does that mean... are there other Bulbasaur where you live?"

"Yeah, I have a whole family," Saura replied, a note of disdain entering his voice. "Seven brothers and two sisters. We all have slightly different names… Although, my oldest brother became an Ivysaur last year, and he moved away into the city…"

"What's wrong?" Char asked, noticing his tone of voice. "Is something wrong with your family?"

"My family is stupid," Saura complained, whipping his oran berry seed away. "They want me to—"

Char glanced up from his floor-bound gaze, wondering why Saura had stopped in mid-sentence. His face had suddenly turned full of worry, his gaze quickly shifting in all directions.

"What's w-"

"Sshh!" Saura quickly warned. "I heard… something…"

"What? Is someone coming?"

"Quick! Cover up your tail!"

Reluctantly, Char held onto the flame-spout of his tail with both hands. Again, it surprised him that he felt no pain from such an action, but he found that he couldn't keep all of the flames covered up. They found their own ways through, much like what happens when one tries to cover up a running water current with bare hands.

"That's the best I can do!" Char said.

"Good enough…" Saura hissed. "Now, listen… I think I hear something…"

Except for the tiny sound of Char's fire, and the ominous but barely-audible rumbles of thunder from the outside, the cave became completely quiet.

… For a few moments, at least.

It came: the distinctive sound of… _talking._

Although only a few fragments of a few words had escaped to their ears, Saura silently gasped in fright.

The voices became louder. A lump formed in Saura's throat.

"… here…" … "in here…" … "find them! They're in here! I swear!"

"No!" Saura gasped. "No! Char, I thought this cave was secret, but… I think someone found it!"

"Who would it be? Should we run? Should we hide?"

"I don't know," Saura said through worried gasps of breath. "But whoever they are… if they can brave the Watchers, they're nobody I'd like to be around. They might even be…"

"Watchers? What are the Watchers?"

But Char received no reply. Instead, Saura's seemed frozen in fear. The Bulbasaur choked on his last words, wishing to Arceus that they couldn't be true.

"They could be… _them!_"

"Them?"

There was no time to answer. Without warning, the echo from a horrifying rumble tore through the cave. It was the sound of the door-stone being shoved aside.

"We've found them! Go! Get them! Now!"

"Char…" Saura choked in the tiniest, most petrified whisper possible, "We have to run. It's them… the Master's soldiers… They're going to kidnap us!"

Char wanted to ask for clarification, but figured there just wasn't time.

"I know you didn't!" yelled one of the voices from the front of the cave. "We came here because of you. We followed them here. Now find them! Don't let them escape, after all this!"

"Char… You have to trust me," Saura creaked silently. "Please… You have to follow me, and trust me. We've got to go deeper into the cave."

"Do you know the way?" Char asked carefully.

"Nobody knows the way…" Saura answered gravely, extending a vine to him. "It's impossible for anyone to know the way. Hold onto my vine, and don't let go. Char… if we go just a little bit deeper into the tunnels… We might be able to lose them… "

Char obeyed, letting go of his tail with one hand and taking Saura's vine in the other. However, something about the Bulbasaur's reply didn't make sense to him.

"What do you mean, impossible for anyone to know the way?" he asked.

"Char…" Saura said as he began to retreat into the cavern's rear tunnel, "This place… this cave… is a mystery dungeon."


	3. Chapter 2: Escape Route

**Chapter 2**

**Gravelerock Tunnel 1F**

"A mystery dungeon? What's a mystery dungeon?"

Keeping a firm hold on Saura's vine in one hand, and holding his tail like a torch in the other, Char felt his head spinning with countless questions as he followed the Bulbasaur through dark corridors which split into countless side paths.

"_This_ is a mystery dungeon," Saura said, keeping a wary eye in all directions. "It's a cursed maze that's very easy to get lost in. If you get lost… that's it for you. You'll stay in here forever until someone comes to rescue you, or… you starve to death."

Char felt a chill of fear stab at his chest. He instinctively tugged on Saura's vine harder, not wanting to get separated.

"Cursed? How is it cursed?"

"Nobody really knows what causes it," Saura explained, wincing as Char squeezed his vine, "but a mystery dungeon never stays the same. Some say that the curse erases your memories of the maze when you leave… Some say it's constantly shifting and re-arranging itself when nobody's looking, like a spatial anomaly created by Palkia… Hey, Char, you might want to help keep an eye out. We need to work together if we want to get out of this place."

"Keep an eye out for what?" Char asked nervously, his worry growing by the minute.

"We need to find the entrance to the next floor," said Saura. "That's the only way to get out of here."

"The next _floor? _So… A staircase, or something?"

"Yeah. And we need to avoid the wild Pokémon," Saura warned. "Wild Pokémon live in mystery dungeons. If they see you, they'll try to defend their territory from you at all costs, no matter how weak or strong you are."

"Wait... are you saying we might have to fight some wild Pokémon?!" Char screeched. "I… don't think I'm ready for this! Couldn't we just talk them out of fighting us?"

"But you can't reason with wild Pokémon," said Saura. "They can't talk, and they aren't even sentient at all. All Pokémon are like that unless they are raised and trained by someone else, either another Pokémon or a human. Otherwise, they stay wild—"

"Yaah!"

Saura was interrupted by a sudden yelp from Char, who'd tripped over nothing in particular and toppled to the ground with a _thump_. Char felt a throb from his still-aching head, as well as from embarrassment, as he lay for a moment on the cave floor.

"Sorry…" he muttered, "still getting used to the body. I think I used to have longer legs."

**"**Wow, you're probably right," Saura laughed as he glanced back and carefully lifted Char back to his feet. "If you were a human, you'd be much taller. You know, Pokémon have the same problem for a little while after they evolve. It takes them a while to get used to it—Hey! Look!"

As he was tending to Char, something from a nearby room caught Saura's eye. There, at the back of a cramped chamber, was a staircase leading upward into some sort of trap door. Char squinted to see it in the darkness, holding his tail forward to better illuminate the room.

"It's the stairs!" Saura cheered. "We got lucky and didn't run into any enemies. Quick, let's get up. Those guys might still be following us."

* * *

**Gravelerock Tunnel 2F**

"Saura, who are we running from, anyway?" Char demanded as he began to explore the second floor with his new companion.

"I didn't want to find out who they were," Saura said simply. "If they were the Master's soldiers, we need to run far away from them. Hey, Char… why don't you try leading the way for a while? You're the one with the light."

"How do I know where to go?" Char asked, reluctant to obey.

"Your guess is as good as mine," said Saura. "Just look everywhere for the next staircase. Just… don't let go. I don't want to get separated."

"Alright, if you're sure about this," Char gulped as he stepped in front of Saura and became the leader of the awkward little procession. "Now, who are the Master's soldiers you keep talking about, and why are they chasing us?"

Saura shivered in disgust. Char thought he even felt it reverberate through the vine he held in his hand. "They're an army of… I guess you could call them law enforcers. They work for the Master. They're _everywhere_ in this country."

"And who's this Master?"

"He's the self-proclaimed king of the whole Ambera region… the place where we are now."

"So, they're like police officers, I guess," Char offered. "In my world, police officers are very good people. Saura… you're not a… _criminal_, are you?"

"No! It's not like that!" Saura pleaded, stopping in his tracks and tugging at Char to get him to pay attention. "Listen. The Master is the bad guy! He's _supposed_ to be our leader, but everyone knows he took control over the country just for himself. His soldiers do horrible things. They invade towns, kidnap people, steal… and they're such powerful Pokémon that nobody can stand up to them. There's nothing we can do about it. We submit to the Master or face consequences."

Indignation filled Saura's face. He glared down at the floor.

"… And they wanted to take me," he said quietly.

"Take you?" Char repeated.

"Yes," he growled. "The Master wanted to take me. His soldiers travel the country and pick out Pokémon to join his army or to be his personal servants. They picked me… and… just earlier today, they told me I had a week to prepare to leave with them. And my family wouldn't do anything to help me. They're just going to send me off with the soldiers! I… I know they care about me, and I know they just don't want to get in trouble with the Master, but… I don't want to go! I'll do _anything_ not to join them! I want to be a free Pokémon and do the things _I_ want to do!"

"That's why we're running away from them," Char realized, beginning to understand the Bulbasaur's feelings. "Are… they coming to capture you?!"

"I think they saw me run away and they followed me here," Saura said. "Char… are you understanding all this? If they take me, I'll have to be a slave to them for the rest of my life! Will you stay with me and help me run away from them?"

"I…"

"Listen," Saura pleaded. "Just tonight, I prayed to Arceus, and I think he answered me. I think he sent you to help me! You're a human in the body of a Pokémon, right? And you just appeared in the cave without even opening the cave entrance to get in. Char, you were meant to help me!"

Char knew what he wanted to say, but he couldn't bring himself to answer. He gazed into the Bulbasaur's eyes and saw that his heart was truly breaking at the thought of having to work for this "Master".

Yet… at the same time, he knew he couldn't forget about his own predicament.

"Char, are you going to answer me?" Saura asked sadly.

Still unable to find the words he wanted, Char just stared blankly at his companion.

"Char?"

_I'm thinking!_ He said silently to himself. _This is already a lot to swallow in just one day! This Bulbasaur wants me to hide from the law and even run away from his own family? What about my own family? Do I have a family? Who am I, exactly? Oh, this would have been so much easier if my memories weren't gone! But… maybe he's right. Maybe I was put right here for a reason. Arceus? Who's he? Is that a Pokémon? I think I've heard the name before, but…"_

"Char!" cried Saura, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Char! LOOK OUT!"

Acting on instinct alone, Char dropped to the floor in fright and covered his head… just in time to hear the sounds of flapping and screeching from somewhere above him.

"It's a Zubat!" Saura yelled. "Get ready!"

"Ahh!" Char yelled, rolling on the floor away from the attacker.

The Zubat dive-bombed Saura, sounding its shrill squeals of "_Kii! Kii!" _as it attacked. Saura quickly yanked his vine out of Char's grasp and jumped out of the Zubat's way.

Char backed up against the nearest wall, his breaths short and heavy. He felt the muscles of his new body clench with panic.

Saura leapt out of the Zubat's way a second time, then a third. He drew his vines like whips and batted at the attacker. When the Zubat tried to dive at him a fourth time, it flew face-first into a swiveling vine and tumbled backward through the air. Saura thrust his body forward, sending a flurry of sharp, spinning leaves at the bat. The Zubat was sliced clean out of the air, falling limply to the floor with a final cry of "_Kreeeeee_!"

"Is… it dead?" Char gasped, feeling the blood run back into his face again.

"Dead? Hardly." Saura said as he retracted his vines. "He's just knocked out. It takes a lot more than _that_ to kill a Pokémon."

Climbing back to his feet, Char went to inspect the fallen Zubat. Indeed, it only had a few red scratches across its leathery body, and was still breathing strongly.

"You know, _you_ could help out, too," Saura said mockingly. "You've got claws and teeth. You don't have to be a coward."

"What?! I don't know how to fight!" Char retorted.

"Every Pokémon _knows_ how to fight," Saura said, offering his vine again. "It's in our instincts. Just let your survival instinct take over, and you'll do fine. Besides, you're stronger than you know. Charmanders aren't weak."

Char took a last look at the fallen Zubat as they turned a corner and continued their exploration of the dungeon.

* * *

**Gravelerock Tunnel 3F**

"Have you been in a mystery dungeon before?" Char asked as the twosome climbed the stairs to the third floor. "You seem to know a lot about them."

"Once," Saura admitted, "but that's it. When I was really small, I wandered into a dungeon and got stuck there for two days. My brothers had to come rescue me. I'll never forget how scared I was. Since then, I've tried to learn about dungeons in case I'd ever be in one again. Later, I made friends with a Chikorita, and she showed me this cave before she moved away. She told me that it turns into a mystery dungeon past the first cavern. Ever since then, I've been coming back here, waiting for the courage to go through the dungeon myself."

"I guess you finally got the courage," Char said with a smile.

"Well, yeah, now that I have a friend to go with me, not to mention something to light the way with," Saura replied, smiling back. "Hey, Char. You never answered my question…"

_What question? _Char asked himself. _Oh…_

"Look, Saura," Char sighed, "I… don't know. I don't have a lot of… information to go on right now, alright? I don't even know if helping you to run away from the "Master" is the right thing to do. I just don't know. I can't think straight right now. This is all just a little too weird."

"Let's make a deal," Saura said. "If you be my friend and help me stay away from the Master's soldiers, I'll stay with you and do all I can to teach you how to be a Pokémon."

_But what if I don't want to learn how to be a Pokémon? _Char moaned to himself. _What if I just want to go back to being a human? But… that doesn't really seem like an option right now, does it? But… I don't want to make any promises I won't be able to keep! _

Char carefully looked over the Bulbasaur's face, judging him. There was a glimmer of honesty in his eyes, and sincerity in the simple smile which spread across his face. Saura had hidden nothing from him, and had answered every question he had given so far.

Also, unlike himself, Saura was not afraid to fight, and clearly demonstrated that he was strong enough to defend the both of them.

_Well, I guess I have no choice,_ Char determined. W_hat I need the most right now is a companion just like Saura. I'm a Pokémon now, whether I like it or not, and I need someone to be my guide in this new world. He also believes me that I'm a human! How could I ask for anything more?_

"Well?" Saura asked eagerly.

"Deal," Char said with a gleaming smile, holding out his hand.

However, instead of the expected handshake, Saura gleefully jumped forward and tackled him.

"Ha! Haha! _Yes!_" Saura shouted. "I'm officially friends with a human! A _human_! It's always been a lifelong dream of mine to be a human trainer's partner! But the humans live a hundred thousand miles away from Ambera, so I never thought I'd ever see the day…!"

"Heh, heh," Char gasped, awkwardly struggling to endure the glomp.

… … …

As they continued on through the dungeon, Char could tell that Saura's mood had changed; he'd gone from acting depressed to beaming with joy. He also seemed to ramble, making it harder than ever for Char to get a question in edgewise.

"We've got to keep an eye out for any more Zubat," Saura warned. "They like to attack in groups. One is easy, but five or more could take us out. Watch the ceiling, too. They could be sleeping up there."

"Next time we have to fight one, I guess I'll try fighting," Char said. "I'm not going to lie to you, Saura, but I _am_ a coward when it comes to fighting. But, I guess I've got to start somewhere."

"That's the spirit, Char!" Saura exclaimed. "Fighting isn't all that hard, either, especially when your opponent is weaker than you. And when you get good at fighting, you'll be able to fight more difficult enemies, and you may even learn different tricks to help you. I practiced a whole lot against wild Pokémon this year, and just a few months ago I finally learned how to launch leaves!"

While they didn't run into any more enemies, Char felt his stomach rumble as they entered the staircase chamber. It was then that he realized that he felt absolutely _famished_, and the oran berry he'd just eaten was only enough to stave it off for a very short while. However, he didn't feel it was appropriate to complain to Saura about it, so he gritted his teeth and kept on moving.

* * *

**Gravelerock Tunnel 4F**

"You seem to be pretty good at fighting," Char asked while trying to ignore the rumble of his stomach. "Do you think that could be the reason why the Master wants you for his army?"

"I don't think that has anything to do with it," Saura said scornfully. "They're probably just picking me because they don't have a Venusaur to add to their collection yet. But to be honest, I don't even _want_ to be a Venusaur. I want to stay the way I am. Nobody can force me to evolve if I don't want it! Besides, I'm not really _that_ good at fighting."

"Sure you are!" Char said, regretting how he'd steered the conversation. "It seems like you're skilled… at least against the one Zubat you fought."

"Thanks," Saura said flatly. "I appreciate it."

After walking a little more, Saura spoke up again.

"Ugh… getting so hungry…"

"You, too?" Char said with some surprise.

"That's the other thing about mystery dungeons," Saura said. "They aren't just a spatial anomaly. They're also a temporal anomaly. Walking around in one, your body will heal itself a lot faster than normal… but you'll get tired and hungrier faster than normal, too. That's why it's important for explorers to take lots of food with them when they go to dungeons."

"Did we bring any food?" Char asked, already knowing the answer. "You didn't have any of those berries left, did you?"

"No," Saura said regretfully, "but I was hoping we'd find one or two along the way… they say that sometimes, you can find food that the wild Pokémon have stashed away, but we… haven't found anything."

"Maybe we should look for food," Char suggested. "Any further, and I think I'll start getting dizzy from hunger."

"Yeah… I'm thinking the same thing," Saura said. "Better keep an eye out for food."

Char led Saura around some more, exploring every nook of the maze he came across. There was no food to be seen, and Char's belly really began to ache.

"Ugh…" Saura groaned. "Maybe I was wrong. Maybe we weren't ready for this after all… Maybe we're going to starve to death… Or maybe—"

As the two entered a particularly large room, Char noticed small group of Rattata sleeping in a little alcove off to the side.

"Rattata!" Saura exclaimed. "I think I spoke too soon! Rattata always hoard food! They stole from my stash of berries so many times, there's no way they could have gotten through them all by now!"

"Or, we could just eat the Rattatas," Char mumbled.

Ignoring Char's suggestion, Saura crept ahead and into the room in search of something to eat. Char followed, sweeping his tail from side to side and glancing around the room for any other forms of danger that might be lurking in the shadows.

Char's light touched something of interest.

"Char, help me with these rats," Saura instructed. "They're easy to fight. We can take them out if they have any food."

"Saura! Look there!" Char hissed.

"What now?!"

Saura turned to look in the direction Char indicated, and he, too, was surprised by the sight.

Sitting near the opposite corner of the room… was an apple. The apple was not whole; some bites were missing from it. Standing next to the apple, resting peacefully, was a Spearow.

"Char, that could feed us both!" Saura exclaimed voicelessly.

"What's a Spearow doing down here in a cave?!" Char demanded, eyeing it cautiously as its body rose and fell in place. "It's dark down here! How could it live in a dungeon like this?"

"Who cares?!" Saura said, approaching the creature. "Char. Go see if you can take the apple."

"Why me?" Char demanded. "You're better at—"

"Because if that Spearow wakes up… Well… I don't like fighting birds. But c'mon, you said you'd try to fight, right? Go get it! I bet you could take it down!"

"Couldn't you just grab it from a distance with your vines?"

"Char… I'm scared of birds. They hurt a lot when they attack. Could you do it? Please?"

"If you say so… but only if you promise to back me up."

"Of course," Saura said encouragingly. "But let's do it already, I'm really hungry!"

Clenching his claws, Char tiptoed nearer to the napping Spearow. As he closed in, he could barely hear the squeaking of the bird's nostrils as it breathed. He stood for a moment some three feet away, inspecting the creature's closed eyes as if to determine _how_ closed they were. Saura held his breath, only able to watch at a distance and wait to see what would happen.

Just as Char crept closer to the apple… he tripped.

"Ah!" he gasped soundlessly as his face hit the dusty floor. He cringed, his eyes clenched as tight as could be and his teeth grinding against one another, fearful and awaiting the inevitable attack. Saura reared back and prepared to charge, his mouth agape but betraying no sound.

A few seconds passed. Both froze in place, neither moving or even so much as breathing.

"Char!" Saura finally gasped. "Char! Get up! He's still not awake!"

Char opened his eyes and glanced forward. His hands were cupped perfectly around the apple, and the Spearow hadn't moved.

Breathing the biggest sigh of relief yet, Char rolled himself upright and held the apple up in the air. Saura quickly constricted him to help him up, and then snatched the apple from his hand.

"You did it!" Saura cheered quietly.

"Hey, don't I get any?" Char asked, brushing himself off.

"Of course! You get half," Saura said, taking a juicy bite out of the apple. "_Pfft_… eew, it's dry. But it fills the belly, and that's all that matters, I guess."

"No wonder the Spearow didn't care about it," Char remarked. "Look. It's still sleeping like a log, too!"

After Saura finished his half, he handed over the remaining portion. Char found that his mouth, unlike Saura's, wasn't big enough to eat it as fast as he wanted.

Despite being half-eaten, the apple seemed pretty big. Char wondered whether or not the apple was regular-sized, that it just seemed bigger with a body that was smaller than he was used to. He kept taking small bites out of the dry piece of fruit, yet it never seemed to grow any smaller. He eventually dug down past the dry skin and the browned bruises to the sweeter portion of the fruit, which he enjoyed greatly as they continued their exploration of the dungeon floor.

"Uh… Char…" Saura suddenly spoke, dodging around the fiery tail to tap the Charmander on the back. "Stop. I think we've been down this way before."

"We have?" Char asked, lifting his gaze from his apple. "Well, that's just great. I guess I was too occupied with eating and I wasn't paying enough attention."

"That's okay, that's why I'm here," Saura said, glancing about the hall which they stood in. "But… unless I'm missing something, I think we've been through all the corridors on this floor, but I haven't seen the staircase anywhere."

"What about that one?" Char said, jabbing his tail toward a nearby hall. "I don't remember exploring in there. That's where I was going to go next."

"Nah, we've been in that one," Saura said. "It goes around into a big cave, then a small one, then back here."

"No, that was the one up ahead," Char said.

"Are you sure?"

"Well, why don't we just go in and see for ourselves—"

_Raaaaaaw!_

A raspy screech, much lower and more powerful than a Zubat's, echoed through the tunnel.

Before another word could be said, the cry sounded again, followed by the sound of powerful wings flapping.

_Eeeeerk! Raaaaaw!_

"Oh no!" screamed Saura in dismay. "It's—"

_Eeeeeeeeeeee!_

The screech sounded directly above Char's head, and a figure swiftly dove out of the darkness and shot straight for him. Char jumped back in fright, but it wasn't enough to dodge the attacker. He caught a glimpse of the foe just before his vision turned to stars.

Saura cried out as the Spearow's beak struck Char and knocked him to the ground.

_Eeeeeeeeeeerk!_

"No!" Saura cried, dashing forward to Char's aid.

But the Spearow returned for another attack, swooping into the flickering light of Char's tail, and Saura narrowly dodged. Catching his breath, he glanced around in panic and tried to anticipate the next attack.

But then, a plural cry descended from the darkness above, striking great fear into Saura's rapidly-beating heart.

"Char! There's _two_ of them!"

_Raaaaaaaaaaaaaw!_

Heeding the warning, Char climbed to his feet, only to catch sight of one of the Spearow swooping down and snatching the almost-fully-eaten apple from the ground.

"HEY!" Char yelled at the thief, "I wasn't done with that!"

_Raaaaaaaaaaw! _answered the Spearow.

"Char! _Help!_" Saura cried, his vines thrashing around in the near-darkness, blindly trying to defend himself. The second Spearow fell from the darkness, pecking at him violently and leaving a juicy gash in the side of his body.

"AHH! _OWW_!" He cried in pain. "CHAR! Get them off me! _PLEASE!_ CHAR!"

_I guess this is where I fight,_ Char said to himself. _Now…I have to let the survival instincts take over…_

Char pounced forward, springing into the air higher than he thought his legs were capable of propelling him. He blindly slashed at the air with his claws, hoping to defend Saura from further harm as best as he could. His final attack connected, sending the diving Spearow flying to the side and filling the air with an explosion of loose feathers. But the second Spearow quickly counterattacked, and a _third_ Spearow swooped in to help.

"CHAR! We have to get out of here!" Saura cried upon seeing the third bird. "Char! The Spearows! You were right! They must live in here because there must be an exit nearby! We have to find the exit! This could be the last floor of the dungeon! HURRY!"

_Raaaaaaaaw!_ Cried one of the Spearows as it came down to peck at Saura. Char leapt forward again and slashed, defending his friend from the impact once more. The two took the opportunity to escape down the corridor, but the Spearows gave chase and refused to back down.

"You have your stupid apple back!" Char yelled as he ran and covered his head for protection. "Go away!"

At last, at the end of the previously-unexplored tunnel, there was an exit chamber. A simple metal ladder extended toward the cave ceiling and out to the world above. The early morning sunlight shone down through the hole, softly illuminating the dingy room.

Two more Spearow stood between them and the doorway, wide awake and ready to attack.

"CHAR! Run for the exit!" Saura screamed, his legs moving as fast as he could make them.

But as Char glanced back and saw the enemies closing in on him… and forward, as his friend dashed straight toward the enemies… a weird, lurching sensation began to engulf him. Some kind of new, powerful desire welled in his belly.

Char realized what was happening: his survival instincts wanted even more control. They wanted to completely take over his actions.

Char saw how Saura ran towards an exit that was too far away. He saw the Spearow peck at him, giving him yet another painful wound. He saw how each swing of his vines became increasingly weakened and aimless. He heard his yells of anguish fill the air. He felt the wing of a Spearow collide with his back, narrowly missing its mark and instead homing in on the weakened Bulbasaur before him.

Char's feeling became too much. It needed to be released.

Taking a deep breath, Char gave a mighty roar of fury. But, instead of sound, a stream of flames erupted from his maw.

_Whoa!_ Char realized. _I can breathe fire? I wonder if I can do it again…?_

Focusing once again on the burning feeling in his stomach, Char drew another heavy breath. He aimed at the flock of Spearow swarming above Saura, then released.

A plume of flames, bigger this time, hit the Spearow head-on. They tumbled to the ground with burning feathers and flapped wildly to put themselves out.

"Thanks!" Saura shouted over the screeches of the fallen Spearow, trying to put out the flames that had caught the ends of his vines. "I really owe you one!"

"I didn't know I could do that!" Char answered, rushing to his side to help him. "Now, let's get out of here! Those weren't all of the Spearow!"

Char didn't have to say it twice. Saura bounded for the ladder, Char close behind, and the two of them climbed up and out into the early morning air.

* * *

**Goldenrod Meadow**

It was very early—almost four in the morning—as the two adventurers escaped the dungeon. A few stars still twinkled in the sky here and there, soon to be overcome by the looming sunlight. Char gazed upon the beauty of the wilderness which surrounded him, a sprawling plain covered in tall, amber-colored grass and dotted with sparkling lakes.

"Char! We did it!" Saura shouted jubilantly, tackling his friend a second time. "We fought through a mystery dungeon and lived! Char, you don't know what this means to me. I've been wanting to do that all my life!"

Char laughed with him this time, sharing his joy and relief that they'd made it out alive. Afterwards, they both lounged on the ground and took a well-needed rest, watching the sky as it gradually filled with the scattered colors of sunrise.

"I guess we lost the soldiers," Char said, enjoying the fresh air of the overworld instead of the dank stuffiness of the cave. "I guess you're free."

"Yeah, I guess," Saura said, his smile fading away.

"Well, now what?" Char wondered, still taken aback by his gorgeous surroundings. "If you can't go back home, then where do you want to go next?"

"_You're not going anywhere_," a new voice rang out from behind them.

Char and Saura turned to see another Pokémon—a Scyther—leap out of the dungeon exit. It was clearly almost as tired and worn as they were.

A Sandslash followed close behind him. They both immediately encircled the dumbfound two, allowing no route of escape.

"NO! _YOU!_" Saura cried, jumping to his feet. "YOU!"

"Nice idea running us through that mystery dungeon, you two," the Scyther grumbled sarcastically.

"That was _not_ enjoyable," the Sandslash added, "_especially_ after all the dungeons we'd already traversed yesterday, using up the last of our supplies. We were ready to sleep for the day. We were _not_ prepared for that little experience."

"I'm not coming with you!" Saura spat in the Scyther's face, readying his vines to defend himself. But the Scyther responded by leveling one of his silver blades with the tip of his vine, as if to show how he could slice it apart with ease. Saura gulped.

"I'm sorry if you thought otherwise," the Sandslash said, "but I'm afraid you _are _coming with us."


	4. Chapter 3: Team Remorse

**Chapter 3**

Even after braving the dungeon, it had all been for nothing. Char could not live up to the promise he'd just made with new companion.

They had gotten themselves captured.

"Please, try to make this easy on us," the Scyther ordered, thrusting the ends of his blades against their backs to prod them along. "It's been a long night. We're quite tired, and I'm sure you are as well."

"Who are you?!" Char demanded, speaking for Saura.

"We should be asking the same of you," the Sandslash muttered as he led the procession forward. "I haven't seen a Charmander in… well, I can't remember how long. But it's certainly not a normal thing you're here. That's why we're going to have to take you with us for the time being."

"If it's me you want, then let why not just let this Bulbasaur go?" Char pleaded.

"No, he's coming, too," the Scyther said. "We need you both. Just in _case._"

"_Why!?_" Char blurted. "Who are you?! Where are you taking us?! And why you do you need us?!"

"If we feel you need to know, we'll tell you," the Sandslash said, though his tone was not quite reassuring. "But for now, unless you intend to make pleasant conversation with us, I'd appreciate if you'd not incessantly question our motives. It will get us nowhere."

After that, both the Scyther and the Sandslash remained silent.

They walked for quite a while, saying nothing, as the sun gradually revealed more of itself above the eastern horizon and cast illumination onto the beautiful golden meadow around them. Char glanced to his friend very often, but each time, he always found himself afraid to say anything. Saura looked pained and torn, as though he was fighting an intense battle within his own heart.

"Well…" Saura finally spoke, hanging his head dejectedly and watching the ground pass. "We still did it. We made it through the dungeon all on our own! But… I guess I should have known better that this would happen. I'll always be proud of what we did today. I guess that's all that matters… I guess my life is complete. I'm sorry it had to be this way, Char. I'm sorry we didn't have very much time to spend together."

Char felt it again: that restless sensation of his stomach flooding with fire.

Deep down, he realized he wanted to resist the soldiers, even if Saura was too afraid to try. He had made a promise. If he could do something, _anything_, for the Bulbasaur, he felt like he needed to try.

The Charmander within him wanted to fight. And, little by little, so did he.

Char eyed the Scyther, weighing the odds. His breathing deepened, and his pulse escalated.

He knew what he had to do. He'd spin around, jump at the Scyther's face, quickly attack the Scyther with his newfound fire breath, then get Saura out of the way as fast as possible so he could make his escape. He only had to wait for just the right moment…

As he felt the Scyther thrust at his back once more, his frustration became too great. He could taste the fire in the back of his throat. It was begging to be released.

_Here goes nothing,_ Char said to himself with clenched fists. _Saura, this is for you!_

Char leapt.

The next thing Char knew, he was face-down in the dirt from a powerful counter-attack. His head throbbed, and his side _stung_ like mad. He'd been knocked to the ground so quickly, he did not quite remember what happened. He released a violent and painful cough, expelling thick, black smoke from his mouth.

"Char…!" he could hear Saura calling sadly. "Char, why…?"

Grunting, Char pushed his arms against the ground and tried to climb back to his feet. It was then that he noticed the long, thin slice on the side of his hide. He fell back to the ground and clutched his wound to help ease the pain.

Char glanced up. He saw Saura staring at him with a look of pained disbelief. He saw the Sandslash watching him with a look of indifference. He saw the Scyther standing some feet away from him, clearly infuriated, with his blades raised in the air. A tiny line of bright red blood dripped from the Scyther's right blade. _His_ blood.

"The moment a Charmander decides to fight, its tail flares," the Scyther explained gravely. "You had no element of surprise at all."

As Char struggled to sit upright while keeping a hold of his gash, Saura rushed to his side. Coughing again, Char discharged a stream of smoke onto the ground.

"Char…" Saura said simply as he offered to help his friend to his feet. "You didn't have to do that! Are you okay?"

Instead of answering, Char turned to the captors. "Where are you taking us?!" he demanded again in a pained voice. "Who are you?"

"Scythe…" the Sandslash said, "Perhaps it would be appropriate if we offered our companions the benefit of the doubt?"

"Hmm, I don't think that would be wise," the Scyther growled, but in a thoughtful manner. "All they need to know, at the moment, is that we need them to come with us and we can't afford to have them running away."

"I think you've made that pretty obvious already," Char shot back. "What else?"

"Don't bother with it, Char," Saura spat, growling at his captors. "I know exactly why they're here. They're here to take me to the Master so I can be his slave."

The Scyther and the Sandslash eyed each other for a moment. The Scyther looked surprised; the Sandslash made a sound like an ironic chuckle.

"What?!" Saura demanded, frowning. "What's so funny?"

"Well," the Sandslash said, "Let's just say that you're… cold? As in, your guess is far, far in the wrong direction."

The comment even got a single chuckle from the Scyther. Saura blinked obliviously.

"So… you're _not_ the Master's soldiers?" Saura asked, mouth partially agape.

"He _wishes_ we were," the Scyther said with a grin.

"Indeed, I bet he'd give _anything_ to employ our services," the Sandslash said. "But to him, nothing of ours is for sale. And before you ask us 'who are you' again, let me remind you that our answer won't change, no matter how many times you repeat the question."

"But… you're not here to enslave us, at least?" Char inquired.

The Sandslash nodded. "You have no reason to be afraid of us. All we want to do is to… _check_ something about you. After that, you'll both be as free as a Swellow—provided you pass our test. It's a promise. Despite how this may seem, we aren't kidnappers."

"And if we don't pass?" Saura wondered.

"That's something we will discuss in the event that it becomes necessary," the Sandslash said, "…and it looks _highly_ unlikely from my point of view that we will need to. For the record, my partner here is the one who wanted to check you in the first place. Had it been up to me, we'd never have bothered you at all. Now, are we going to continue, or keep wasting time? We still have quite a way to go."

From that point on, the Scyther walked side-by-side with Char and Saura, presumably because he had gained their trust and was confident they wouldn't try to run away again. Char was glad to see Saura in a better mood once again, although the Bulbasaur had a look of puzzlement frozen to his face and seemed too lost in thought to say anything.

_Yeah, this isn't making very much sense to me, either,_ Char realized. _And this cut still hurts. Owww._

* * *

**Great Flatlands**

In what seemed like a brief moment, Char noticed his surroundings changing once again. The flourishing meadow had ended, turning into a boring, endless span of brown and tan-colored dirt. The gorgeous golden grass had almost disappeared entirely; here, it only existed in ugly, scattered patches. Char wondered if the was headed into a desert or a wasteland.

"Saura," Char said, quickly growing uninterested the new environment, "you've been quiet. How are you feeling now?"

"I feel a lot better," Saura admitted, coming out of his daze and forcing a smile which soon became a sincere one. "I still wish I knew what was going on. But as long as they don't work for the Master, it's a weight off my back. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens."

"The Master…" growled the Scyther, "My heart races even at the mention of his name. He… is my worst enemy."

"Really?!" Saura blurted.

"Indeed," the Scyther said, keeping his gaze turned forward. "When I was young, I was chosen by him as a servant. I have seen with my own eyes what the Master wills upon the world. And… by force, I have carried out his works with these very blades! But then, after plotting for two and a half years, I escaped him. Ever since, I have spent my entire life, my entire _being_, opposing him."

"Wow!" Saura gasped. "You _escaped_ the Master? That's incredible! How did you do it?"

"Why do you care?" the Scyther said, casting a glance at them.

"Because Saura was also chosen by him," Char told him. "It was just yesterday, too! That's why he ran away from home!"

"… Really," the Scyther said, his tone of voice changing. "And you ran from us, because you thought we were the soldiers who were to come and take you away?"

"Exactly!" Char exclaimed.

"You know," the Scyther said with a smile, "under those circumstances, I would not have acted any differently than you did. You did well, Bulbasaur, to run away from them, and so did you, Charmander, to stand up to me. I applaud both of you."

The Scyther and the Sandslash eyed one another again.

"So, it turns out we have found another one of the Master's chosen," the Sandslash said quietly. "They have reason to fight him, just like you. Do you think…"

"Yes, I can see that," the Scyther said thoughtfully. "I'm starting to think it wouldn't be a bad idea to tell them what they want to know."

The Scyther and the Sandslash stopped walking.

"I am Scythe," the Scyther said, turning to Char and Saura and offering a respectful gesture to them. "My partner here is Shander. We are members of a 'resistance team'."

"What's that?" Saura asked. "A 'Resistance Team'? Wait! Do you mean that, like, as in, you resist the _Master_?"

"Precisely," said Shander. "We are part of a vast, underground organization of Pokémon who fight against the Master. We couldn't tell you this because we couldn't risk accidentally giving the Master's forces more information about us, but now that it's clear that you both are opposed to the Master for personal reasons, it's much safer to tell you. Currently, we are on our way to our base of operations, which is known as the 'Gold Division'. It exists within a network of chambers under our feet, deep beneath these very flatlands. The entrance is located not one mile from here, and that is where we are heading at this very moment."

"The Pokémon of the resistance number in the hundreds of thousands," Scythe explained. "We are not some tiny guerrilla force without hope; we have been growing and expanding for decades. In fact, there are three grand divisions of the great resistance: there is the Emerald Division, which operates in northern Ambera, the Gold Division of central Ambera, and the Black Division of south-eastern Ambera. Though we are all allied, it's difficult for each division to work closely with one another, both because of the distances and the risk involved. So, each division operates independently."

"Wow!" Saura exclaimed, starry-eyed. "So, you two are part of this Gold Division?"

"Each Division is made up of dozens and dozens of Resistance Teams who operate as units to carry out the missions needed by the Division," Scythe said. "My team is known as Team Remorse. We consist of twelve Pokémon who take turns running missions in small groups, such as Shander and I. In all, fifty-two resistance teams make up the Gold Division."

"Not our remorse," Shander chimed in, "but the remorse we plan to instill in the Master when our efforts succeed."

"Was it your mission to capture us?" Char wondered.

"No," Scythe laughed. "Our mission yesterday involved grueling treks through several mystery dungeons. We found you completely on accident."

"Oh…" Saura said. "Well, I guess we owe you an apology, then. Char and I are sorry for making you chase us through the dungeon! We had no idea!"

"And I owe you one as well," Scythe said. "I apologize for harming you, Charmander. Your wound should heal very quickly."

Char looked at his wound, and although it still stung a little bit, a sticky scab now covered the cut. Char began to wonder if a Pokémon's wounds would naturally heal faster than a human's.

"What's so special about us?" Char asked, caressing the scab. "And just what are you going to do with us when we get to this base?"

"Always full of questions, are you?" Shander said. "_That_, we still can't tell you quite yet."

This time, Char decided not to argue. He was content with everything he had learned so far. Falling silent, he continued to follow Shander's lead as they ventured deeper into the featureless countryside. It struck him as odd, though, how Shander would occasionally re-direct his route, making both sharp turns and minor adjustments now and then, even though there were no landmarks that Char could see by which to follow. Even the horizon soon became one unbroken ring all around them, with nothing protruding from it and into the sky except for the looming sun.

"Hey… Scythe?" Saura asked meekly after recovering from a massive yawn, "Do you think… we could stay at your base for a while? You know, to hide from them?"

"That could be arranged," the Scyther grumbled. "But you could not stay with us forever."

"Oh…" Saura said in disappointment. "Why not?"

"The division base is not a safe haven for civilians," Shander explained. "It is not a refugee camp. It is a base of operations. Although we could offer you some temporary quarter, we could not house you indefinitely… that is, unless you were to join us."

"Can I?" Saura squealed. "Could I join the Gold Division? Please? And Char, too! What about him? Could we both work for you?"

"Being on a Resistance Team is not an easy lifestyle," Shander warned. "One mistake could cost many Pokémon their lives, you see. You were running from the Master because you dream of living only a free life, yes? If you were to join us, I can assure you that you would be giving up this dream of yours entirely. You would need to endure our training until you are confident enough to perform our work, and then you would need to follow our every command without fail. "

"Regardless, we have never turned down a willing Pokémon," Scythe said, "and if I have anything to say about it, I intend to keep it that way. If you despise the Master and want to oppose him, that's good enough for me."

"That's what I want!" Saura exclaimed vigorously. "The only thing better than being a free Pokémon is fighting so that other Pokémon can be free. I'll train! I'll fight the Master with you!"

"And you, Charmander?" Scythe inquired. "This Bulbasaur seems to be putting words in your mouth. Do you have anything to say in your own defense?"

"Char, this is _perfect!_" Saura said before Char could even reply. "You've got to trust me on this one. Join the Gold Division with me! I'm sure it'd help you learn lots about everything, too!"

_Wow,_ Char thought. _If I choose to join this team… How deep have I gone in such a short amount of time? Saura might be right; I might learn a lot about the world of Pokémon from this team. And I __**do**__ need some sort of role to play for the time being. Who knows? Maybe this isn't all happening by coincidence, either. Maybe this is the road that will lead me back to where I came from._

"Okay, Saura, I'm with you," Char decided. "If you want to join this team, I will, too."

"Thank you!" Saura said, beaming with pride. "I'm sure this is the right thing to do. I can feel it!"

It was about six in the morning as the group finally arrived to their destination. Scythe's eyes were barely staying open. Shander shook his head frequently, trying to stay focused.

"This is it," Shander finally reported. "We're about to enter the base."

"Here is what will happen," Scythe instructed. "We'll guide you straight to Team Remorse's living quarters. There are going to be a lot of Pokémon down there. Don't talk to _anyone_. Don't touch _anything._ Understood?"

"Got it," Saura said with a nod.

"Once we arrive, we're all going to take a well-deserved rest," Scythe continued. "We've all stayed up all night, I have no doubt that our bodies are begging us for a good twelve-hour sleep. Our teammates will take over for our duties today. I want you two to stay in the living quarters until I tell you otherwise. Then, at this time tomorrow, we can continue discussing matters."

"Brace yourself," Shander warned. "What you are about to see might confuse you."

Char and Saura glanced around expectantly, wondering just what to expect. But the scenery was still just as dull and featureless as ever.

The ground shook. To Char, it felt like a fissure was about to open up below his feet. He jumped up, afraid that the ground was about to swallow him whole. But it lasted only for about five seconds before stopping abruptly.

"What was that?!" Saura cried, trying to figure out what had changed. "Was that an earthquake?"

The Scyther and the Sandslash did not answer. They stood still, waiting for something.

And then, a mysterious voice sounded from seemingly nowhere. It was only a tiny mumble, something that could barely be heard unless one was waiting for it.

"Lay low, wait and grow," said the raspy, barely-audible voice. "Seeds of strength to reap and sew..."

"Lay low, keep ahold, await the day of power untold," Scythe and Shander replied in unison.

After the words had been spoken, a massive crevice appeared in the ground before their very eyes.

"Whoa!" Saura cried. "Look! It's like the ground just faded away!"

"It's a very well-hidden entrance," Shander commented. "And we have our sentry to thank for that."

"Ah, ha ha, Welcome back," the voice said.

A Haunter floated up out of the dark crevice, smiling and bowing before the travelers.

"Good morning, Gate," the Scyther said, returning the bow.

"It's good to see you," Gate replied with a gleaming smile. "Some said you wouldn't make it back. But most of us knew better, of course. Team Remorse can take care of itself."

"Bulbasaur, Charmander, this is Gate, our sentry," Scythe said. "He remains here at the entrance, day and night, projecting an illusion over it."

"Our code words come from a lengthy ballad all Division members are required to memorize," Shander added. "It's a nonsense poem. He recites a line of the poem to us, and we must complete the verse to gain entry."

"Nice to meet you," Saura said awkwardly.

"Ah, ha ha, and who are you?" the Haunter laughed. "A pair of new faces for me to memorize, eh?"

"Yes," the Scyther said. "These two will be staying with us for the time being."

"Very well, very well," Gate sang. "Proceed on in. I bet you're all worn out. You newcomers, you might want to mind the step! Once again, good to see that you two are safe."

Scythe nodded to the ghost, and Gate slid back into the ground and out of sight. Char peered curiously into the new passage. It was a large, descending staircase leading down into black nothingness. The stairs were cracked and crumbling, starting to resemble a jagged ramp more than anything. In fact, the first stair had been completely chipped off, leaving a scary-looking drop from the surface. A dusty smell rose from the pit.

"This is really the main entrance?" Saura asked. "It looks… creepy. And deserted!"

"This is our _back_ entrance," Shander said. "The base has a total of four entrances, and the others are even more cryptically hidden than this one!"

"I'm about ready to collapse," Scythe growled. "Let's get on in already. Don't be afraid, you two. Just follow me."

Scythe took the lead, and Char and Saura did as they were told. Char took the utmost care to land on his feet when climbing down onto the first stair. Saura followed, using his vines to balance himself down the uneven surface.

The staircase went down quite a ways. As the last of the sunlight faded from view, Char once again realized how thankful he was for his fiery tail. He realized he'd never have to worry about being trapped in the dark.

"Ah, what I'd give to have the element of fire on my side," Shander commented, also taking note of the unfamiliar light. "Perhaps one day, when Pokémon solve the mysteries of the evolution stones, we could engineer a brand new Sandslash evolution…"

"Right, and I could be a dragon," Scythe groaned sarcastically. "But Shander is right. The element of fire is a useful and devastating one, Charmander. Be thankful it is on your side."

At last, the staircase ended and leveled into a long, dark hallway.

"Hey, this isn't another mystery dungeon, is it?" Saura asked. "It sure is a long way!"

"It needs to be this way," Scythe said. "It's for security. This hallway is lined from end to end with traps."

"Traps?!" Char yelped, jumping a foot in the air. "Where?! How do I keep from activating them?"

"Relax, relax," Scythe said. "They can only be activated all at once, and from elsewhere. Gate is in charge of them. He'll activate the traps if an unwelcome Pokémon somehow barges in."

Char's eyes glazed over the stony walls, his stomach still a little upset at the thought of standing in the middle of a death trap. They looked like perfectly normal walls to him.

Finally, after walking for ten more minutes, the group turned a corner. A brilliant orange light shined from the end of the corridor.

"Here we are," Shander reported. "Remember: stay close to Scythe. Follow him. Don't bother any other Pokémon."

* * *

**Gold Division Base**

The moment he stepped through the archway and into the base, Char felt his breath leave him. Dozens of passageways carved out of stone wound around the walls as ramps and into countless hallways. Hundreds upon hundreds of burning torches hung from the walls, lighting the cavern as if it were early evening. The ceiling was impossible to see from the ground floor, the view blocked by protruding rocks from walls and bridges anchored to the ground with thin stone pillars.

Pokémon of all shapes and sizes swarmed the place, filling the room with all sorts of voices and cries. A Hypno and a Marowak crossed his path, eying him suspiciously. A Dugtrio popped out from a nearby wall. A flock of Pidgeotto swooped through the air and weaved between the suspended bridges, a massive Starraptor leading them. A Graveler and an Onix emerged from a large side-tunnel.

"Saura…" Char said, struggling to speak. "I can't… breathe!"

Char found that his heart was beating uncontrollably now, flooding him with such intense excitement that he felt he would faint. The sight of the cavern was inexplicably beautiful to him. He felt the overpowering urge to dwell here for a very long time, that it was somehow perfect for him. He felt that he wanted to trawl and memorize every last tunnel and chamber of the complex.

"Char, calm down. It's only your instinct," Saura said, helping the quivering Charmander to stand. "Charmander live in mountain caves that look like this. All this torch-fire is probably getting you all excited, too."

"Charmander! Bulbasaur!" Scythe yelled, already from across the room. "_Please_, try to stay with us!"

Char shook his head to regain focus, then rushed back to the Scyther's side, with Saura following close behind. They exited the large chamber, entering a lengthy network of side-tunnels. The halls were just as well-lit as the main chamber, brilliant torches lining every wall, but the wandering Pokémon became scarcer the farther down the tunnels they went. Finally, the hall they walked was completely deserted, save for one Exploud which had passed by at once point, gesturing to Scythe as it did so.

Scythe led the group to a large white stone slab pressed into the wall. It was a door.

"We're here," Scythe told them. "Now, let me just take you to my room, so you can sleep— "

Suddenly, the door slid open with astounding speed. A large, gruff-looking Houndoom stood in the doorway.

"Good morning, Daemon," Scythe said in a surprised but very respectful voice.

"Scythe," the Houndoom acknowledged him. "Welcome back. Good to see that you've returned. I trust that nothing went wrong yesterday?"

"There were no mistakes," Scythe confidently replied.

"I knew there was no cause to worry," the Houndoom said with a smug smile. "Now, who are these children with you?"

"They are… visitors," Scythe said, gesturing toward Char and Saura.

"I see," the Houndoom said. "In that case, let me walk them to the guests' quarters for you. You look very tired."

"The visitors will be staying with _us_ today," Scythe insisted. "They will be staying in my room. I will take care of them."

The Houndoom shook his head, a scowl forming upon his menacing face. "I'm afraid that can't be done, Scythe. We have rules. Visitors must—"

"They will be staying with _us_ today," Scythe repeated, more forcefully. Shander stepped up to Scythe's side, as if to help add strength to his demand.

The Houndoom didn't answer for a moment. A scowl appeared on his face, and with a snort, he forced his way past the crowd and down the dark hallway.

"Who was that?!" Char wondered quietly to himself so only Saura could hear.

"He didn't look friendly," Saura whispered back. "Better stay away from him."

"Come," Scythe said, guiding them into the chamber. "There is so much that needs to be done with you two, but I'm afraid it all must start with a day's rest."

Once Char and Saura had been ushered into Scythe's room, Shander whispered to his partner.

"Scythe… Are you sure you are ready to take this gamble? Do you truly think the Charmander has the Call?"

Scythe hung his head, wordlessly expressing his disappointment.

"Sleep well," Shander said as he turned to head to his own room. "We've got our work cut out for us tomorrow."

"Don't we always?" Scythe muttered, entering his own.


	5. Chapter 4: Tour

**Chapter 4**

Char had no idea how long he had slept that day, but he eventually found himself wide-awake in a dark and silent cave, staring at the rocky ceiling. Judging from the way his head felt, he figured he hadn't been sleeping for longer than a few hours...

_I'm still a Charmander,_ he noticed, to his dismay. _I guess it's not a dream after all. I really am stuck in a world I don't know._

Char's eyes fixed on the individual dents and stalactites in the ceiling, watching as the shadows cast from his tail wobbled awkwardly across the surface. Memories of the previous day floated back to him; he recalled that he was in a room with a Scyther and a Bulbasaur. He remembered that the Scyther had led him miles to some sort of secret underground base, a place where he now slept. But most of all, he remembered that he had made some sort of commitment. Some sort of promise. That, in the upcoming day, he was to take on some sort of grand, new role.

_I'm going to be a member of one of these "resistance teams", just like Scythe and Shander,_ Char realized. _What's that going to be like? Will I have to go head-to-head with the Master's soldiers each and every day? I still don't like to fight all that much. But… most importantly… am I ever going to figure out how I got here? The only thing I can remember about my previous life is that I was a human. That's the only thing I'm perfectly sure of. It seems like some kind of clue._

Char turned to lie on his side, wondering whether Pokémon ever found it uncomfortable to sleep on such a flat, hard surface like the stone floor beneath him. Though the Scyther and the Bulbasaur beside him were clearly not complaining, his back was becoming a bit cramped.

_And that's the only clue I seem to have at the moment,_ Char continued. _But it must mean… that I was __**meant**__ to seek out my past. Otherwise, I'd probably have accepted my role as a Pokémon by now. But I hope I can find some more clues soon. Ahh, why couldn't I have kept my memories? This feels so… unnerving. It's as though… I'm not supposed to be here, but I don't know why._

Char turned his head, glancing at the sleeping Bulbasaur. The seed on his back rose and fell with his steady breathing.

_Maybe Saura has something to do with it, too,_ Char thought. _Maybe he's another clue. He's the first Pokémon I met. That must mean something._

"Hey, Char," the Bulbasaur sighed in a gentle, weary voice.

Char was surprised; Saura still looked asleep.

"Yeah?"

"So you're awake, too," Saura said, not even opening his eyes. "I can't sleep any more. I think I just slept for an entire day, and I'm too excited about tomorrow."

"I can't sleep, either," Char said. "I still feel… weird. Being a Pokémon and all, I mean."

"I was thinking about something," Saura said. "Yesterday, you really surprised me when you attacked Scythe. Why did you do it?"

"I promised I'd help you run from the soldiers," Char said simply. "It's what I had to do."

"I would have never asked you to go that far," Saura said. "It was touching to see you do that for me, especially with how you're afraid to fight."

"But that's the funny thing," Char said. "I didn't even want to fight. I knew it would be hopeless. But… there was this feeling I got… and it told me to fight back to keep the promise I made. And I couldn't refuse it. It was all instinct. I think… I need to start getting used to this. My instincts are a lot stronger than they were when I was human…"

"Well, do you know what, Char?" Saura said. "Remember when Scythe asked you whether or not you wanted to join the team with me? If you would have said no, I would have changed my mind."

Char blinked. "…Really?" He asked, a little surprised. "I would have never guessed. You seemed so eager to join."

"Yeah. I made a promise, too. I promised to help you be a Pokémon. If you didn't want to join the resistance team, I would have stayed with you. You're the human, after all. I'm just the follower."

It felt strangely satisfying, somehow, to hear Saura say those words, and he wondered if it was his Pokémon instinct again that made him take such great comfort in having a companion. Char was convinced that, as a human, he would have never grown so attached to another person so quickly, and he wondered whether or not all Pokémon were so naturally disposed to forming bonds with each other.

"And that's not changing," Saura added. "If you want to quit any time, I'll go with you. So you don't have to feel like I'm dragging you places you don't want."

"Thanks," said Char. "But I think I'll stay. I thought about it a lot, I think you're right. I think this is the right thing to do for now."

"Whatever you say, Char." Saura sighed, smiling contently.

After that, Char closed his eyes once more and tried to get his restless mind to drift back into sleep.

What neither of them realized, though, was that Scythe was also having trouble sleeping that night. His face had been turned away from them, but his eyes remained wide open… Not only from sleeplessness, but now from shock.

_Human…?_ He mentally repeated, trying to wrap his mind around the puzzling exchange he'd just witnessed.

… … …

The next morning, Char and Saura were given a very rude awakening.

"Enough sleep!" a deep voice commanded, barging into the room and causing both Char and Saura to jump awake in fright. "Get moving. Scythe's room is not a lounge. You've stayed the night, and now it is time for you to leave."

After wiping the blur from his eyes, Char turned to see the Pokémon who'd entered the room. It was the Houndoom, and standing beside it was an especially large Ursaring.

"Go on, get out," the Houndoom barked again. "Consider yourselves lucky. It has been a very long time since we have last offered as much hospitality to visitors as we have offered you. As of this evening, you will be staying down with the trainees."

"Hey!" Saura cried, glancing around the room. "Scythe! Where'd he go? I thought he said we were joining Team Remorse?"

Indeed, Scythe was nowhere to be seen. Char felt more than a bit nervous facing the intimidating hound without the help of the Scyther.

"I've had an… _extensive_… discussion with Scythe," the Houndoom rebuked. "I have made sure to tell him just what I think of you. He put forth the _ridiculous_ assertion that you should join our team. But understand, hatchlings; Team Remorse has _standards_ we must uphold, and frankly, you don't meet any of them. At this point in time, it is simply out of the question."

_Oh, I get it!_ Char realized. _This Houndoom must be the leader of the team! No wonder he's so… authoritative._

"So… what do we do!?" Saura cried. "If we can't join Team Remorse… what do we do?"

"I was planning to send you to join one of our _many_ training teams, but, for reasons that are beyond me, Scythe had different plans for you," the hound continued. "Scythe insists on allowing you apprenticeship with us. He wants Team Remorse to train you personally, and he refused to stop fussing about it until we gave in and made a deal. Here is the compromise we arrived at: you two are to form your own two-person resistance team, and this team will become affiliated with Team Remorse as our trainees. But your team base will be down in the lower halls with all the rest, not here."

"Our own resistance team?" Saura repeated in disbelief. "Char! Did you hear that? We're going to start our own resistance team! I never imagined anything like this would happen! Wow!"

"Get in line," the Houndoom snarled, disgusted at Saura's attitude. "Either way, you are not welcome here anymore. My partner, Ursa, will escort you out."

Not wanting to anger the hound any further, Char climbed to his feet and took the hint to leave the room. The Houndoom, still clearly annoyed, kept his head held high as he led them down the hall and toward the main tunnels of the base. As they walked, Char realized that he had no earthly idea what time of day it was; the torches burned just as brightly as they did before, and there were no windows to the outside anywhere to be seen. He wondered how the gold division kept track of time.

"Today, you will be given a brief tour of the complex," the Houndoom stated. "Ursa will show you around. I _expect_ you to memorize everything he tells you, as well as your way through the base. Also… before the day is over, your new resistance team must be registered as an official member of the gold division. Ursa will take you to the records office to accomplish this. However… before that happens, you must decide on a team name."

"Wow, this is serious, isn't it?" Saura said, almost hyperventilating. "Char, we'll have to think about a good name today. I'm sure we can think of something."

"Team LoveJoy, Team Poképals, Team _Sharing_, all fine names," the Houndoom rattled off, his sneering voice overflowing with sarcasm. "But if you want my advice, try to choose a name that actually _means_ something about you and why you've chosen to fight your battles as a resistance team. Your name will become your identity. It will determine not only how your colleagues treat you, but also how you treat yourself."

When they reached the end of Team Remorse's tunnel, the Houndoom practically shoved them out the door.

"Now, get out of here," said the Houndoom as the Ursaring ushered them out quickly. "If we are to be training you, you must move with purpose and haste. We will accept nothing less. Now get moving."

The door slammed behind them. Char even noticed Saura relax a little bit when the Houndoom was out of sight.

"Don't mind him," the Ursaring said. "Daemon's always like that. You get used to him after a while. Anyway, they call me Ursa. And you are…?"

"I'm Saura, and this is Char," Saura said. "I'm from the Tiny Plains out west. Char is… well, we don't exactly know. Char lost his memory."

"Amnesia, eh?" Ursa said, leading them down to the main chambers. "Sounds like the Watchers got to you. We've had that sort of thing happen before. Why, I even remember just last year, we had a very promising Kadabra by the name of Ogomo get overconfident and caught by the Watchers. It was miraculous that he survived, but those Watchers did somethin' with his mind. When he finally came crawling back here, he couldn't remember _anything_. His name, his friends, even the code words. Nothin'. He still fights just as good as always, though. We're thankful for that, at least."

_Wow,_ Char thought. _Maybe that's what happened to me. But who are the "Watchers"?_

"Yeah, we thought of that," Saura said. "But Char is… well, we think it's probably something else."

"Yeah, well, good luck on the recovery, by all means," Ursa said. "Either way, it's nice to see a Charmander around these parts. Hope you do well here. Now… I'm figuring I should show you to the more important places first. Follow me."

Soon, the trio had emerged back into the main cavern of the base. Once again, Char had a little bit of trouble tearing his gaze away from the expansive, torch-lined room. It was absolutely packed with Pokémon, even moreso than before, all hurrying this way and that to get ready for the day's missions and tasks. Char and Saura followed the bear Pokémon to the very back of the cavern, where he entered a massive arch-shaped tunnel.

"Well, this is probably the most important place here," Ursa said. "Down here's the hospital. Our master of medicine is Dr. Orde, the Slowking. His assistants are Blissey and Hypno."

"Slowking?" Saura repeated. "That's an odd Pokémon to work in a hospital."

"Yeah, you'd think that, wouldn't you?" Usra grinned. "Of course, that's only until he saves your life. Then you'll be singing his praises. He's quite a talented Pokémon with medicine, I'll have you know."

The group entered the hospital area. It was a very long room with a central row of rectangular stone tables protruding from the ground. There were about twenty of them in all. Behind the tables, on the back wall, were several stone shelves stocked with countless supplies, medicine bottles, and instruments. Each table had something like a giant white fireball hanging from the ceiling directly above, almost chandelier-like, which brought unparalleled illumination to the otherwise dark cavern. A few of the tables were occupied with Pokémon. Char spotted a wounded Zangoose on the farthest table, and Sneasel on another. Char watched as Blissey hurried over to the Sneasel's side with a rolling table of supplies.

"Ursa! Good day to you!" said a voice.

Char turned and saw Dr. Orde standing right before them. The Slowking was wearing a baggy coat full of pockets. He clutched something like a scalpel in his left hand.

"Good morning, Doctor," Ursa said. "Just giving some newcomers the run-around. Children, this is Dr. Orde. If you're wounded on a mission, poisoned, anything, he's the first Pokémon you go to."

"Mmm-Hmm," the Slowking said, looking across the room at something else. "I've got every medicine there is. Still figuring out how some of 'em work, but I always seem to get it right in the end."

Char and Saura gave each other an odd look.

"Oh! Of course!" the doctor exclaimed, clapping his one-fingered hands. "I remember what it was that I was doing! Yes, yes! The Sitrus-berries are going to go rotten! Oh, um, yes, very nice to meet you both, looking forward to your first visit here. Actually, no, I take that back, I hope you stay healthy and never have to come here. Later, later!"

The Slowking rushed off in some direction, practically ignoring them.

"Well, the doctor seems excited about something today," Ursa said. "Anyway, yeah, he may seem a bit odd, but he's a brilliant doctor, really. And his partner Hypno is an expert at psycho-therapy. You're in good hands when you come here. Honest."

"Sounds good to me," Saura said.

… … …

Next, Ursa lead them up a long spiral staircase. They passed up three floors, narrowly dodging a Nidoran that hurriedly bounded down the stairs past them. When they arrived to the fourth floor, another sizable hub room spread out before them as soon as they left the stairwell.

"Basement floor seven," Ursa announced. "Market."

"Wow, we went up a lot of stairs, but we're still that far down?" Saura said incredulously. "I didn't realize how deep this base went!"

"Well, it's pretty far down into the earth," Ursa said. "To me, it's pretty evident by the sheer number of stairs you have to climb down to even get in. Anyway, this is where you come to stock up on supplies before leaving on whatever journey you're going on. It's stationed here because it's not too long of a hike from the north or the northeast entrances, but the west entrance is quite a walk from here, unfortunately. But, I digress. Over there, on the right of the hallway, is the storage area. And here, on the left, you have the Kecleon brothers."

Ursa directed them into the first doorway on the left. Inside was quite a sight: it was obviously a store, but so fully packed from wall-to-wall with merchandise that it was hard to tell one item from the next. Strange clothes hung from the ceiling. Small boxes overflowing with supplies cluttered up every table. It was an _emporium_. Char's attention turned to a particular wall which was covered in bags of dried fruit. He instantly knew what it was for: nourishment for traveling in mystery dungeons.

"Ah, welcome!" shouted a green-colored Kecleon from across the room. "How can I help you on this fine morning?"

"I'm just here to give a tour to these newcomers," Ursa said. "May I introduce them to you?"

The Kecleon, who had been busy arranging a pile of what looked like shiny blue orbs on a pedestal, immediately halted his work and hurried over to meet the guests.

"Well, well," the Kecleon said. "A Charmander! It's been a while since I've seen one of your kind. And a Bulbasaur! A very promising duo, I must say!"

"This is Kecleon, our supplier," Ursa said in the manner of introduction. "He, along with his brother, get us everything we could possibly need to run our Division. His brother must be off on one of his errands at the moment."

"At your service!" Kecleon said with a bow. "If it's on the market, I can get it for you, guaranteed! My prices can't be beat, and I _always_ make special exceptions just for my favorite customers."

"Nice to… meet you," Char said awkwardly.

"Yes, and you, too!" Kecleon replied. "I look forward to doing business with you!"

With that, Kecleon bowed once more, hurrying back to what he was doing.

"Wow, he certainly seems nice," Saura said, equally as awkwardly. "But… does he… _charge money_ for these things? Doesn't he… you know… work for the division? Shouldn't division members get his stuff for free, or something?"

"Well, sadly, that's not part of the deal," the Ursaring sighed. "Kecleon and his brother don't exactly work _for_ the Division. They work independently, you see, and they're only our client, so we've got to pay them. But their services are irreplaceable, either way. That, and it takes a heck of a lot of money to run a black market like this."

"_Black market?_" Saura repeated in surprise. "You mean… all this stuff…"

"Oh, yes," Ursa said. "Kecleon is… what you would call a professional fraud. He steals, swindles, and everything in between, to get what he has. He and his brother have connections all over the country. His job involves defrauding the main suppliers under the control of the Master, and secretly scoring merchandise for us. He's been at it for decades, and the Master apparently still hasn't caught on. It's a quite impressive career, I might add, probably takes more effort and trickery than I could ever imagine. But, he does it all with a smile, and we're happy to have him."

"Incredible," Saura said, looking around at all the stuff that filled the room with starry eyes. "I guess he's carrying out the same job of a resistance team, but in his own way."

"Oh, and one last thing about Kecleon," Ursa said, lowering his voice drastically. "Sometimes, when you're low on cash, he's usually more than happy to arrange a special deal for you. However… if you value your life, do _not_, under _any_ circumstances, _ever, EVER,_ try to take something from this shop without paying. That's… all I will say about that."

"Got that," Saura said with a gulp. "No stealing."

Char cast an odd glance at the reptilian Pokémon as he stepped out of the shop.

"Have a great day, and come again!" Kecleon called out with a friendly wave as he left.

… … …

Next, they took the same spiral staircase in the opposite direction. Down, down, and farther down they went, down to the deepest bowls of the caverns where it seemed like the activity was most chaotic. After they'd passed up at least five floors, they left the staircase and had to push through a hectic crowd of busy Pokémon just to get across the room. Char wondered what could be so important down in these lowest levels of the base that so many Pokémon would be gathered here.

"Be careful who you run into," Ursa warned humorously as he waded through the crowd. "Some Pokémon are poisonous, you know. You wouldn't want to run into their horns."

The hallway ended, opening up into a wider room which helped to lessen the traffic of Pokémon. Several doorways lined the room.

"Well, let's see. Over there, first door on the left, takes you to the treasury," Ursa said. "All of the division's gold and money is stored there. Persian also runs a bank from the treasury, so you can open your own personal account there if you want to store any spare change. Don't even think about robbing the place, though. It's guarded by more ghost Pokémon than you can shake a stick at. Next door, that goes to the grand hall. If we ever need to have a division-wide meeting, that's where we all go. It only happens once or twice a year, though, And finally…"

Ursa led them through the widest doorway, which turned into a massive, downward-ramped tunnel. As Char tried to keep from bumping into other Pokémon who were also traversing the tunnel, something caught his attention. Some sort of smell billowed up from the tunnel, becoming steadily more powerful the farther they went. Although Char couldn't identify it, it was an extremely inviting aroma…

"Oh! Smell that, Char?" Saura said excitedly. "This must be where they cook the food! Oh, wow! I'm in the mood for breakfast, aren't you? I haven't eaten in a whole day!"

_Food!_ Char realized. _This must be what Pokémon food smells like! It doesn't smell like any human food I remember… But oh, am I ever hungry!_

_"_Basement floor fourteen," Ursa announced as they reached the end of the hall, which opened up into an amazing, rectangular cave that was lined with tables. "The mess hall. You can bet that you'll be visiting this place once or twice every day. Oh, and unlike Kecleon's merchandise, all our food is completely complementary. It's part of the division's expenses"

"It's _free?!_" Saura gasped.

"Well, are you hungry? We probably have some time to grab a bite," Ursa offered with a grin.

"You bet!" Saura exclaimed.

Char couldn't argue with Saura one bit. His stomach had been rumbling for a while, too.

Ursa led them to a large window which separated the mess hall from the kitchen. On the other end of the counter, many Pokémon scrambled this way and that to cook and prepare the food. There were several Farfech'd, but instead of their usual stalks, they held wooden sticks which they used to stir massive boiling vats of food. A Munchlax wandered around the kitchen, taste-testing from the vats with his finger. An Ampharos worked at the back counter, chopping up massive rows of colorful, round objects and separating them into pots.

"Hi!" said a Belossom on the other side of the counter as she pushed a tray of food across the counter and in front of them. "Enjoy! Have a nice day! Eat up! Here's to another great day!"

Char nodded politely to the Belossom as he took his tray. He inspected it, wondering just what kind of food covered the plate. The food consisted of large, oddly-shaped chunks of… something. It was quite colorful. He wondered if maybe it was candy.

"And if you're still hungry, just go for seconds, or thirds…" Ursa explained as the group sat down at a table.

Saura couldn't contain himself. He jumped up to set his front legs on the table and dug into the plate face-first, almost inhaling the food. Char, although hungry, couldn't help but take one of the objects from his plate and stare at curiously for a few moments, turning it around in his hand. It was warm to the touch.

"Broiled fruit salad," Ursa told him. "Eat it, you might like it!"

Char ate the chunk of fruit. It was sweet, tangy almost, and felt warm as it went down into his belly. He liked the warmth.

After emptying their plates, the three relaxed for a while to let their food settle. Ursa looked like he desired another plate of food (or five), but wasn't complaining.

"Wow, really awesome!" Saura said contently. "There's just one thing that I don't get, though. Why's the mess hall so far underground? You have to walk a long way every day just to eat!"

"Well, most of us would," Ursa said. "You see, the fifteenth through eighteenth floors of the base, just below here, are the living quarters. That's where all the Pokémon go each night to sleep. That's also where you'll be staying."

"_What?!_" Saura yelped. "That's unbelievable! We have to walk up all those stairs, and back down again, _each day?_"

"It'll give you strong legs," Ursa laughed.

"Wait, then how come Team Remorse was so close to the surface?" Saura wondered. "When we came in, they were right down the hall!"

"Well, the higher in rank the team, the closer to the surface you can live," Ursa explained. "And Team Remorse is one of this division's highest-ranking teams. We even get food delivered up to our rooms every morning."

"Oh, wow," Saura said, a bit humbled. "That's harsh. I'm already starting to miss living up with your team."

"Well, you really never know," Ursa said optimistically. "Scythe has really taken an interest in you two, for whatever reason. You might find yourself getting to stay with us more often in the future. And, let me tell you, Pokémon around here consider that a real honor, to train with such a high-level team."

"Where is Scythe, anyway?" Char asked. "He just left this morning. Did he go on another mission? Will we see him again?"

"Scythe is… somewhere in this place," Ursa said. "Don't know where. But yeah, you're going to see him again. He wants to talk to you tonight, after our little tour is over and your team is registered. He says he needs to see you for some special reason. He won't tell any of us what it's about, though. Except for Shander, but that Sandslash refuses to spill it, no matter how hard we try…"

_Oh, our resistance team!_ Char realized. _We still have to think of a name!_

"Scythe seems like a really skilled Pokémon," Saura said. "It sounds like he's been through a lot of fighting in his time. I bet he's really earned his place on your team, hasn't he?"

"Oh yeah, Scythe is one of our best warriors in the entire division," Ursa said with a nod. "And just about everyone's got high respect for him. But… I swear, you've never met a more modest Pokémon in your life."

"Modest?" Saura repeated.

"Oh, yeah," Ursa told him. "Scythe hates to brag. You'll never hear him talk about himself… let me guess, the big ol' bug never actually told you he's the leader of Team Remorse, did he?"

Hearing the news, Char's mouth fell wide open.

"_Really?_" Saura cried. "I never would have guessed! Scythe leads Team Remorse? He must be a much more important Pokémon than either of us knew, Char!"

"But wait," Char interjected. "What about that Houndoom? I thought maybe he was the leader. He really acted like it."

"Oh, that's Daemon," Ursa laughed. "He's the second-in-charge. You'd never know it, though, because he always acts like he's the one in command. He and Scythe have never really been on terms with one another. As you've probably seen, they have very different styles of leadership. They get into arguments all the time about nearly everything."

"I can only imagine," Saura said.

"Scythe always takes his opinion into consideration," he said, "but ultimately, it's Scythe's word that goes. That's why you two are his apprentices now, because that's what the big ol' bug wanted."

"Well, we'll be sure to treat him with a lot more respect when we see him next, won't we, Char?" Saura said. "I can't imagine how lucky we are to be in this position."

"Well, if you're both done, we should get going," Ursa said, standing up from the seat. "We've got more to see. The next place we're going should prove interesting."

… … …

They took an alternate route back up: it was a big, dark shaft with no stairways and no ramps. It did, however, contain a small elevator which operated when some unseen force far above yanked on the steel cables. Ursa explained that the larger Pokémon like the Onix needed a way to get around as well, and they had burrowed these huge holes through the rock as their own personal roadways. He also explained that there were Magnezone stationed in some of the vertical shafts, running elevators as alternate routes for Pokémon carrying things that would be impossible to take on the staircases.

"Now, listen," Ursa told them when they'd gone up a few floors and left the elevator. "What you are about to see next… is one of this division's best-kept secrets. It will stun you. It will leave you speechless. Heheh, I can't wait to see the looks on your faces!"

"This place doesn't look like it's ever going to run out of surprises," Saura said with a grin. "Try us!"

The next place they were lead was very devoid of other Pokémon travelers. A Hitmonchan sat on a bench at the side of the hallway in deep meditation, but other than that, the corridor was desolate…

At the end of the corridor was a single, small door covered by a red, tattered cloth which hung from the archway.

"Ready?" Ursa said, grinning wildly as he approached the doorway. "I remember when I first saw this. You're gonna love it."

"I can't imagine," Saura said. "Show us already!"

"Hey!" Ursa called to someone, poking his nose through the drapes. "Hey, Domo! Domo! We have newcomers! … … … Oh, alright. He's ready now. Kids, come on in! Come on in!"

Ursa parted the drapes, revealing the room.

It was an extremely large, circular room. The floor had many colorful designs engraved on it, forming a sort of platform in the center of the room. Floating above the ground in the very center of the room, was something incredible.

"_Impossible!_" Saura gasped, eyes fixated on it. "_No!_ It's… It _can't_ be! This has to be some sort of joke!"

When Char stepped forward to focus on it, he, too, lost the words to exclaim his surprise. It was a tiny cat Pokémon, colored a light and creamy pink, bobbing gently in the air before them. It stared back at him with two huge, blue, bubbly eyes. Its long tail waved from side to side.

"_Mew!"_ it squeaked with a little giggle.


	6. Chapter 5: Mew and Dialga

**Chapter 5**

As Char and Saura incredulously gazed at the Mew which floated before them, Ursa couldn't hold back a chuckle.

"This can't be," Saura said again. "I'm sorry, Ursa, but I just can't believe this. It's too much! I just can't believe that Mew… works for the division."

"Even though it's what you see right in front of you?" Ursa asked.

Char couldn't quite figure out what to think, either. Mew was one of the greatest Pokémon of legend, thought to be the ancestor of all living Pokémon. It was also thought to be nigh uncatchable to both man and Pokémon, bearing some of the greatest psychic powers ever known. Although Char always knew what Mew looked like, he never thought he'd see the legend in person! Char wanted to agree with Saura that it couldn't be real… even though the Mew looked as real and believable as could be.

"There's got to be a ghost Pokémon around here making an illusion," Saura guessed. "This _has_ to be a trick."

Giggling again, the Mew floated down to tap Saura on the nose. Its long, curling tail wiggled behind it, its eyes sparkling and beaming with curiosity.

"It's… not an illusion… is it?" Saura gasped. "Is this… really Mew?"

But then, a sharp blue light radiated from Mew's body. Its whole form soon shifted into an amorphous, gleaming mass.

"Aww!" Saura cried, jumping backward.

The mass grew, and didn't stop. It became _very_ tall, looming high in the air above the speechless little children who watched. Its form became long and thin, like a giant snake with its head held high.

Char and Saura watched as light faded and the mass began to solidify, once again taking distinct shapes and colors. The next thing they knew, a full-sized Onix sat before them.

"_Impossible!"_ Saura gasped. "Char! It _must_ be Mew! Mew is the only Pokémon that can transform, since it has the genes of all other Pokémon…"

"The… _only_ Pokémon that can transform?" the Onix boomed, surprising Char and Saura both.

"Well, there is another Pokémon that is known for its transformation powers, but they don't work like this," Saura said.

The Onix lowered its head, staring Saura right in the eye. "…And which Pokémon would that be?" it grumbled.

"D—Ditto." Saura stuttered. "Ditto can transform into anything they see. But… Ditto are forgetful, so they can only transform into something they're looking at. But you… can transform into things you don't see."

Again, the great figure began to shape-shift. The long, rocky body of the Onix melted away into a blob of light, shrinking down to a much shorter size. When it was about Char's height, it started to take a new form… a Xatu, the bird of wisdom and patience.

"That, I can," the Xatu said, staring straight into Saura's eyes with its piercing, unblinking gaze. "But it does not mean I am Mew. Indeed… I am a Ditto."

"Char, Saura, I'd like you to meet Domo, our combat trainer," Ursa introduced. "This is his dojo. He uses his many forms to help train us for battle."

Saura blinked. "But… then... how do you have such a good memory for a Ditto? How can you transform into these things so perfectly without watching them?" he wondered. " And… You're a 'he'? I thought Ditto were neither male nor female…"

"I am male, because I choose to be male," the Xatu replied. "When speaking to others, my favorite forms are male, thus, people refer to me as 'he' and 'him'. As for my powers of transformation… I will tell you how I came to be this way."

The Ditto shape-shifted once more, this time becoming a Golduck. "Whenever I tell this story, I always try to tell it with Xatu's form for effect," he muttered. "But I cannot stand that form! Every time I try, it always gives me the overpowering urge to stare straight into the sun, and then I become infuriated because the sun is not visible from down here. So, this form will have to do. Anyway… here is my story."

Char and Saura both made themselves comfortable before the storyteller, and he began.

"One day, decades and decades ago, I was using my inherent powers of transformation to explore the world. I witnessed many lands and many tribes of Pokémon along my journey. I would meet a bird, become it, then fly to another location where I would become a local Pokémon to observe them in their native habitat. It was a very enlightening journey. It was all I ever asked for, to learn the ways of my fellow Pokémon, since I myself did not have an identity of my own. But apparently, fate had other plans for me."

"One fateful day, as I was exploring a very particular region… the impossible happened. I was visited by Mew!"

Char was surprised. "Where? Where did you see Mew?" he asked excitedly.

"I will not say," Domo answered, "for I fear that, if Mew would happen to still be dwelling there today, the great dragons would never forgive me for calling attention to it and tempting other Pokémon to go bother it. Nonetheless… I saw it, and it was the real, true Mew, still alive after all these years of myths and legends. It must have thought I was a strange Pokémon, a creature that didn't quite act like it should, so it came to stare at me. Then, I did what _any_ Ditto would have done… I took on Mew's form for myself. But no sooner did I open my eyes in my new form than Mew had vanished."

"Wow! That's incredible." Saura said. "I can't imagine how lucky you'd have to be to have something like that happen to you!"

"When you speak of luck, you have no concept," Domo continued. "Being Mew was such a sublime experience. The form was… so powerful, so free, so perfect… I flew around wildly for hours, just enjoying myself. I knew that Mew's instincts were making me act that way, but I didn't care. I was so happy."

"But… a Ditto cannot remain in a form forever," Domo said, his voice changing in tone. "A Ditto will run out of strength if it tries to hold a form for too long, you see. The hour soon drew upon me that I would have to abandon the form of Mew. I saw it coming, but I pretended it wouldn't happen, because I wanted so badly to stay in that form for the rest of my life. I remember how horrified I felt when I knew those final moments were ticking down… Even as Mew, I felt profound fear. And so… it happened. I abandoned Mew's form. When I did, I sat down right where I was and cried my entire heart out, knowing that I would never again be Mew. "

"Wow…" Char commented, feeling pity for the storyteller. "That must have felt so horrible, to lose something that rare and precious."

"Words could not describe my agony," Domo continued. "I cried and cried, until I couldn't cry any more. While I waited for my strength to return, I remained there, in my true form, reflecting upon my time as Mew and wondering if I could perhaps meet it again if I were to choose clever enough disguises. I was desperate, you see. But then… when my strength returned and I was ready to choose my next form, I realized that I felt very odd. I could not explain the feeling if I tried, but it was as if becoming Mew changed something within me. And this feeling… it made me want to try and become Mew once again, even though I was convinced I wouldn't recall it from memory. But I closed my eyes, and I tried…"

"And it worked?!" Saura guessed.

"Indeed," Domo said. "I had once again become Mew! But that's not all… I found myself imbued with a special power unknown to any other Ditto before me. From that point forth, I could revert back to _any_ of my previous forms effortlessly! No longer did I need to watch another Pokémon with my own eyes or concentrate hard enough to recall it vividly… I could simply command my body to change, and it would change perfectly, provided I'd been in the form sometime before. You see, Mew is said to contain the DNA of all other Pokémon within it. When I became Mew, I suppose the DNA of all Pokémon somehow became part of me, and stayed with me even after I left Mew's form. Thus, I never again will need to use memories to transform, since I have the very genes of the Pokémon within me!"

"So, you can change into any Pokémon you want? That's… crazy!" Saura said.

"Well, it's not a perfect power. You see, I still can only change into Pokémon I have seen with my own eyes," he said. "Plus, my transformations do not come with memories or life experiences. I must train myself to use each transformation individually, and from scratch. And I must also deal with the wide array of Pokémon instincts. So, it follows that I won't be nearly as skilled with any one of my transformations as a Pokémon who has been the same Pokémon for their entire life."

_Except for one who's only been a Pokémon for a few days,_ Char thought.

"Nevertheless, from that day forth, it became my life's dream to attain as many transformations as possible. As of now, I know how to become one hundred and forty-four Pokémon. While that is an impressive number, I still have a very long way to go if I want to see every known Pokémon species! Of course, Mew is still my most treasured form, and I tend to spend many an hour watching the world from behind its curious eyes. Being Mew has also given me a level of intelligence far beyond anything a Ditto such as myself would have otherwise been capable of. Ditto tend to be unintelligent beings. I have risen above that."

Domo changed into a Donphan. He took an intimidating, battle-ready stance.

"In return for permission to stay with this guild and see all the Pokémon who enter here, I use my powers to train newcomers and skilled Pokémon alike in the fine arts of battle," Domo roared in this new form. "I expect to see you two visit me very often so we can get to work on your techniques. You won't survive the tasks this place puts you through unless you know what you're doing on the battlefield!"

It was strange to hear Domo speak with a different voice each time he changed forms. To Char, watching the transformations was also a bit daunting; the thought of having to battle the Ditto's more powerful forms, even if it were only for practice, scared him.

"After all, I am not the only Pokémon who has transformations to undergo," Domo said. "Both of you will one day evolve. The more battle experience you receive, the sooner that day will come!"

Domo wasted no time in transforming. His form grew taller, wider, heavier; a pair of huge wings melted into existence from his back. His head became triangular, sprouting two horns, and its legs rippled with muscles. When the Ditto's transformation was complete, it stood before them as an impressive, fully-grown Charizard.

"_Mrraaawwww_!" it roared, a huge fireball billowing up from its maw. Char's heart beat even faster as he gazed up at the powerful dragon which overshadowed him.

_Wow!_ Char thought. _A Charizard! It looks so… so awesome! And to think I might one day be one of those… That is, if I'm still stuck as a Pokémon by then… But still! Wow! _

"You, little Charmander, will one day become this: the mighty, the proud, the free-flying _Charizard_!" Domo bellowed. "Respected by all Pokémon as a superior and feared by all enemies, the Charizard's brute strength and command of the element of fire, not to mention its mobility and command of the skies, make it a rock-solid warrior and a desirable teammate. Train hard, little one, so you may soon see the world from behind the cunning eyes of the dragon!"

_Yes!_ Char thought, his eyes just as bright as his smile. _I will train! I will become Charizard!_

"And you, little Bulbasaur…" Domo said, initiating another transformation, "You have a glorious future ahead of you as well!"

Domo soon became a ball of light, much larger than ever before. The tiny front claws of the Charizard grew to an enormous size, coming down to rest on the ground. When the creature had come to stand on all fours, a great stalk sprung out of its back and blossomed into many leaves and pedals.

When the transformation ended, Domo's new form—a great Venusaur—stood before the two, awaiting their reactions.

"The marvelous beast before which all other plants bow down!" Domo exclaimed in his new form. "The master of all that is green and the fearsome wielder of poison! There is nothing that Arceus has left to be desired in this magnificent creature! When you—"

Domo, surprised that the Bulbasaur hadn't shown anywhere near the level of elation the Charmadner had, stopped in mid-sentence and glanced down at him oddly.

"Is something wrong?" the Venusaur grumbled. "Children are usually excited to see their evolved forms. Aren't you looking forward to becoming a Venusaur?"

Char glanced at Saura. He had a funny look on his face—something between being depressed and having a frog stuck in his throat.

"I—" Saura finally responded, shaking his head a little. "Sorry. It's not you, Domo. I already know what a Venusaur looks like. My parents are Venusaur. It's just…"

"Saura doesn't want to evolve," Char said suddenly, remembering what his friend had said. "He wants to stay the way he is."

"Really?" Domo responded in surprise. "That's unusual. Is this true, Bulbasaur? Do you truly wish to remain in your tiny, weakened form?"

Saura didn't respond. He bit his lip, not knowing what to say.

"Well, if that is actually the case…" Domo said as he began to change forms again, "while I understand that it is hard for a Pokémon to deny what is in their heart, this particular desire is a very foolish one. You have no reason to not grow stronger! Any reason you think you might have is only a fluke. Dispel it! Besides… the division you live among now will expect you to quickly grow into a Venusaur, and they'll be disappointed in you if you refuse."

In minutes, Domo was back into his favorite form—the Mew—but Saura didn't seem nearly as excited to see it the second time around.

"Now, be off!" the Mew squeaked in a playful voice. "I have students to train. I will start my training with you tomorrow."

"Char, let's go," Saura said dejectedly. Char followed.

However, when they turned to leave, their guide was no longer there.

"Hey, where's Ursa?" Char wondered. "When did he leave?"

"Oh, he left a while back," Domo chirped with Mew's voice. "Maybe he expects you to return to him yourself. You have learned your way around the base, haven't you?"

Char and Saura glanced at one other, exchanging a glance of worry.

… … …

"So… I guess we have to find our way back to Team Remorse on our own?" Saura wondered as the two left the dojo and started wandering down the tunnel again. "I know Daemon told us to memorize everything, but this fast? I can't even remember how we got here. Do you, Char?"

Char didn't know what to say to him. Saura was disheartened now, like he'd just been told he would fail a test. Domo said he would need to evolve to be accepted by the division, yet one of the reasons he ran away from the soldiers in the first place was because he wanted to say the way he was.

"Hey, I think we head back this way." Saura said, looking around. "We went down a long ramp, right? And then we went up an elevator… So we have to go _down_ the elevator, right? Or _up_ the ramp? Do they both go the same way? Grr, I wish I'd been paying more attention!"

"This is almost like being in a mystery dungeon after all," Char commented. "I suppose if we can't find our way around here, we can't handle it out in a dungeon."

"You're right," Saura said. "This must be their way of testing us, Char. Let's pass this test! If we're being trained by someone as great as Scythe, we have to earn it. Now, _think!_ Try to remember the way back!"

As they walked, the hallway began to become vaguely familiar to Char. He remembered the bench the Hitmonchan had been resting on, apparently waiting his turn to train in the dojo. He remembered how the hallway had been deserted. He remembered the elevator shaft…

"The elevator!" Char determined. "We definitely go down the elevator to get back to the place with the food. We could probably find our way from there."

"Let's go!" Saura said, bounding down the hallway to lead the way.

… … …

After tracing their steps, the twosome found their way back to the elevator shaft and back to the large room which lead to the mess hall.

"Okay, I remember this place," Saura said over the rumble of the other Pokémon in the room. "But these doors all look the same. Which way do we go now?"

Char looked from one door to another. Saura was right; they barely looked any different. Yet Pokémon filed in and out of the doors like a river, somehow knowing where they were going. Char remembered Ursa saying something about a treasury one way, and… something else.

"Well, I guess we pick a door and try it," Saura said. "If we're wrong, we can always go back."

"Right," Char said, trying to decide which way. "Um… this way?"

"Good enough for me," Saura said.

The twosome ventured through the chosen door. It led to yet another hallway. However, no other Pokémon were coming or going at this place.

"Looks deserted here," Saura said as he followed Char. "I don't think this is the way."

"Well, let's see what's down here, at least," Char suggested. "We've got to learn our way around this place eventually."

The hallway continued to a long, steep ramp which leveled out into yet another hallway. It turned a corner, then another, before ending with an ornate archway. The room beyond the archway was completely dark; the torchlight which lit the hall stopped short.

"Ohh, scary," Saura said. "I wonder what's in here?"

"It's dark," Char said with a shiver in his voice.

Gathering his tail in his hand like a torch, Char stepped forward into the mysterious room.

_*FWOOSH!*_

As soon as Char set foot through the archway, the entire room roared with a mighty noise that made both Pokémon jump in fright.

"What was that?!" Saura yelped in fright.

_*FWOOSH!* *FWOOSH!*_

Char realized what was happening: the room was becoming lit! Dozens of torches which lined the sides of the room were suddenly and mysteriously lighting themselves, mighty flames roaring to life at the tip of sticks protruding from the walls and saucers hanging from the ceilings.

"Awww!" Saura could only say as he looked upon the now-lit room as the last of the magical fire appeared on the far walls.

The size of this room was unprecedented; it was larger than any of the other rooms they'd seen in the entire complex so far. Its purpose was clear: it was a _theater_. The seats consisted of solid stone stair-steps of varying sizes, presumably enough to seat the entire division. The doorway they'd just entered through was one of many; there were at least five other entrances of different heights and widths all lining the outside wall. Four massive pillars stood around the outer edges of the room, supporting the sloped ceiling. At the center of it all, at the front of the room, was the stage. The stage was crowned by a great arch which contained stone engravings of many different kinds of Pokémon and footprint-runes.

But the most impressive part of the room—the part Saura's eyes instantly fixed on—were the two giant statues on either side of the stage. On the left was a stone depiction of Palkia, the ancient dragon which commanded space, and on the right was Dialga, the dragon who governed time. Both statues looked incredibly life-like, despite being colorless, and were masterfully crafted to depict the dragons as mighty, awe-inspiring entities. Palkia held an orb in its hands, as if offering it to an unseen recipient, and Dialga's mouth was open, as if speaking with someone. To Saura, they even looked like they _were_ alive, seeing the light cast by nearby torches dance across their figures and in their eyes.

"Char! I remember now!" Saura cried, his voice echoing throughout the amazing chamber. "This is the place Ursa said that everyone gathers for a meeting! This is the meeting hall! Wow, imagine what it would look like if we had a meeting. This place would be packed!"

After taking a deep breath in admiration, Saura turned to Char. "Well, I guess this was the wrong way," he said. "Let's go back."

But Char hadn't heard a word of anything he'd said.

Char's eyes were blanked, fixated on the great dragon statues. His mouth hung open, his face frozen in a horrible expression as if something was tearing apart his soul. His tail flame flickered abnormally, and his breathing escalated…

"…Char?" Saura asked worriedly, noticing his state. "Char, are you okay? Maybe it's just your instincts again. Char? Char?"

A bright light flooded the room.

The light engulfed the Charmander, and he found himself standing in it. It was white. Everywhere was white.

In front of him stood a creature of extraordinary size. It was the time-god, Dialga. Light shone from it like the sun, and the diamond on its chest sparkled marvelously.

_What's going on?_ Char wondered, only able to stare at the great dragon. _It is as though… the statue came alive! Am I even still in the meeting hall? Where am I?_

Dialga's mouth moved as if it were trying to say something to Char, yet Char heard nothing.

_What? What is it?_ Char demanded, only to find that he couldn't speak. _Dialga? Please! Tell me! Are you trying to say something?_

Char felt the presence of others standing around him, yet he couldn't move to see them. He was frozen in place.

Dialga bowed its great head.

_Is it sad?_ Char wondered. _Is it done speaking? What did it say? This… this isn't something about my past, is it? Am… am I human right now? What's going to happen?_

"**_CHAR!_**"

_Thump._

Char awoke with a start as his head slammed against the floor. Saura had tackled him.

"Char, wake up!" Saura pleaded. "Say something! _Please!_"

"Ugh… I'm awake now, I think…" Char muttered.

"What happened just now?!" Saura demanded, helping him back to his feet. "You passed out! I thought you were suffocating or something! Char, maybe we should get you to see the doctor."

"Saura…" Char gasped. "I guess I had… some kind of vertigo, and… I… saw Dialga!"

"What, you mean the statue?" Saura questioned oddly. "It's right over there, see?"

"No…" Char insisted. "Saura… I didn't _see_ Dialga… I _remembered_ Dialga!"

Char looked at the statue again. His heart started beating wildly once again as he gazed at it.

"It was blue and silver," Char said.

Before Saura could respond, a different voice rang out amongst them.

"You two," it said. "Did you take a wrong turn?"

Char and Saura turned to see Ursa standing on the other side of the archway, his arms crossed.

"Ursa!" Saura shouted. "I—we—we thought you wanted us to find our way back upstairs, so we tried to look on our own…"

"Oh, no," Ursa said, shaking his head. "While you were talking to Domo, Shander came and said Scythe wanted to see me. I had no choice but to go. Although, I was assuming that you'd just wait there outside of the dojo for me to come back, not go running off yourself. I went to go looking for you, and I was lucky I caught sight of you going down this way. It's not one of the places I would have looked!"

"We're sorry we ran off," Saura said regretfully. "We really thought you were testing us."

"No worries," Ursa said. "But we have to go. Scythe wants to see you now. Apparently he decided he couldn't wait for tonight."

As Char followed the others out of the meeting hall, he took one last look back at the statue of Dialga. However, the moment he stepped foot out of the room, the magical torches snuffed themselves, turning the room black once more.

On the way to meet Scythe, only one thing looped through Char's mind:

_Could Dialga have something to do with my past?_


	7. Chapter 6: The Test

**Chapter 6**

"Well, at least you made it this far," Ursa said as he led the Charmander and Bulbasaur back in the right direction, after they had taken the wrong turn.

"I can't believe how easy it is to get lost in this place," Saura said. "It's so… big."

"Well, you know, the Gold Division didn't build this place," Ursa said. "We just adapted it for our own purposes. Supposedly, it was once an elite training academy for Pokémon, but that was some five hundred years ago or something. Sometime after the Master rose to power, he sabotaged it and forced everyone out. He even sealed the main entrance so nobody would ever be able to enter again. I guess the Master wasn't too thrilled about a school he didn't get to teach, you know?"

"That's pretty dumb," Char said. "This 'Master' is getting worse every time I hear about him."

"So, I guess you got back in?" Saura asked. "How'd you do that?"

"Well, someone, somewhere along the line, found other ways in, I guess," Ursa said. "And, I guess the Master has always assumed this place was empty ever since, because he's never checked back here. In fact, it's been so long, he might have forgotten it even exists. Anyway…"

Ursa led them around some unfamiliar corners, and they finally stopped at a new doorway.

"I thought we were going to see Scythe," Saura said. "What's over here?"

Instead of answering, Ursa opened the door. Within the small and darkened room, Scythe and Shander stood waiting for them. At their side was a new Pokémon, an Espeon. It looked as if the three were all hiding out in this room, waiting for something secret or forbidden. A lump formed in Char's throat.

"Finally, they're here!" Scythe said, turning his attention to the door. "Thank you for your help, Ursa. You can go."

"Can't he stay?" Char asked.

"No, no, I'll go," Ursa told him. "Scythe's keeping his deals with you under wraps, and I don't want to be the one to question what's going on. Besides, I have work to do. Don't worry, we'll be seeing each other again soon… I hope."

Ursa left, closing the door behind him. Char and Saura stood at attention, uncertain of what was about to happen. Now that Char recognized Scythe as a high leader of sorts, he was too afraid to say anything to him for fear of disrespecting him, and even more afraid at how the great bug kept eying him suspiciously. He was starting to feel very uncomfortable, very fast.

"Now, remember how I told you we would need to test you for something?" Scythe said, stepping forward. "We're going to do that now."

"What are you testing for?" Saura asked. "Will it hurt?"

"It will hurt only as much as you make it," the Espeon replied smoothly, revealing that it was a female. "I need to look into your mind. Struggle, and yes, it will hurt. But if you relax and let me work, it will be over quickly."

"Don't worry, we are not looking for your personal thoughts or memories or anything like that," Shander said. "We are looking for something very specific."

"Are you ready?" Scythe asked. "I want to know the results as soon as possible."

"Uh… I guess…" Saura said. "Char, are you ready?"

Char nodded, even though he didn't feel all too ready.

"Good," Scythe said, motioning for the Espeon to approach. "Saura, you'll be first. Char will be next."

Saura gulped heavily as the Espeon approached. She stood over him, the gem on her forehead starting to shine as she readied her power.

"I am Eva," the Espeon said, almost condescendingly. "I have helped Scythe, as well as some others in this division, search for a Pokémon with The Call for years. That search may end today."

"The Call?" Char repeated.

Ignoring Char, the Espeon thrust her forehead closer to Saura.

"Close your eyes," she commanded, her gem shining very brightly. "Try not to move or speak."

Saura did as commanded. Char held his breath as he watched. He still didn't have any idea what was going on, but he hoped that it would be revealed to him soon. He wondered just what the Espeon was doing with her power. She said she wasn't _looking_ for memories, but could she see them nonetheless?

Would she be able to see _his_ memories? Even the ones he could not see? Memories from before his transformation?

"Ugh…" Saura suddenly grunted, tensing up.

"Easy," Eva commanded. "Try not to be too sensitive. I'm almost where I need to be."

"Ugh…" Saura said again. "It feels so… weird…"

"Don't talk," Eva said, a hint of anger forming in her voice. "It only makes things harder for me."

Saura tried to relax. His leg muscles loosened, and his mouth fell open a little bit. His eyes remained clenched, trying to bear the unusual sensations of having his mind read.

"_Aaaaaaahh!"_

Suddenly, Saura cried out in agony. Not even opening his eyes, Saura unleashed his vines and whipped them forward, wrapping the Espeon and trying to force it away. His teeth were clenched tight, and his vines became taut as Eva pulled back on them. Char bit his tongue very hard at the sight. Scythe looked worried.

"Get off me!" Eva yelled, clawing at the vines and trying to get them off. "I'm finished! I'm done with you! Let go!"

Saura wouldn't let go. He panted violently, grunting and growling with each breath. His eyes remained glued shut as tight as could be. Char's claws formed fists. _Did it really hurt that bad?_ he wondered.

Char gently rubbed Saura on the back, hoping to comfort him. Saura's vines eventually grew limp and fell to the floor. His eyes opened weakly, and his breath calmed.

"Ugh…" Saura groaned. "Eva... I'm sorry. It's just... that didn't feel very good. It was like having a horrible headache…"

"Well…?" Scythe asked impatiently as Eva finally freed her legs from the vines. "Did you find anything?"

A little angered, Eva bowed her head. "No," she replied. "The Bulbasaur doesn't have the Call."

"It's not surprising," Shander said plainly.

"Yes, well, my real hopes were with the Charmander, after all," Scythe said. "Char, it's your turn. Prepare yourself."

Char felt a very familiar feeling overtake him—the feeling of anger. He abhorred the thought of having his mind… _probed_… by the Espeon. He didn't want to experience the pain he saw Saura take. Not only that, but it seemed this Espeon was not the gentle type. Something told him that she did not exactly take care when intruding into the minds of others.

Char's tail flared. A fiery taste filled the back of his throat.

"Char…" Scythe said sternly, noticing his change of mood. "Remember what happened last time you tried to resist? It will happen again. We _need_ this done."

"Char, it's okay. Settle down," Saura said, still groaning in pain. "Just get it over with."

Char did his best to resist his instincts, but he really wanted to fight back again. Not only that, but it was a tough call between fighting and running away. He glared at the Espeon, the enemy, despising her for what she did to his friend and what she was about to do to him.

"No," Eva said suddenly, taking a step back.

"What?" Scythe asked. "What's the matter?"

"I'm not going to read the Charmander's mind," Eva said. "It is a waste of my time and effort."

"_Eva_, please," Scythe said. "Don't judge me by the fact that the Bulbasaur was without the Call. He was brought only as a precaution! There are many… _strange_ things about this Charmander, on the other hand."

"No," Eva said again, turning tail and walking to the other side of the room. "I will not. In fact, I am so convinced that the Charmander does _not_ have the Call just by looking at it that I would happily give up quite a number of things if I were proven wrong."

"Then name one, and I will call your bet," Scythe growled. "I did _not_ risk staying overnight with the Watchers to bring these children all the way here, just to have you not cooperate with me. Eva. _Test him._"

"_Fine,_" Eva sighed, turning back to face Char. "If you insist on being _shown_ you're wrong, fine. But it won't do anything but make you look stupid. Charmander, come here."

Char gritted his teeth and tried to calm himself as Eva moved close to him, aligning her gem to his forehead. He felt her breath on his face, and it made him want to lash out and bite her.

"Close your eyes," she commanded. "Try not to move or speak."

Char closed his eyes, awaiting the inevitable pain, however it would feel, of the Espeon's mind probing his.

No pain came.

_Ugh, this is killing me!_ Char thought. _Why won't she start? Get it over with already!_

Many seconds passed. Still, Char felt nothing out of the ordinary except for the horrid feeling of anticipation. He wondered if something was wrong. He wondered if he was failing the test.

_Maybe it's not hurting because I have "The Call"?_ Char wondered. _Or did she not even start yet?_

Finally, a voice that was not his own rang out in his head.

_I'm not going to do this,_ the voice said.

_Eva?_ Char asked with his thoughts. _Is that you?_

_Yes, it's me,_ Eva replied telepathically. _I'm not going to test you. It would be pointless. But we've got to make Scythe happy, alright? So, here's the deal. You pretend I checked you. Now, if I find out you told Scythe about this… I will make trouble for you. Do you understand?_

_Wait, we're going to lie to Scythe?_ Char asked. _Why? Is it really so hard to test me? Eva?_

Char opened his eyes to see Eva backing away, the light fading from her gemstone.

"…And?" Scythe said, his face full of hope.

"Do I even need to say it?" Eva sneered. "No, Scythe. This one is without the Call as well. Nice try, though."

"See?" Shander said. "The time isn't right."

"But… I know what I heard," Scythe stammered as he stared, wide-eyed, at the floor. He thrust one of his blades downward, putting a visible scratch in the ground. "The Call is unforgettable… It haunts you, and doesn't let you go. And… I _know _I felt it…"

"Don't tell me. I _know_ what the Call is like, as well," Eva said. "Remember, I was _there_ the last time it happened. Now, why you thought either of these two children had it, I will never know. Perhaps you were imagining things? Perhaps… you heard it only because you _wanted _to?"

Scythe remained silent. He stared at her indignantly.

"Eva, enough," Shander said. "Any other Pokémon would have done the same thing if they thought they heard it, including you. Don't persecute Scythe for doing his job."

"Hmph," said the Espeon, turning away again. "Well, next time, make sure you're not just wasting my time. Otherwise, word about your foolishness might get out… _somehow._"

_Blackmail!_ Char realized. _Not to mention that Scythe could have been right all along, and Eva wouldn't even know it, because she didn't even test me!_

"Now, get out of my room," Eva ordered.

_Gladly_, Char thought. _I don't think I can stand another minute with you._

_Nice to meet you, too,_ Eva's telepathic voice responded, startling Char out of his wits.

… … …

"So much for _that_," Scythe said quietly to Shander as they walked back down the hall. "Maybe you were right. Maybe this was all just a big mistake."

"Don't say that," Shander said with a wry smile. "We still rescued them from the Master, right? Not to mention that they look like a promising couple of fighters."

Scythe peered back at the two little Pokémon following his lead down the hall as they constantly chatted with each other. He watched Char intently, knowing full well he still held secrets… secrets he felt inclined to unearth.

"That, they do," Scythe finally said. "That, they do. I think I'll enjoy training them."

When they were done conversing, Shander left the group to continue with his work, and Scythe took it upon himself to finish the tour.

"Judging from what Ursa says he has shown you, there are only a couple more vital locations in this place you must still see," Scythe said. "Keep your strength about you, the next place is a rather long walk from here."

"I hope we're not going to be tested on all this!" Saura said.

"Oh, you will be tested," Scythe said. "Every day, you are tested. Every single day."

… … …

The next place they visited—after the promised lengthy walk—was a cramped, well-lit little room. The strange thing about this place, though, was that the walls and floors were all bright white. The floor was made of something that looked like marble, and the walls appeared to have been covered in a coat of white sand. At the front of the room, displayed neatly on the wall, was a series of stone tablets with engravings on them.

"I knew you'd have to come here eventually," Scythe said. "Now, take a good, long look at the tablets, if you will."

Char stepped up to the first one and squinted to see the small inscriptions on it. He didn't have much luck, because the writing was no language he'd ever seen before. It was made up of markings which looked like tiny Pokémon footprints.

"Uh… I can't read this!" Char said. "What's it say?"

"You can't read footprint runes…?" Scythe said. "Hmm… perhaps Saura could give it a try."

"Hmm," Saura said. "It says… '_Freedom, peace and war, our fathers lived through once before. Freedom, peace of mind, one dream to live for all mankind…_' And that's only the first part. This is long."

"It's a song," Scythe explained. "We call it the 'Resistance Creed'. It doesn't mean much; it's mostly just flowery nonsense. However, you must learn it word-for-word. Otherwise, there's no guarantee that we'll let you back into the base once you leave. See… we use it as a password. Whenever you approach an entrance to the Gold Division, you are given a prompt, which is a line from the creed. You must recite the next line to gain entry."

"That's pretty long, for a password!" Saura said, his eyes glazing over as he scanned the many tablets. "Why does it have to be this long and complicated?"

"The creed is long enough that it cannot remain at the forefront of your mind at one time; thus, it is difficult for a psychic spy to read the entire script from your mind," Scythe explained. "At best, they will garner only one or two lines, which is likely not enough for them to gain admission. That is also why we use a call-and-response system for our password; you are meant to forget the song as a whole, but remember the lines sequentially. Hearing a line from the song will easily trigger your memory."

"But… if I can't read it, how am I supposed to remember it?" Char wondered, looking blankly at the massive tablets filled with markings.

"You'll have to work closely with Saura," Scythe said. "…But it's unusual for you to not be able to read. Most intelligent Pokémon know how to read footprint runes."

"What about Unown-script?" Saura said. "I'm sure Char would be able to read that!"

"Ah, I didn't think of that," Scythe said thoughtfully. "Unfortunately, we don't have a copy of this song in Unown-script. You'll just have to manage without one."

For the next hour or so, Scythe forced the two reluctant children to stay in the room until they had completely memorized the first two stanzas. Char became very annoyed that he couldn't read the tablet for himself, and he soon found himself bored out of his skull.

"Fears that we come to know, and the sorrows we ignore," Saura recited.

"Our lives come to be truth or mystery_,_" Char answered. "The fools… we believe, the lies we can't—I mean, the lies that we… were meant to believe. I mean, see."

"Almost," Scythe said, "but it's truth _and_ mystery. Not _or_. _And_. Remember, every word must be accurate, even the ones which sound the least important. Otherwise, you could very well be a Zoroark spy trying to get into our base. Or maybe even a Ditto. That's just the way things work around here."

"Can we go yet?" Saura said, trying not to sound whiny. "We'll practice this more later. The words are all getting mixed up in my head now."

"Fine," Scythe said, waving his blade. "That can be enough for today. Let what you've learned today sink in. You'll know whether or not you've truly memorized it if you can remember it later at will. Now… if I remember correctly, we only have one more place we absolutely must visit today. Come with me."

Char was happy to get out of that white room, even though he knew that he and Saura would have no choice but to return there many times in the future.

… … …

As they made yet another trek through the caves, Char noticed that there weren't nearly as many Pokémon competing with them for room.

"It's midday," Scythe explained. "Everyone's out on their missions. Just like you'll be tomorrow."

"So soon, huh?" Saura said, growing weary already from all the constant walking. "Are you sure we'll be up to it?"

"I guess that's something you're going to find out all on your own," Scythe said. "You learn best by doing. But if I were you, I wouldn't be too worried about your first mission. You've already shown me you can crawl dungeons. But before you can go on any missions, there's a place you have to go first…"

At last, they reached their final destination: it was an office. It had a desk, lots of paper, and rows upon rows of shelves, all filled with paper. The shelves went back farther than Char could see. At the desk sat a very gruff-looking Granbull.

"The registration office," Scythe said. "Here, we keep records of most everything that goes on here in the division. All of our missions, our successes, our failures, our teams and members… its' all here somewhere, immortalized on paper. Everything is important; we can't afford to forget anything."

_Oh, no!_ Char realized. _A name! A team name! We didn't think of one yet!_

"Saura, quick!" Char gasped. "What should we name our resistance team? That's why we're here! We're here to start the team!"

Scythe stepped up to the desk as the Granbull was furiously flipping through some papers.

"Jay, could we see you for a moment?" Scythe said calmly.

"What kind of moment?" It asked back, not even looking up. The voice was distinctly female. "Intelligence wants this summary in two hours, and I've got no idea where I put it. I'd rather you come back later…"

"Jay, you're _always_ busy," Scythe said. "Later won't do us any good. I need you to register a new resistance team."

Jay paused for a moment to glance at her visitor, then immediately shuffled her handful of papers and set them down neatly on the table. "Oh, Scythe. Good afternoon to you," she said kindly. "A new team, huh? What, don't tell me you quit Team Remorse? That ol' dog finally break the last straw?"

"Oh, no, it's not for me," Scythe laughed. "These two."

Jay peered over the desk and onto the floor, where she just barely caught sight of the Charmander and the Bulbasaur standing at attention on the floor below, both looking extremely nervous.

"Hah!" she laughed. "These two? Well, well, we've got some ambitious children nowadays, huh? Now… let's see if we can make this quick. Are you the only two?"

"Yes," Scythe answered for them.

"Wow. And your names? And which one of you will be the leader?"

"I'm Saura, and this is… Char. He'll be the leader," Saura said weakly.

"You sure?" Char said, surprised at Saura's assertion.

"Far enough," Jay said, before Saura could answer. "Now I just need a team name. What'll it be?"

"Uh…" Char groaned, digging deep for a good idea. "Er… How about… Team Freedom?"

"Taken," Jay said, flipping through her papers. "And not only that, but taken by the sixth team ever on record. Hope you've got better ideas than that…"

"Team Courage?" Char tried again.

"Taken," Jay said flatly, "by the _eighth_ team ever on record."

Char glanced back at Scythe, as if for emotional support. The Scyther looked amused.

"I've got it!" Saura said. "Team Fire Flower. Sounds catchy, doesn't it? And it represents us."

"Taken, sadly," Jay said. "And by 'sadly', I mean it's one of the most ridiculous names I've ever had the displeasure of writing on file."

"Hmm," Saura said. "How about… Team Regret? You know, like 'Remorse', but different."

Jay scoffed, dropping her ink pen on the table and making a blotch on the team record. "Scythe, these two haven't had much of a history lesson, have they? Well, I'll have you know that, once upon a time and all that, there was Lucario. He founded the resistance force which later split into the three divisions. His team was Team Regret… the **_first_** team ever on record."

Scythe snickered. Char grew angry at the fact that their trainer thought it was a laughing matter and refused to help them out.

"Well, any others?" Jay said.

"Um…" Saura groaned, wracking his brain.

"Good, good," Jay said, putting a stamp of approval on the file. "Team _Peanuts_ it is."

"**_Team Peanuts?!_**" Saura shouted. "What?! We don't want that name!"

"Why not…?" The Granbull said, barely betraying sarcasm in her voice as she scribbled on the paper. "The name fits you! You're tiny, inexperienced…"

"Are you serious?!" Saura stuttered. "T-that can't be! That's a horrible name!"

"Then you should have given me one in the first place," Joy said, not even breaking a smile. "But no, you come down here to waste precious seconds of my time trying to decide on a name that you should have decided beforehand. So, I picked one for you. Welcome to the Gold Division, Team Peanuts!"

… … …

"I don't believe this!" Saura said again, gritting his teeth in anger. "Team Peanuts? _Peanuts?_ That's who we are now? Some sissy little kids who can't take care of ourselves?"

Scythe had spent the rest of the day showing the newly-formed Resistance Team around the more interesting (but unimportant) parts of the base. They stopped for dinner at the mess hall right before most of the resistance teams returned from their missions, narrowly missing the rush. Afterwards, Scythe led them back upstairs toward Team Remorse's rooms.

_I guess it just goes to show how brutal this place can be,_ Char thought to himself. _We really need to be on top of things, otherwise we might be humiliated beyond belief! Ugh… Saura's really angry right now. I mean, sure, the name is bad, but… I guess it really means a lot to him._

"Well, I guess you'll just have to prove to the division that you shouldn't judge a team by its name," Scythe said encouragingly. "You could become a surprisingly competent team, and your foes would underestimate you because of your name! _Then_ who would be laughing?"

"Hey, Scythe…" Char said, noticing where they were going. "Um… weren't you going to show us to our rooms? Why are we back here at your team's rooms?"

"Oh… there's been a little change of plans," Scythe said, a subtle smile on his face. "You're going to be staying with us from now on."

"Are you sure?" Char said. "Does Daemon know about this?"

"Not yet," Scythe said with a smile. "But there's not much he'll be able to do about it. I need you to stay with me if I'm going to train you. In a few months, we can talk about you moving somewhere else. But you've got your first mission coming up tomorrow… I want to be the one to walk you through it."

"Wow, thanks," Char said. "I… don't know what else to say."

"It was the least I could do," Scythe said humbly as he bowed to Char with the most subtle gesture possible.

… … …

At last, after a whole day of walking, learning, and humiliation, Char and Saura found themselves back in Scythe's room. Char found the hard floor much more comfortable today for some reason. The opposite was true for Saura, who seemed too restless to keep his eyes closed.

"Ugh, Char, this is going to be hard, isn't it?" Saura groaned. "And we have our very first mission tomorrow. I wonder what that's going to be like?"

_Still, Saura's willing to persevere,_ Char thought, _even after today. I'm starting to think he wasn't kidding at all when he said he'd stay with me… _

"Say, Char…" Saura said, suddenly glancing around the room to make sure that Scythe was still gone. "Did you notice Scythe today? He was acting really funny."

"How so?" Char asked, resting peacefully on the floor.

"Well… I don't know why, but I get the feeling he knows about you. I think… he knows you're a human."

Char opened his eyes. "Why do you think that?" he asked.

"Well, just the little things," Saura said. "First, he didn't think it was funny that you didn't know footprint runes, but still know Unown-script. That's what we call your human writing, by the way. Unown-script. Oh, and earlier, when we were with Eva, he said there were 'many strange things about you', but he said it in a way like he already knew _what_ it was."

_I still have to tell Saura… and Scythe too… about Eva's blackmail,_ Char remembered. _I don't trust her at all. She doesn't deserve to have me keep a secret like that._

"And just now, when we were walking back to the room, he _bowed_ to you!" Saura said. "I know he did! He said 'it's the least I could do', and then he bowed to you. Char, that _must_ be it! Scythe must know your secret! I don't know how, but he found out."

"Maybe someone read my mind?" Char guessed. "Maybe Eva told him, or something."

"Well, this might not be a bad thing, anyway," Saura sighed. "That's probably why he decided we should stay in his room. He found out you're a human, and we're getting special treatment because of it. If this keeps up, it might make up for the fact that… well, the fact that we're _Team Peanuts_ now. All I know is that I don't want to be around Daemon when he finds out his team is affiliated with that kind of a name."

Char wondered something. "Hey, Saura," he said, "why would we be getting special treatment just because I'm a human? Do all Pokémon hold humans in high regard, or something?"

"Oh, of _course_," Saura said, acting surprised at the question. "We Pokémon have something of an innate respect for mankind. Actually, for most of us, our greatest dream is to befriend a human and to serve them. Well, I can't speak for all Pokémon, but most of us are like that… and I know I'm one of them."

"I wonder why," Char thought aloud. "Did we do anything to earn that respect?"

"Remember when I told you earlier that all Pokémon start out wild and only become intelligent if someone teaches them?" he asked, rolling over onto his stomach to face Char. "In the beginning, the _very_ beginning, _all_ Pokémon were wild. Every single one. We were animals, living only by our instincts. We couldn't talk. We couldn't think for ourselves. We weren't intelligent creatures. Now, any guess how we wound up with intelligence?"

"…The humans," Char realized.

"The humans gave Pokémon the gift of intelligence," Saura explained. "They took us and trained us at their sides. They brought us up to their level. Now, whenever we think for ourselves, we know the humans are the ones who made it possible in the first place. You humans made us who we are."

"I never realized…" Char said.

"And not only that, there's more," Saura said. "Even the great dragons… Dialga, Palkia, and even Arceus… are said to have started out as primal beasts. They say that humans are the ones responsible for imparting wisdom even onto them. So, yes, Pokémon have a deep respect for you humans. To us, you're… legendary."

Char had no problem falling asleep that night. However, his head was filled with strange dreams of Dialga eating peanuts.


	8. Chapter 7: First Outing

**Chapter 7**

The day began with two little words:

"_Get up!"_

Rubbing the crust from his eyes, Char rolled onto his back and found himself gazing up at the face of a very cheerful Scyther.

"This is it! Today's a big day. Are you ready?"

"Ugh… you bet," Char said, trying to sound just as excited and failing.

"How long did we sleep, anyway?" Saura groaned, trying to raise himself. "It didn't seem long at all."

"About seven hours," Scythe said. "Team Remorse usually gets up at the crack of dawn, but I let you sleep in a little bit today."

_Gee, thanks, _Char thought to himself, rubbing a kink out of his neck.

"Pay attention to everything you see today," Scythe warned. "The routine I'm about to show you is something you're going to need to learn to do nearly every day you live with us. You can rely on me for now, but there will come a day when I won't be here to show you the way. So pay attention, and don't let yourselves become mentally lazy. Am I clear?"

"Alright!" Saura said, finally mustering his energy and jumping to his feet. "Our first day! Let's do our best, Char!"

… … …

"Wait, don't we need to, you know, get ready?" Saura asked as Scythe led the two newcomers down the hall. "We're just going to leave? Just like that?"

"First lesson," Scythe told them. "Prepare for your mission the night before. You may have noticed that I was gone from the den for a while last night; I was preparing for our trip. If you're going to learn to do things the efficient way – and the _right_ way - you need to choose your destination, pack your bags, determine which teammates will join you, all _before_ you retire for the night. That way, in the morning, you can leave immediately! The limited daylight is more valuable than you may think. Many teams take it for granted. Not mine."

Near the front door of Team Remorse's personal quarters, Scythe took a small, bulging bag which hung on the wall (somehow without cutting the straps with his blade) and tossed it to Char. It wasn't too heavy, but it sure was awkward and burdensome. Char needed a moment to find his balance as he held the bag.

"Here," he said. "This is our bag of supplies I prepared last night. As a Pokémon lucky enough to have proper arms and hands, you get to carry it for the day."

As Char struggled to get used to the weight of the brown, stitched bag, Scythe pushed open the team's stone door and proceeded out into the base. Shander stood right outside, reading a piece of paper affixed to the wall between two torches. Char noticed something funny about the torches: they were a deep orange color, rather than the usual yellow.

"Morning," Scythe said. "Daemon and the others already head out?"

"Long ago," Shander said, not lifting his eyes off the notice. "Basin Canyon is a long way. They've got a tall order ahead of them today. Of course, _he_ wasn't too thrilled at how you so cleverly got out of the trip. Nevertheless, he wanted to wish Team Peanuts good luck on their first task."

At hearing the sound of their new team name, Saura frowned immediately. "Oh… you know what? I completely forgot about that," he said, his smile dashed.

"The name is brilliant, by the way," Shander said, casting a smile at Saura. "It's the best new name for a team I've heard in quite a while."

"Uh, okay," Saura mumbled. "If you say so…"

… … …

As they continued down the hall, Char noticed that all of the torches which lined the walls had turned this strange color. _Is something wrong with my eyes?_ Char thought.

"Is it just me, or is the fire a different color today?" Saura asked.

"Good observation," Scythe said. "The flames turn different colors depending on what time of day it is. During the day, they're yellow to signify sunlight. In the evening, they turn red to warn of the coming night. They turn blue when the Watchers are out, then they turn orange in the morning to signify the all-clear. Our resident ghost Pokémon take care of the spell. It affects all the fire in the entire complex. Even yours."

Char glanced back at his tail, and indeed, his flame was the same orange color. He was curious to see what it would look like for his flame to turn blue at night.

"We call it 'spiritual fire,'" he further explained. "It doesn't create smoke, it doesn't burn air, and so we can use dozens of torches down here without suffocating ourselves. Interesting, isn't it?"

Coming to the first main chamber of the Gold Division base, Char found that it was a madhouse. Pokémon scrambled to prepare for the coming day, filling the caverns with a dull roar. A Sneasel rushed in front of Char, cutting off his step without even seeing him and almost causing him to trip backwards.

"You see? This is why our team gets ready the night before," Scythe said with a grin. "Otherwise, you have to deal with all _this_. You don't even want to know what Kecleon's shop or the cafeteria looks like right now. Meanwhile, _we_ can just walk out the door."

"Ugh… you mean, we aren't going to get breakfast at least?" Char groaned, hoisting the bag. "I'm kinda hungry."

"I packed food in there," Scythe said. "We can all eat on the road. Now… today, we'll be using the northeastern entrance, since our destination is to the east… "

Char's vision was soon obscured by two green vines which hovered in front of his face. They mercilessly wrenched the bag from his grasp and set it on the ground.

"I'm hungry, too," Saura said, digging through the bag for the promised food.

Not able to blame him, Char helped Saura dig through the contents and soon found a pear and an apple. Saura ate the apple in nearly one bite as Char hefted the bag back onto his shoulder and took a bite of the pear. He was disappointed that the bag didn't seem to get any lighter.

On the way out, Scythe led them onto an elevator which was occupied by several other Pokémon.

"Hey, Scythe! Morning!" a Raichu suddenly shouted right next to Char. "I heard about your new apprentices. How're you doing with that?"

"Morning to you, Ray," Scythe said cheerfully. "I heard you were going to Blackriver City today, I wish you a safe journey. And these are my students right here, if you'd like to meet them. I'm just about to take them on their first mission."

"Oh, boy! I bet you're excited!" the energetic Raichu cheered, smiling at Char and Saura. "I've got a new teammate going on his first mission today, too. Maybe later you can share stories with him."

"The Vulpix, right?" Scythe said, raising an eyebrow. "He seemed a bit young and apprehensive. Are you sure it's wise to be taking him to Blackriver City on his first day of service?"

"Ah, I'm sure it will be fine," Ray said. "We're going to teach him that there's no reason to be afraid of everything all the time. Especially when you've got a team to back you up and all. Good luck on your mission, you guys! I'm sure you'll learn a lot!"

"Thanks," Saura said. "We'll do our best!"

"Besides, with a name like Team Peanuts, how can you lose?" the Raichu laughed.

A second time, all the color left Saura's face. His smile became a limp, broken frown.

"…How'd you know?" he asked sadly.

"Me? Oh, whenever a new team is formed, they announce it in the bulletins," the Raichu said. "I usually don't remember the names of new teams, but this one really stood out. Great choice, you two! It's a really memorable name!"

"Thanks, I guess," Saura said, looking away.

… … …

Moments later, they'd reached the final tunnel which led out of the base. A giant marking, something which resembled a Tauros footprint, had been embedded in the wall above the tunnel entrance. Char assumed it was to signify the north-eastern exit of the base. He remembered how Scythe explained that the way they'd entered the base in the first place had a security system in the form of a hallway lined with traps, so he expected another long, boring walk through a featureless tunnel.

Along the way, Char walked among many other Pokémon, both alone and in groups, who were also heading out for the morning. Many other teams passed by as he kept near Scythe. He was impressed by the sheer number and diversity of the division's members.

"You know, I had no idea that so many Pokémon opposed the Master," Saura said. "I thought everyone just did what the Master wanted or… you know… paid the price. If I knew that there were organizations like this, I don't think I would have been so afraid of standing up to him."

"Unfortunately, it's better that the resistance remains unknown," Scythe said. "If we caused too much awareness, we'd attract attention from the Master's forces. That's why we work in teams; teams can pass themselves off as small guerrilla groups without provoking the Master's wrath. That's also why we try to limit the number of team members who go on a mission at any one time. Too many, and the Master might consider us a threat, and decide to crush us with sheer strength."

"As if the Master were the only one with _sheer strength,_" a new voice said from beside Char.

Char turned to notice a second team of Pokémon who now walked alongside him. The team was made up of a Luxray, a Machoke, and a Grovyle. The Luxray walked in front like the leader, eying the little ones amusedly.

"So, Scythe, these are the children you've taken under your wings," the Luxray said with a powerful and proud voice. "Very nice, very nice. Consider yourselves lucky."

"We know," Saura said.

"Let me introduce myself," the Luxray said. "I'm Kain. I lead Team Absolution. Our team has… very high standards. We like to consider ourselves at the level of Scythe's team."

"They're a respectable team," Scythe said with a nod. "One of the highest ranked in this division."

"Like you?" Saura asked.

"Well, we are known for our different strengths," Scythe said. "Kain and his team are known for their unrivaled strength in battle."

"And Scythe's team is known for their tactics," Kain added. "I'd give anything to know how that mind of his works. He and Daemon single-handedly took back Wraith Falls from one of the Master's best generals. And he still to this day refuses to tell anyone how he did it. But I take every opportunity I can to learn from him. You should be sure to do the same."

_So, this Team Absolution must be another well-respected team around here,_ Char considered. _I wonder if Team Remorse considers themselves their rivals._

"I look forward to working with you two," Kain said to Char and Saura. "By the way, your—"

"Yeah, yeah, we know," Saura said, rolling his eyes. "Our name is interesting. We've heard it before."

"Hmm, have I said something wrong?" Kain asked, looking surprised. He glanced back at the Machoke, who responded with a shrug.

Char nodded respectfully to the Luxray, hoping it had not been offended by Saura's remark, and their groups parted ways soon after.

* * *

**Herring Forest**

Before he knew it, Char found himself walking through a lush forest, surrounded by bushy shrubs and looming trees of all shapes and sizes. Tiny, annoying bugs buzzed around his head; he struggled to swat them away and still keep a hold of his bag. A calm stream ran nearby, reflecting the dim red light of the early sun…

_Wait, what?_ Char realized. _How… did I get here?_

Char was looking forward to seeing the north-eastern entrance to the base, having heard that it was "even more cleverly hidden" than the previous one, but he found that he had blacked out. Char wondered if he was more tired than he realized.

"Did you catch that?" Scythe said. "We're out of the base. The north-eastern entrance isn't all that hidden, actually. It's only a cave hidden behind a waterfall. Thing is, nobody knows where it is, because whenever you leave, Gengar and some psychic Pokémon cast a spell on you that removes your short-term memory after about twenty minutes. You'll never remember where the entrance is."

"But you can still get us back, right?" Saura asked.

"Of course," Scythe said. "Though we don't remember the location of the entrance, there are a few designated return points in the general vicinity. If we arrive at one, Gengar will escort us back into the base, before removing our memories again, of course."

"Uh… where exactly are we going today, anyway?" Saura wondered. "What's our mission?"

"Today, we're headed to a place known as Jaded Woods," Scythe explained. "It's a mystery dungeon."

"An outdoors mystery dungeon?" Char wondered.

"Yes," Scythe said. "The spell that causes dungeons can occur anywhere, whether it'd be caves, forests, plains… anywhere. No location is safe from the curse. The best we can do is track them, keep a record of known dungeons, and prepare ourselves well for when we must enter them."

"So what's the mission?" Saura asked again. "I hope it's not too hard."

"Oh, I chose an easy one for your first day," Scythe said. "Hiding somewhere near this dungeon is a handful of thieves who are responsible for many stolen item reports in this past week. We have to track them down and bag them."

"_WHAT?!_" Saura nearly shrieked. "That doesn't sound easy at all!"

"Trust me," Scythe said with a smile. "You'll do fine. We can sneak up on them by navigating the dungeon. That's _one_ good thing about mystery dungeons, at least: they provide shelter and stealth, especially from the prying eyes of the Master. Inside of a dungeon you can't be found or detected by your enemies until you exit. Once we're through, all we have to do is disable them and retrieve any stolen items we can. Otherwise, they'll just end up in the hands of the Master."

Char gulped. He didn't think that sounded too easy, either. He still wasn't very excited about having to fight something stronger than himself.

"Well, if you say so," Saura said, still looking unnerved. "As long as you back us up, I guess we'll be fine."

"Of course. I'm not going anywhere," Scythe said reassuringly. "But I'd like for you to learn some things today about navigation, so try to do what you can. But for now, relax and enjoy the scenery. Jaded Woods is still about an hour's hike from here."

Somewhere in the trees, a Spearow began its morning song.

* * *

**Jaded Path**

Once the forest was far behind, Char and his new companions traveled a beaten path which stretched through some untamed grasslands. No other Pokémon traveled the path but them, save for the occasional Rattata that dashed across the road.

Above all, Char was worried about Saura. His attitude still hadn't recovered from the last time "Team Peanuts" was mentioned.

_What can I do to help?_ Char asked himself. _Should I talk to him? Unfortunately, I can't talk about anything that he'd really care about, like when I saw Dialga. Not with Scythe around… even if Scythe does know I'm a human. Now, what kind of talk does that leave?_

Glancing up ahead, Char saw the road lurch into a vaguely bridge-like formation; there was a muddy lump of road which just barely rose above a large pool of standing water. Noticing the water, Char was struck with something to say.

"Hey, Saura, I have a question," Char said. "This flame on my tail… if it goes out, do I die?"

Char was relieved to see Saura lighten up a little bit. "Oh, no," Saura said, shaking his head. "That's a myth. Actually, it's the other way around: if you die, the flame will go out. You can't do anything to put out the flame on your own."

"Odd," Scythe said with a smirk. "You don't know about your own biology, Charmander?"

"I guess I forgot some things when I lost my memory," Char said in defense, careful not to betray himself.

Scythe shrugged, apparently accepting the answer. Char eyed him even more suspiciously now; it was more evidence that maybe he knew his secret after all.

As they were crossing the pond, Char turned his attention to the stagnant, murky water which stood below them.

_So, if I put my tail into the water, it won't go out?_ Char wondered. _That might be interesting to see. Let's try it._

"**_Yeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaahh!"_**

Startled, Scythe and Saura both spun around to find Char sitting at the side of the bridge, his eyes full of tears. He squeezed and wrung his flickering tail with both of his claws, the bag carelessly tossed to the side. He grunted heavily, trying to swallow the pain.

"Oh, that's just _beautiful_," Scythe muttered.

"Whaa! Char, what'd you _do?!_" Saura cried, rushing to his side. "You didn't dip your tail in the water, did you? That must _hurt_!"

"It _stings!_" Char sobbed, grabbing hold of Saura's body for consolation. "You didn't say it would hurt!"

"Char, there's a _reason_ Charmander try to keep their tails dry," Saura cried. "Try not to do that again, will you?"

"I don't think you have to ask him," Scythe said. "I think he's learned that on his own. Char… hold your breath. It will ease the pain."

Char did so, willing to do _anything_ to make the pain subside. He held his breath tightly, squeezing Saura hard. He felt himself holding back the fire in his belly, letting it boil. The heat filled his body, giving him a small bit of comfort. His tail flame struggled and tried to restore itself to its former size.

"Ugh," Char groaned, releasing the breath and trying to return to his feet. "T-thanks."

"You're welcome," Scythe said. "I was once partners with a Charizard who taught me some things. Now… can you walk? Let's try to keep going. The rest of the pain will only go away with time."

Char found that he could walk, but only if he used Saura for support. Scythe gathered up the fallen bag and used the back of his blade to sling it onto his shoulder.

"I'll carry this for a while," Scythe said. "You can take it easy. Next time, try asking a few more questions before doing something that violates common sense."

Char only nodded, his face locked in a woeful cringe that wouldn't go away.

… … …

Char's breathing remained heavy until the last of the sting in his tail faded away and his flame had regained its usual flare. He was sure to take his newfound fear of water to heart; the memory of that particular, harsh surge of _stinging _was slow to leave his mind. He still felt scarred from the experience.

On the final leg of the journey, Char warily followed his teammates into a strange new place. It was a forest, but there was something sinister about it; it became strangely gloomy the farther they went in. Tree limbs sagged low, bringing many branches covered with curling leaves down to Char's eye level. The leaves were strange; they were covered in brown spots, and looked almost like they were halfway ‑ dead even on the tree branch. Tree trunks, although standing, were covered in rot. Char started to feel a little fearful.

"We're almost there," Scythe announced. "See, the curse of the mystery dungeon affects nature itself. This forest is caught in a state between dead and alive."

"This is so strange," Saura said, cringing as he glanced at the surroundings. "These trees are… decomposing. They look like they're about to fall on us at any time. _Euugh_."

"Keep your eyes on your path," Scythe warned. "These trees will stand. The wild Pokémon are more important to look out for."

"What kind of wild Pokémon?" Char asked, gripping the bag which Scythe had given back to him.

"Many plant-type Pokémon defend their territory in this place, as well as a few ghost-type Pokémon," Scythe said.

_I hope they're weak,_ Char thought with a cringe. _Even those ghost Pokémon back at the base were powerful. I wouldn't want to fight a strong one…_

"The plant Pokémon should be no problem for you two," Scythe said. "The ghosts… might pose a problem. But that's why I'm here."

Soon, a dark, brooding feeling emanated from the forest beyond. The tree branches hung around awkwardly, almost completely lifeless now, and a dark haze settled over the canopy which filtered out a lot of the sunlight.

"We're here," Scythe said. "Take just a few more steps forward, and we will be ensnared in the dungeon. Are you ready?"

"We're ready," Saura said confidently, nodding with Char. "Let's do this."


	9. Chapter 8: Jaded Woods

**Chapter 8**

**Jaded Woods S1**

The sunlight was tinted green as it fell through the treetops of the Jaded Woods, adding to the eerie scene of a forest in the very midst of decomposition. The air was thick and heavy with powerful smells. The sound of chirping birds was scarce, but animal roars periodically sounded in the distance. The small team had entered the mystery dungeon now, and there was no going back.

With a friend at one side and a powerful warrior at his other, Char knew he didn't have too much to fear… except for the looming thought that someday, perhaps someday _soon_, he and Saura would be doing quests like these all on their own with no guardian to guide them.

"Now, focus," Scythe said in a serious tone. "We must find our path to the next section of this forest. It's a mystery dungeon, so although I have been through this forest several times before, I cannot tell you which way to go. All we can do is search. If we go the wrong direction, we'll find ourselves walking in circles and be trapped in this place."

"So if we find ourselves back where we started, we have to take another route," Saura said. "I got it."

"Good," Scythe said, gesturing for them to lead the way. "Now, let's see what you know about navigation."

Char lead the group forward, taking each step with care and constantly analyzing his perspective of the environment. He started to notice many individual features of the forest that seemed unusual, almost alien to him. In places, colorless sticks covered in thorns shot up from the forest floor, and in others, gray rocks covered with rusty-red moss sat embedded in the ground, threatening to trip him up. Some trees were wrapped in soggy brown vines, sprouting bright green flowers which almost looked like eyes.

"See those flowers?" Scythe said, pointing to the green blossoms. "Poison. Stay away from them. Just one touch and you'll break out in enormous hives. Well, except for Saura. He has poison in his blood; he could wallow around in them and he wouldn't be affected. You and I, on the other hand, we're powerless to stop it from infecting us."

Heeding his advice, Char steered clear of the tree. Looking around, he noticed that this same vine lived on many trees and even on the forest floor in some places, forming entire patches of flowers. Choosing the path that avoided the green flowers, Char continued on.

The deeper Char pressed into the forest, the stranger things became. There were plants which sprouted roots into the air instead of the ground, huge seeds the size of rocks with bites taken out of them, and trees which sprouted colorful fruits, half of which were covered in mold. As he was gazing upon this wonder, he stepped on a rotten piece of fruit which had fallen from the tree. With a _squish_, his foot became soaked in grime. He groaned, raising his foot from the sticky puddle.

"Another thing," Scythe said. "Traversing a dungeon such as this will leave you hungry far faster than normal."

"We know," Saura said. "Char and I know that all too well already."

"Then you understand how to search for food?" Scythe asked. "We've packed some food in the bag already, but food is common in some dungeons, and we must always take precautions. While you sometimes might underestimate the size of a dungeon, if you've been gathering food along the way, it won't be an issue."

"Right," Saura said. "So…"

"He's talking about this tree," Char sighed, rubbing his foot in the leaves to clean it. "This fruit looks edible. Saura, help me look around on the ground for one that isn't rotten."

Char looked, but he couldn't find anything viable to eat. It seemed that the proper color of this fruit was pink, and the under-ripe ones which had fallen from the branches prematurely were green, and the rotten ones were every other color in between (not to mention swarming with flies).

"Find anything?" Char asked as he searched around on the opposite side of the tree.

"Uh… not yet," Saura responded. "Everything's rotting. Maybe if we could climb the tree, we could—"

_Crash!_

A reasonably-sized branch, dotted with ripe fruits, crashed to the ground between them. The base of the branch had been cut cleanly and perfectly round. Not a second later, Scythe landed back on his feet and folded his wings.

"Saves us some trouble," he said. "Go ahead, grab some fruit. Take a few; we didn't bring any of these ourselves. We might need them later."

Char did as he was told and began to inspect the fruit on the branch.

"Careful, a lot of these still look grimy," Saura warned. "They'd probably make you so sick if you tried to eat them."

"You're right," Scythe said, "but that probably wouldn't stop you from eating a rotten one if you were starving to death. Shander and I were once in a position like that. It wasn't pretty, but it saved our lives. Now, Shander always insists on gathering some bad food even if we have plenty of good food. We've never had to resort to those kinds of desperate measures again, but we usually just throw them at the wild Pokémon. For amusement."

* * *

**Jaded Woods S2**

The morning sun shined brightly among a cloudy sky as Char traveled deeply into the forest.

Scythe continued to follow along quietly behind the team wherever they would choose to go. Char started getting a little unnerved by the feeling of Scythe's gaze burning into the back of his head; the warrior never ceased to watch him, examine his every movement, and wait for the right moments to give his advice.

_I know he's only here to keep an eye on us,_ Char thought. _But this feeling that he's always watching me and judging me is a little uncomfortable. Especially if he knows I'm a human… But if he knows I'm a human, why doesn't he just say so? Why are we playing this little game? Then again, if I know he knows, why don't _I_ just tell him myself? Ugh… I don't know. I just get the funny feeling that I shouldn't…_

"Hey, wait," Saura suddenly said, stopping in his tracks.

"Something wrong?" Char asked, stopping with him.

"I can't tell," Saura said, glancing around. "I don't know, but I just got this weird feeling"

"Your instincts serve you well," Scythe hummed. "Now, focus. See if you can understand what your intuition is trying to say. Maybe you noticed a subtle change in the environment?"

Char inspected his environment closely. The trees seemed no different. The shrubs sprouting from the ground were in the same shapes and proportions as before. But the ground itself was tilted. Looking down the slope, he could see a tiny water-filled gorge flowing a fair distance away. Struggle though he may, he couldn't see what Scythe had so cleverly noticed…

"The leaves," Saura eventually noticed. "There aren't any leaves on the forest floor. They've all been… cleaned. Just like… oh, no."

"What? What is it?!" Char begged.

Wide-eyed and taking careful steps, Saura descended the hill. He kept himself aligned with trees, as if to hide from something.

"What?" Char begged again. "Please tell me! It's a wild Pokémon, isn't it?"

Still wordless, Saura crept through the trees, keeping himself low and hiding in the bushes wherever possible. Char followed.

"There," Saura said quietly. "Look."

Glancing around a tree, Char saw it: in the side of the shallow hill, there was a hole in the earth. A trench had been dug around it to shelter it from sight. Some of the water from the stream gently flowed up through the impression, pooling into a calm little puddle near the hole.

Standing at the side of the stream, taking a drink, was a Bulbasaur.

"See," Scythe whispered, "the feeling he had must have been familiarity. This is a Bulbasaur den."

"Huh," Saura said. "It's so weird to see another Bulbasaur here. Do you think we'll have to fight it?"

"Probably, unless we avoid it," Scythe said. "Not that I don't think you two could be able to beat it. It'd probably be a good exercise."

"Uh, I don't know…" Saura said hesitantly. "I don't know if I'd be able to fight another one of my own kind. It'd feel so…"

"_Uh?!" _the wild Bulbasaur shouted.

Startled, Char turned to look. The Bulbasaur had noticed them.

"Well, looks like you've got no choice now," Scythe sighed. "Better go get the first strike while you can."

Char gulped. He tried to heed Scythe's advice, but his body didn't want to move.

"_Grrrrrrrrrr…."_ The Bulbasaur growled, turning to them and taking a hostile pose. Slowly, it started to walk toward them…

To Char's surprise, Saura lunged first. He jumped from the shrubs, lashing out with his vines and brutally whipping the enemy. The Bulbasaur took the brunt of the attack and was knocked aside. It quickly rolled back to its feet, but Saura jumped on it, sending both of them tumbling dangerously close to the running stream.

"_Raaaaa!"_ The wild Bulbasaur yelled in frustration, throwing off Saura.

Saura quickly got back to his feet. He jumped forward, producing a flurry of tiny leaves from his seed which soon engulfed the enemy and knocked it backward into the puddle. After thrashing in the shallow water for a few moments, the Bulbasaur leaped up and landed on the shore. It now had many small cuts across its body, but it gritted its teeth and continued to stand its ground.

With an angry cry, the Bulbasaur produced vines of its own and slapped back at Saura with them. Before Saura could react, it had wrapped the vines around his body.

"Augh!" Saura cried as the Bulbasaur lifted it into the air.

The Bulbasaur slammed Saura against a nearby tree. Then, it somehow fired a series of small projectiles, too fast to be seen with the eye, at its captive target.

"Ow! Ow _ow_!" Saura yelped as the bullets punctured his skin. "W… what was that?! What did it just do to me?"

Saura struggled to free himself, but the Bulbasaur held on and slammed him back down to the ground.

Furious, Saura sprouted his vines and reached for the enemy. His attack connected, and soon, both Bulbasaur were held in an awkward stalemate as they each constricted the other.

"Char, you _could_ help, you know!" Saura yelled, locked in the tug-of-war.

Char hesitated, his stomach tied in a knot from watching the confrontation.

"Go," Scythe commanded. "Don't just stand and watch. Help him. Your fire could end this match in a heartbeat."

_My fire!_ Char remembered. _I keep forgetting… it's such a weird ability, being able to breathe fire. Now… how do I summon it?_

He remembered how it felt when he used it on the Spearow a few days earlier, and again when he almost attacked Eva, and especially when he first tried to escape from Scythe. He remembered the fire burning in his belly, fueled by his anger, begging to be discharged from his mouth.

Char jumped out of the shrubs to confront the enemy Bulbasaur. It winced, seeing that it now had two opponents, but kept its hold on Saura. Char took a deep breath and reached for the fire inside of him…

…But, for some reason, he couldn't find it.

He stood before the enemy Bulbasaur for several moments, searching for his fire. He tried to imagine the flame in his belly flaring up, ready to be breathed out… but again, it didn't happen.

"Char, what's wrong?!" Saura demanded as he struggled. "Attack, already!"

"I… don't know how!" Char cried. "My fire… it isn't there! I can't use it!"

Char was confused. Was it an instinctual response, perhaps only activated by extreme peril? Was it linked to other feelings that he couldn't yet identify?

"Char, _do something!_" Saura cried as the enemy Bulbasaur found a wave of strength and squeezed him tightly.

Char charged at the Bulbasaur. He tackled it, swiping with his claws and leaving gashes in the enemy's side. The enemy twitched violently and threw Char off, but its own hold on Saura didn't waver. It glared angrily at Char, as if ready to lash out at him with its teeth.

Suddenly, Char had an idea.

"Yaaaa_aaaaah!_" Char bellowed, rushing at the Bulbasaur again. He leaped and spun in the air, swatting the Bulbasaur's face with the flat of his tail.

The Bulbasaur caught on fire.

_"Aaaaggg! Aaaaag!"_ yelped the Bulbasaur, suddenly feeling the excruciating burn on its shoulder. It released its hold on Saura and tried to bat Char away with its vines, but Saura acted quickly and lifted the creature off the ground. He sent it flying into the river, and it hit the muddy water with a _squish._ A little cloud of steam rose into the air as the fire went out.

When it re-oriented itself, it seemed content to sit, humiliated, at the edge of the water. It made no move to continue battling.

"Ah, ha," Scythe laughed warmly. "I think it's had enough. You did well."

"That wasn't too hard," Saura said, panting. "It's still weird to be fighting a brother, though."

"Well, you can't take anything for granted in a place like this," Scythe said. "If you meet an enemy, regardless of what kind of Pokémon it is, you must defeat it in battle or run away from it. They will all see you as a hostile and try to fight back. But, as you travel and become more experienced, you will learn to spot the signs of the different Pokémon habitats and avoid them if you want to conserve your strengths."

Warily, Saura stepped up to the tired little Bulbasaur. Now that it wasn't moving around, he saw that it was smaller than himself. He watched it as it gave itself a bath in the water, nursing its wounds and grumbling to itself.

"Hey, bro…" Saura said. "You take care of yourself, okay?"

"_Grrrrrrr…"_ it responded with a scowl.

"Saura, let's keep going," Char suggested. "If we stay too long, it might attack again."

Somewhat reluctantly, Saura turned from the creature and returned to his team. Together, they progressed farther into the forest.

* * *

**Jaded Woods S4**

Getting to the next part of the forest wasn't as easy as it had been so far. Char and Saura had gotten into a scuffle with a Rattata, knocked out a feral Shroomish, recovered from a surprising ambush by a Seedot, and spent an hour wandering around in circles before Scythe finally pointed out the right way. With a bit of humiliation, Char and Saura marched onward into the fourth sector of the mysterious dungeon.

"Hey, Scythe," Saura said, trying to lighten the mood as they walked down a steep hill. "I've always wondered something. How do these Pokémon survive in mystery dungeons? I mean, they look like they're just living in their own natural habitat, but… how can that be, if their environment is always changing?"

"Nobody knows," Scythe answered. "Nobody knows."

"Really?" Saura said. "Not even a guess?"

"Our best guess is that the wild Pokémon who live in the cursed dungeons… have become _part_ of the anomaly itself," Scythe speculated. "As far as we can tell, none of the wild Pokémon understand that their environment is unusual. We've inducted many wild Pokémon we've found in dungeons into society… and none of them could shed any light on the matter, either."

"Huh," Saura said. "That's… weird."

"Hence, _mystery_ dungeons," Scythe said. "We might learn about the rules and patterns which govern them, but in the end, they just don't seem to make sense, no matter how you look at it."

When they reached the bottom of the hill, the forest opened up into a tiny, somewhat shaded clearing. Taking a careful step around a poisonous flower vine, Char entered the area. A single ray of tinted sunlight pierced the canopy, and a rather large, white, table-like rock rested on the opposite end of the space.

"Speaking of which, this dungeon is starting to take its toll on my stomach," Scythe announced. "How about you?"

"Well, now that you mentioned it, I think I _am_ getting a little hungry," Saura said.

"Me, too," said Char, putting a hand on his stomach.

"Well, in that case, let's take a little break to eat," Scythe suggested. "That rock looks like a good place to rest. Char?"

Char nodded and hefted the bag high onto his shoulder, heading for the rock.

_Crunch!_

Before Char had time to wonder where the sound came from, the ground below him simply gave away. With a yelp, he tumbled head-over-tail down into a pit of darkness. For a split second, he tried to grab for something—anything—to hold, but all he caught was a piece of the broken debris that used to be part of the ground as it rained down around him.

_Splunk!_

Char landed headfirst in a puddle of something. It didn't smell nice, and it was… extremely sticky. The substance immediately glued his arms and legs together, and he found it rather difficult to move his body. Groaning, he decided to rest for a second before trying to struggle for freedom.

"_Char!" _Saura and Scythe yelled in unison from up above.

"I'm here," Char squeaked, lifting his muzzle out of the goop. "I'm okay, I think. I might need some help getting out of here, though."

Out of the corner of his eye, Char saw Saura and Scythe peer over the edge of the pit.

"_No!"_ Scythe growled. "The bag fell in, too…"

Char craned his neck to the side. Indeed, the fallen bag sat next to him in the ooze. It was wide open, too… a pear, a cloth, and one of the fruits they'd picked from the tree earlier had tumbled out and now sat in the substance, hopelessly covered in it.

Saura's vines encircled him underneath the elbows, and Char felt a pleasant tug on his body as Saura tried to pull him out. Scythe climbed down into the pit, digging his blades into the dirt wall to keep from falling in. He carefully lifted the bag from the sludge, causing another apple to tumble out. He shook his head in shame.

When they'd finally gotten both Char and the bag back to the surface, they stared incredulously down into the pit and at the now-useless items sitting in it.

"What a waste," Scythe sighed.

"What _is_ that?!" Char demanded, limping around and trying to cope with the sticky green blotches covering him.

"A pitfall trap," Scythe explained. "Some of the more intelligent Pokémon set them around to impede intruders. I'm sorry I didn't notice it, I guess I was too focused on my stomach… eh, well, just be thankful it wasn't one with poisonous spikes at the bottom…"

Char blinked. He didn't even _want_ to know those kinds of traps existed.

"Just take a bath in the next stream we find," Scythe instructed to Char. "It takes work, but that stuff will come off eventually. Just… try not to submerge your tail this time."

Despite the disruption, the three sat down at the rock and had their snack. However… there were only three pieces of food left in the bag: one apple, and two of the fruits they had harvested from the tree. Scythe insisted that Char and Saura split the apple, and that he could press on without eating for the time being.

After continuing on for a time, the team got into a fight with a wild Gloom. Saura fought it off, as Char's toes were still sticking to the ground with every step.

About twenty minutes later, a pond of standing water finally presented itself. Char was still more than a little squeamish about getting in the water, though, and Saura practically had to shove him in. It took almost an hour for Char to get all of the gunk off his skin.

* * *

**Jaded Woods S6**

The team had come a long way through the forest and had fought at least a dozen battles with wild Pokémon, but the forest still wasn't short of surprises for them.

As they reached the beginning of their sixth mile, Char's stomach started to growl again. The half of an apple he ate wasn't nearly as much food as he wanted. But he considered, each time his stomach groaned, how much hungrier Scythe must have been…

"How much farther, do you think?" Char asked, resisting the urge to complain about his belly.

"We're far over halfway there," Scythe estimated. "Jaded Woods is only about seven miles wide."

"How do you know we'll get the thieves when we leave the forest?" Saura asked. "Couldn't they be, you know, anywhere at all?"

"Bandits like to build their hideouts near the edges of Mystery Dungeons," Scythe said. "That way, nobody comes after them for fear of getting trapped in the dungeon. Except for us, the exploration teams, of course. I have a good idea of where they probably are, but if not, they shouldn't be too hard to track down. I'll show you how to look for them."

The team ventured through a particularly dark patch of the woods. The trees above shrouded the sky with many layers of canopy, turning the surroundings a deep, dark green. Char even started to see the light from his tail as it flickered across the tree trunks and rocks he walked by.

"Huh," Scythe said all of a sudden. "Wasn't expecting this."

"Uh… what?" Char asked worriedly.

"Look ahead of us," Scythe said, pointing forward. His face contained a satisfied smile.

Char looked. A single, low-hanging branch stood out among the row of trees. It was dotted with large fruit.

"Ah, an apple tree?" Saura said excitedly. "Wow! Let's eat! I can't imagine how famished you must be, Scythe. I know I'm really hungry."

"Wait, wait," Scythe said. "Remember what happened last time we lost sight of our path for food. Mistakes are meaningless unless you learn from them."

Char stepped aside to let Scythe check the area for the dreaded pitfall traps. Once he assured them it was all clear, they proceeded to the much-desired food…

Sorting through branches of the moldy and half-bruised fruit, Char searched for something to satisfy his restless stomach. The apple tree was like the rest of the forest—less than healthy—but there were plenty of bright red apples among the bad. He found a good one and picked it, only to turn it around and find that a large red caterpillar was already feasting on it. He tossed it aside to look for another.

"_Excellent!_" Scythe roared, slashing down a whole branch for himself. "We got lucky this time. Now we can make this last leg of our journey a strong one! Eat your heart out!" He skewered an apple on the end of his blade and devoured it.

"Wow!" Saura said, pulling down an apple for himself. "I guess we got lucky, Char!"

Still searching for an acceptable apple, Char pushed his branch out of the way in favor of another one. But as he reached up, he suddenly noticed something else entirely. A nearby tree, only a small distance behind the apple tree, sprouted large blue fruit. And it was fruit he recognized, too…

_No way!_ Char thought. _Is that an oran berry tree? Aren't those the fruits that heal you? I think there was one in the bag… but we could use more than that, couldn't we?_

"Hey, Saura! Scythe!" Char called, wandering closer to the tree. "Look at this!"

"What?" Saura asked, his mouth full of apple.

"I think it's an oran berry tree!" Char exclaimed. "Should we pick some?"

"Oran berries? Sure!" Scythe said, swallowing a big bite. "We can never have enough of those. Just be careful. Keep an eye out for anything that might be dangerous—_wait_."

Char approached the tree, looking for a berry close enough to pick. The berries sprouted under large, green leaves in huge clusters near the end of branches. There was something else, though: some vines dangled among the branches, some green and others red. He followed them with his eyes… right to a conveniently low-hanging branch.

"Char?" Scythe called, looking up from his food. "Are you sure those are oran berries?"

"I think so," Char said, reaching for a berry from the branch.

"_Char! Wait!_" Scythe called.

Like the speed of light, Scythe opened his wings and launched himself toward Char… But it was too late.

As Char reached for the fruit, his hand brushed up against the red vine. He noticed how the vine twitched oddly around his claw…

"_Schluuuuurk!"_

A feral roar struck fear into Char's heart.

Before he could blink, Char was slammed to the side. He found himself lying on the ground with a throbbing sensation in his head. Scythe stood over him, panting nervously.

"Char, that was close," Scythe said. "Get up!"

"W…" Char started

"_Get up!_" Scythe repeated. "We have another battle on our hands."

_"Schluuurk!"_ The roar sounded again, louder and angrier this time.

Baffled, Char looked back at the tree. Hanging from the branches was a horrible-looking creature, attached by the same red and green vines his claw brushed against. A massive, thorn-covered head hung at the end of the vines, gashing its ridiculously long teeth at the air where Char was.

"Carnivine," Scythe hissed. "Char, you were almost done for! If it captures you in its mouth, _nothing_ can make it let go. They like to live in chesto trees and eat any Pokémon who try to take the fruit."

Twitching wildly, the Carnivine dropped to the ground.

"Watch out for its mouth," Scythe warned, taking a battle stance. "It attacks fast. It'll still try to eat you. _Char!_ Keep your distance! It still wants you!"

"W—what do I do?" Char stuttered.

Char instinctively took a step backward, and Scythe lowered a blade in front of him. "Let me take care of this one," he declared. "Stay away from it!"

Wings buzzing, Scythe dashed forward at the enemy. He moved so fast, Char couldn't even see him for a moment. But the Carnivine jerked out of the way, narrowly dodging the attack. Char recoiled at the sudden movements and took yet another step away.

"Saura! _No!_" Scythe yelled, noticing Saura rushing forward and trying to give assistance. "I'll handle this. Stay away!"

Scythe hovered in the air above the Carnivine for a few moments. With the same blinding speed as before, he dove down and slashed at the creature, narrowly missing as it dodged and leaving a deep gash in the ground. The Carnivine catapulted itself up at him, but Scythe parried the attack with crossed blades and countered by slicing off one of its tentacles.

"Char! _Look out!_" Saura cried.

With its spine-chilling scream, the Carnivine launched itself straight for Char. Char leapt backward in panic as Saura sprouted vines in an attempt to defend him… but Scythe shot by, swiping at the Carnivine again with his blades, and sliced Saura's vines apart.

"Auughh!" Saura cried in surprise, retracting what was left of his vines.

"_Get out of my way!"_ Scythe yelled again.

Re-appearing from his agile movements, Scythe lunged at the enemy and finally connected. A big, horrible gash appeared in the side of the foe's head, and its left leaf hung by a thread. It roared in protest.

Char couldn't take it anymore. It was too much. He panicked and dove for cover behind the nearest tree he could find, leaving Scythe to battle for him. Once he convinced himself he was safe, he peered around the tree to watch the battle take place. Scythe's movements were indescribably swift, but the Carnivine's erratic moments kept it free from damage most of the time. Still, Char was confident that Scythe would prevail. Saura soon joined him in his hiding place, not wanting to further get in the warrior's way as he fought.

"I can't believe you almost got eaten!" he gasped. "This place is really dangerous! I guess we'll have to learn what Carnivine look like—_Oh, __**no!**_"

"What now?" Char asked, turning to him.

"Char, aren't these the _poisonous_ flowers?!"

Char looked down. He immediately recognized the green, eye-like flowers that Scythe pointed out earlier. And not just one, but a whole patch of them. He was _laying _in them, his whole body covered in their leaves and petals, and hadn't even noticed.

After that, Char didn't remember much of what happened… only that he tried to move his body, but failed, and that he tried to scream for help, but no sound came out… His vision swirled as reality seemed to fade away…


	10. Chapter 9: Team X

**Chapter 9**

_Dialga?_

Though the vision was cloudy… Char knew it was the same vision as before.

Surrounded in a white nothingness, the glorious dragon Dialga stood before him, bowing its long, silver-lined head. Still, despite the feeling that Dialga was telling him something of immense importance, Char heard nothing.

_This isn't just some dream,_ Char determined. _It's something from my memory. I remember this happening to me! But… why can't I remember anything else? What is Dialga doing to me? What's he saying? _

But then, in the midst of the whiteness, a new object appeared floating in the air in front of Char. It, too, was gleaming with supernatural light, so much so that Char couldn't tell what it was.

All he could tell was that it was round and about the size of his fist.

His heart began to pump viciously at the memory of this object. It was an object of importance. _Grave_ importance. But… what was it?

_I think… I might know what this is!_ Char exclaimed to himself. _I know what this is! It's… It's… Wait, I remember this! I really do!_

_I know it's something… Something I'm here for? Something I came to get? Something I brought with me, maybe? It's got to be something like that._

Unfortunately, just when it started to feel closer, the memories began to fade away.

_No, wait! Come back!_ Char pleaded. _No! Why, oh, why is it ending now? I was so close to remembering! _

But try as he might, he couldn't stop the white shadow from sinking into the black bowels of his mind's eye. Soon, Dialga's luminous blue form became nothing but an outline, an etching in his head.

_Come… back…_ Char pleaded again, reaching for the memory that he could no longer grasp.

… … …

The sounds of voices swirled around him, reminding him of the reality he was returning to.

He remembered the poisonous flowers which infected him during his mission with Scythe and Saura. He felt himself reflexively swallowing something cold, presumably medicine, that'd been shoved into his mouth…

"See? He's going to be fine," a voice said. "He's already starting to move."

_Is that Scythe? _Char wondered. _Where am I? ... We didn't abort the mission because of me, did we? I hope not!_

Char's eyes blinked open momentarily. Seeing a blur of dark green, he knew he was still in the forest. For a moment, he felt much better knowing that his first mission wasn't a failure because of his stupid mistake. Though, he couldn't help but wonder how long he'd been passed out. Blinking again, an image of Saura's face flashed before him, looking like he was about to force something into his mouth.

"Hey, Char, how're you feeling?" Saura said, giving him a yellow piece of fruit with fuzzy, pink skin. "You were poisoned pretty bad."

"I feel great," Char responded, taking the piece of fruit into his mouth and trying to sit up. "How long was I out?"

"Less than a minute," Scythe said, stepping up and kneeling beside him. "I took care of the Carnivine as fast as I could, then Saura told me what happened."

Feeling good enough to return to his feet, Char noticed that, indeed, they hadn't moved from the place the battle had been fought. He noticed the poor Carnivine, almost completely dismembered, lying next to a tree trunk and ingraining its roots into the soil to re-grow.

"Remember that tree where we got the fruit earlier?" Scythe said. "It's pecha fruit. Eating them can purge most poisons from the body. Very useful. You only needed a few bites, and here you are, good as new. There wasn't any reason to worry. Although, I'd finish the rest of it, just in case."

The fruit left a very sweet taste in his mouth, almost sickeningly sweet, as it went down his throat. Saura handed him the other half of the pecha fruit, looking infinitely relieved that he was better.

Though Char still felt rattled, he was able to follow Scythe and continue the journey, the old warrior taking over the job of leading the team for the time being.

"I guess I've got a long way to go before I become like Team Remorse and never make any mistakes," Char muttered after swallowing a big bite of the fruit.

"You're well on your way," Scythe said with a smile. "After all, the one who makes no mistakes is the one who has already made all the mistakes in the world. You've learned a valuable lesson today about spotting a certain type of enemy, haven't you?"

"Yeah," Char said, "and one about watching where I dive for cover."

"Well done," Scythe said. "Of course, Team Remorse makes mistakes every now and then. There isn't a Pokémon who doesn't. Remember how I didn't spot the pitfall trap earlier? Remember how I slashed Saura's vines apart in the battle? I can get clumsy sometimes. Again, Saura, I'm very sorry about that."

"Don't worry," Saura said. "It didn't hurt, after all. And they're already starting to grow back."

"Really? You didn't feel that?" Char asked, eating another bite of the pecha fruit.

"I only feel the tips of the vines," Saura explained. "And I'm glad for that, too. It wasn't the first time they got cut. Once, I even got them tied in a big knot…"

"But regardless, these mistakes pale in comparison to some," Scythe continued, gaining a strength in his voice. "Mistakes such as… misjudging the strength of the enemy. Incorrectly predicting where the enemy will attack. Forgetting where your alliances truly lie, or trusting those who should not be trusted. Mistakes that cost Pokémon their lives. The mistakes we made today were reparable. Many in life, especially for a resistance team, are not."

* * *

**Empirical Falls**

Elsewhere, in a well-concealed cave next to a riverbed, a Seviper sat curled up in the shadows and waited. He occasionally glanced around at the sizable piles of possessions which surrounded him.

"Where _is_ that idiot?" it hissed, uncoiling itself from restlessness. "I swear, if he doesn't come back in two hours—"

Not a moment too soon, a second Pokémon, a Croagunk, bolted into the cave. It stood for a moment to recollect itself and catch its breath, then brandished two items it was holding: a gold-colored cup, and a smaller, circular piece of jewelry.

"Where _were_ you?!" the Seviper nearly exploded, leaping at him.

"Just getting these," it answered, ignoring the serpent's anger and tossing the items into the corner along with the rest of the junk. "What? You should be proud of me!"

"Croagunk, you don't seem to get the idea. We hunt at night, under the cover of Watchers. We _retreat_ in the sunlight. _Why is that such a hard concept for you to grasp?!_"

"Shut it," croaked the oversized frog as it sat down to lounge on the floor. "Heh heh, look at you. Getting all fussy just because I decided to pull some overtime? You should be thankful. It was _your_ fault we didn't get anything done last night."

"Besides the point!" the viper spat. "Is it worth risking being _spotted_? At this time of day, they could be sending police to come get us at this very _moment_! Or maybe they even reported us to one of those blasted 'resistance forces'! _Then_ what? We'd have to run, we'd lose all our work from the past month, and… what do you think the boss would say? We'd be better off just running away and never coming back."

"Quit worrying so much," the Croagunk sighed, closing its eyes. "There isn't one Pokémon in all of Iron Town with half a brain enough to come after us."

"Would you bet your life on it?!" the viper demanded. "Or do you think this is just some kind of a _game_? Going out in the daytime is _dangerous._ You might as well just tell the boss his face looks funny."

The Seviper slithered over to the corner where the golden cup had landed. He inspected it.

"By the way…" it grumbled. "Being out in the sunlight and all, you _did_ make sure nobody was following you… right?"

… … …

"See?" Scythe said from behind a rock, pointing out the cave entrance to Char and Saura. "Told you they'd be easy to spot."

Saura peered over the rock. "Wow, that _was_ pretty easy," he said, surprised.

"Well, this particular bunch wasn't really trying," Scythe laughed. "Now, let's go and meet them. If they're as bad at battling as they are at stealth, I bet even _you_ two could take them out."

"Uh… I'm not so sure," Saura said with a frown. "That Croagunk looked strong… shouldn't you take them out instead?"

"Yes," Scythe said. "But it doesn't mean you're not going to help. Now, get ready for a lesson, you two… I'm about to teach you one of the oldest tricks in the book."

… … …

"_Hey!"_ a voice yelled from outside the cave.

The Seviper jumped up at the sound, scowling.

"Croagunk!" it hissed. "Did you hear something?"

"Go back to sleep," the Croagunk mumbled. "It's probably just—_errrrk!"_

The Seviper clamped down on the frog's arm with its sharp fangs, causing it to jump wide awake.

"Was that necessary?!" It blasted in rage, rubbing its arm.

Before it could say another word, the voice outside the cave sounded again.

"Hey! You!" it called.

"Impossible!" the Croagunk scoffed. "I checked all around. Unless they came through the Jaded Woods…"

Both waited in silence, cowering around the corner. More calls came, louder each time. The Croagunk clenched its fists, realizing that, yes, there were intruders.

"Someone's here!" the Seviper hissed. "You _did_ let someone follow us, didn't you!? You…"

"Wait, wait," the Croagunk said, holding up its hand to silence the snake. Very carefully, it peeked around the corner to glance outside, only to see a Charmander and a Bulbasaur standing at the cave entrance.

"We know you're in there!" Saura called.

"It's just some kids," the frog scoffed. "Heh heh, boy, did _they_ pick the wrong Pokémon to follow. Relax. They'll be a cinch to deal with."

"Good, because now that they've found us, we don't have a choice," the Seviper hissed in annoyance.

Adopting a cocky and confident stance, the Croagunk marched out of the cave and into the sunlight. Seeing his greater size, Char felt a twinge of fear as the frog stepped up to him. Like Saura, it, too, was a creature of poison. All Char knew was that he didn't want to be poisoned again.

"Well, hi, you kids," it said evilly. "Is there somethin' I can do for you?"

"You're a thief!" Saura said fearlessly, stepping closer to him.

"And you're annoying little kids who sound like you know too much," the Croagunk replied. "Is that all you came to tell me?"

"W-we came to get back what you stole!" Char said awkwardly, trying to join the act alongside Saura. "So… surrender, or we'll fight you!"

"Yeah, you heard him!" Saura shouted. "Give us back your stuff!"

_*Croak!*_

The Croagunk's cheeks inflated, emitting a frightening sound that intimidated Char and made him want to run.

"For your information, we're Team X, and we _never _return what we take!" it said, stepping even closer to Saura and sizing him up.

"Well, we're Team Peanuts, and we never go down without a fight!" Saura returned. "So, what'll it be, huh?"

"Heh. Heh heh. Heh heh heh! *_Croak!* _" The Croagunk laughed. "Is this some kind of joke? You actually want to fight me, don't you? You think you have a chance? Team X is undefeated!"

"You can't beat us," Char said, forcing out all the feeling he could manage. "Your poison is powerless against him, and my fire will burn you to a crisp!"

"So, you've done your homework, eh?" it replied. "Heh. Funny kids. Think you know everything. Well, yeah, sure, if you were lucky, you'd be able to beat me. But I'm not all there is, you see?… _Seviper!_ Come on out, why don't you? There's some kids out here who want to meet you!"

"Oh, _no!"_ Saura cried. "There's… a Seviper, too?"

Char wore his best expression of fear—which was at least partially sincere. He turned to the cave to watch for the Seviper who would inevitably be emerging…

_*SLASH!*_

_*SLASH!*_

In the blink of an eye, both the Croagunk and the Seviper were now somehow sprawled out across the rocks, moaning in agony. Long, red cuts covered their bodies. Scythe stood over the viper, blades raised. All he'd needed was for both enemies to be drawn out of the cave—a task that Char and Saura had performed admirably.

"Takes care of them," Scythe commented, folding his wings and turning his attention to the cave. "Good work, you two. Good distraction. Let this be a lesson: if your enemies don't know how strong you are, there's no limit to what you can do with them. It is one of the most important and basic mechanics of war. Now… let's see what kind of loot these thugs have hidden here."

Even though Char was expecting Scythe's attack, his mouth was still hanging wide open at the display of his speed. Both the enemies, for all their talk, were now on the brink of unconsciousness and looked like they were welcoming it. The Croagunk's own poison oozed out from its sliced sacs, and the Seviper's body was contorted into an indescribably awful shape. Both were still bleeding profusely.

"No, Char, I didn't kill them," Scythe said, anticipating his question and motioning for him to follow him into the cave. "While there are times when you must kill your enemy, this wasn't one of them, and I prefer not to finish my opponents unless it is truly necessary."

"Huh," Char nodded. "So… they'll heal?"

"Char, who cares?" Saura said. "They're thieves. Let's go take their stuff before it's too late."

… … …

The inside of the cave was like a garbage heap, filled with mounds of carelessly tossed-aside valuables mixed with useless scraps and trinkets. Some of it sparkled, some of it leaked, most of it was broken or scratched. Char gazed upon the handiwork of the thieves with wonder, doubtful they'd be able to rescue it all in a single trip.

"Amazing," Saura gasped. "So this is what a thieves' den looks like. I wonder where all of this was stolen from?"

"All across the countryside, probably," Scythe said, sifting through the junk. "These guys have been around. I've met them before, never saw them as any sort of threat. I thought it would make a good practice mission for you two."

"So, what now?" Char asked, gazing into the reflection of something shiny in a nearby heap of possessions. "Do we take it all back?"

"No," Scythe said. "Right now, we're going to load up our bag with the most valuable things we can find here and take them back to the base. After that, we'll report the location of this cave so that all the citizens of Ambera can rebel against the thieves on their own terms. The thieves are probably in league with the Master, but nothing can save them if the local Pokémon find them out. They'll have no choice but to run away."

"And if they run, they'll take their most valuable possessions with them," Saura said with a nod. "That's why we've got to find them now. I get it!"

"You're learning," Scythe said with a smile. "Now, help me search for things worth taking."

Char dove into the nearest pile, tossing aside things that looked unimportant. A golden plate. Was gold valuable to Pokémon like it was to humans? Or was it just another color? He tossed it aside. A small, tarnished knife. Interesting, but his own natural weapons were much better. He tossed it. A small blue orb of some sort. Magical? Perhaps it could be appraised by Kecleon? He let it roll away…

"Hey, this looks interesting," Saura reported. "Char, I can't get it, my vines haven't grown back in yet. Could you help?"

Char and Scythe gathered around Saura to see what he'd found. On the pile in front of him sat a small, glistening crystal. Saura nudged it, and it fell off the pile and rolled across the floor.

"Good find," Scythe said. "That's a 'feral-shard'. It's a very special sort of rock that most Pokémon in Ambera require to evolve. The Master hoards those like there's no tomorrow. They're actually quite rare in this day and age. Put it in the bag."

_A feral-shard? _Char wondered, picking up the stone. _Hmm… So, this could turn me into a Charmeleon once I grow stronger? I thought Pokémon just evolved when they grow strong enough. Why do I need a feral-shard to evolve?_

As he held it and watched it sparkle in his claws, he noticed Saura shirking away from it just a little bit. He still couldn't imagine why Saura was so afraid of evolving, but felt it would be impolite to ask him directly…

Char tossed the sparkling stone into the bag, and the team proceeded to scour the rest of the cave for anything worth taking. They found quite a bit of things, ranging from jewelry to rare stones to some blue orbs. Much to Char's dismay, the bag got quite heavy.

"Good enough," Scythe said, kicking a stray scrap of metal across the floor. "Nice work, you two. I think we've gotten all we can. We've accomplished our mission! It's time to head back."

When they turned to leave, they found the Croagunk and the Seviper standing at the cave entrance, casting silhouettes of their weakened, defeated forms. They were both barely able to stand. Scythe stepped in front of Saura and Char, meeting the thieves' scowls with his own. A chill went up Char's spine as the Croagunk eyed him. Although he did not speak, the Croagunk's message was clear: _this isn't over._

With hatred burning in their eyes, and without saying a word, the thieves turned around and left.

* * *

**Jaded Path**

It was early in the afternoon as the trio hiked back to the base. They had to take the long way around the Jaded Woods and be tremendously careful not to re-enter the mystery dungeon on accident. Char struggled with the bag, but Scythe agreed to take turns carrying it.

"Well, our mission was a success," Scythe proclaimed as they found their way back to the Jaded Path. "And this will be the first of many. Such is the life of a resistance team. Today, we'll return back to the base, record our mission in the registry, then prepare to do it all over again tomorrow."

"What do you think, Saura?" Char asked. "We didn't do half bad today, but is being on a resistance team what you thought it would be? Do you think we'll be able to handle it?"

Saura didn't answer. Instead, he forced a smile.

_Wow, I hope Saura didn't get discouraged over it all,_ Char thought to himself. _Maybe he's starting to realize he doesn't like this job after all? It's an awfully harsh job, and we've really got to sacrifice our freedoms if we're going to do these missions each and every day. Or… or maybe seeing that shard-stone-thing reminded him of what Domo said about evolving. Or maybe…_

_…Maybe it was when he told those thieves who we were._

"Scythe, there's something I've been meaning to ask you," Char said, eyeing Saura just a tiny bit. "Is it possible to change the n—"

"Yes. Yes, it is," Scythe interrupted with his most mischievous grin yet. "I was really starting to wonder how long it would take you to ask that."

Scythe turned his head and grinned at him, casting a gaze that told Char, without a doubt, that he knew what he was talking about.

"What?!" Saura croaked. "What is it?! Whaat? You're keeping some kind of a secret from me!"

"I believe you'll find out shortly," Scythe assured him, still smiling at Char. "But don't look at me. Trust your team leader. That's what he's there for."

Saura turned to Char with a confused, questioning expression. Char only smiled back, but his mind was racing.

_Now that I seem to have more time to think about it, _he wondered, _is there anything better that we could name our team?_


	11. Chapter 10: The Fire Within

**Chapter 10**

It was a long, long way back to the base. Not only did Char, Saura, and Scythe have to walk _all the way around_ the Jaded Woods and back down the entire path, they had to do so with a bag full of valuables. Char tried not to whine about the discomfort, but couldn't always help himself. Whenever he'd complain, Scythe would assure him that he was building his endurance and that it wouldn't always be this hard. Still, it didn't do much to comfort his weary limbs.

As soon as Char regained his awareness from the memory loss spell, he found himself sprawled across the floor in Scythe's room. His feet and his arms both hurt like nothing he'd known before, throbbing constantly as they tried to regain strength.

"Ugh… what a day…" Saura moaned, lying on his side. "That was a lot of walking."

"You're telling me!" Char groaned back. "You didn't even have to carry the bag!"

"Hey, you think this thing on my back is _light_?" Saura griped. "I have trouble traveling long distances anyway because of this seed. I know_ exactly_ how you feel."

A few moments passed in silence as the two tired little Pokémon enjoyed the peace.

"So… what do you think?" Char asked again, hoping Saura would respond this time.

"Score one for Team Peanuts, I guess," Saura said, rolling his eyes. "I'll admit, I was a bit disheartened today because of the accidents. And it was so tiring… But I'm sure we'll get better as we go, just like Scythe said…"

As the two laid in silence, Char's mind floated back to the events of the day. He remembered the sight of that Croagunk as it cast its last threatening gaze…

_It was no match for Scythe, but… Scythe wouldn't always be there to protect_ _us,_ Char thought. _If they come back to exact revenge when Scythe isn't there, will we be strong enough to defeat them? _

Char then thought about something else which wasn't sitting well with him: the vision of Dialga.

He had seen it twice already: first as a memory jogged by laying eyes upon the statue of the dragon in the deserted meeting hall, and then again after passing out from poison. It had indeed been the same vision both times, but the second time had been clearer – clearer enough to see that object, that vitally important object, which hovered before the dragon.

But what _was_ it?

_I just don't remember_, Char cried inwardly. _It's right there in front of me, but I can't… I can't reach out and grab it! If only there were other ways to jog my memory…_

Char tossed and turned on the floor, trying to find a position that wouldn't strain any of his poor muscles. But just when he thought he found a comfortable place, voices arose from outside the closed door.

"Good, and now that you've had the opportunity to lead them through a trial run, they can go out on their own," a voice said.

_Daemon!_ Char realized, recognizing the voice. _He must be talking about us!_

Char heard Scythe respond, but his voice was much lower than the hound's. Char couldn't quite tell what he was saying.

"Scythe… how are they ever to learn?" Daemon grumbled. "You can't _coddle_ them! What good will that do!? They need to learn to depend on themselves!"

Char crawled across the room and listened intently through the door, but still couldn't make out anything Scythe said.

"Then when do you plan to have them ready?!" Daemon spat. "In two days? Three? You said you'd _train_ them, not do all their work for them! Send them out on their own mission and see how they fare. If they're to fail, they need to learn what failure tastes like! They'll grow much stronger that way."

Pressing his ear against the door, Char could finally hear Scythe's voice.

"No," Scythe said. "They won't. At this point, failure could destroy them. I must keep protecting them for the time being. I'll start to let them take control of the missions themselves, but I'll continue to stay with them."

The hound growled in protest.

"Scythe, do what you will," he grumbled, "but remember that we have a reputation to uphold. If we, Team Remorse, are to train this 'Team Peanuts', we must train them by _our_ ways. And so far, I believe that you are giving them the wrong impression of _our_ ways. Only suffering and failure can light the fire within, and make them understand what it means to fight. These children must be taught to feel that fire, or they will be useless to us and to the entire division."

"They'll suffer plenty, with or without my help," Scythe said lowly. "You don't need to worry about that part."

At the sound of shuffling feet from outside, Char quickly leapt away from the door and back to Saura's side.

"Huh?" Saura responded, halfway asleep.

Ignoring him, Char waited for the door to open and someone to barge in. After a few more minutes of Scythe and Daemon discussing some ongoing conflict at a place called Basin Canyon, the Scyther barged in.

"What? Asleep already?" he called loudly, entering his room and dropping a bag onto the floor. "What's the deal, sleeping in the middle of the day? We aren't nocturnal, you know…"

"Day?" Saura wearily replied.

"You thought it was night already?" Scythe laughed, stepping up to them and shoving them both with the blunt ends of his blades. "It's only the middle of the afternoon. There's still plenty of daylight left to get things done. Anyway, just now, I recorded the day's mission, and I put all the valuables into storage so they can be examined later. Next time, I'll have to show you how that's done. But for today… I'll let you go free."

"Free to do what?" Char wondered.

"Do whatever you feel you need to do," Scythe said. "Remember, I'm just your guide. You're your own team. You should take this time to go about the base and find things to do that will benefit your team. I wouldn't recommend leaving the base, but you're free to go wherever you want."

Scythe almost shoved the lazy Saura a second time, but he jumped up to his feet and leapt out of the way.

"Okay, we'll go already," Saura said, shaking his head. "Hmm, Char… I don't know.I feel like getting something to drink. I'm famished after that walk."

"Great! Go on down to the mess hall, then," Scythe said. "Just be back before nightfall. When you get back, I'll show you how to prepare for tomorrow's mission. _Then_, we can all get some sleep."

"Fine with me," Char said, following Saura to the door.

"Oh, and one more thing," Scythe said just as they were about to leave, complete with his devious smile. "Two more stanzas."

Char and Saura groaned in unison.

… … …

"So, where should we go?" Char asked as they walked through the now-crowded upper level of the base. "We can go have lunch, but what about after that? Where can we go to… 'benefit our team'?"

"I thought Team Remorse got their food delivered," Saura grumbled. "But anyway, Scythe obviously wants us to memorize more of that dumb poem."

"I know, but what else?" Char said. "He said it as if… eh, how about we just think about it while we eat?"

"Sounds good to me," Saura shrugged. "Now, which way was the mess hall again…?"

… … …

Down in the cafeteria, the lines were quite longer than they were the previous day. The training teams, which all finished their shorter and significantly easier missions, were all filing past the counters and making it hard to move around. Char stood in line, wondering if it was ever going to move faster. Saura couldn't do much to help him carry food, but he stood in line to keep him company.

"Hey! Careful where you swing that thing!" a voice yelped from behind Char.

Char turned to find a Treecko, and a female one at that, cowering against the wall in overly-exaggerated fear of his burning tail.

"Uh… sorry?" Char said meekly, gathering his tail in his hands.

"_Thank_ you," she sighed, regaining its composure. "Some of us burn easily, you know. But hey… wow. You're an actual Charmander! I've never actually seen one of your kind, only in pictures. You must be those kids training with Team Remorse."

"Yeah!" Saura said, grinning. "That's us! We're Team Peanuts! Nice to meet you!"

"Well hey, I'm Taka," the Treecko said, shaking Char's hand and patting Saura on the nose. "I'm only on a training team right now, Team Stripes. They work us really hard, but I can't imagine how much harder Team Remorse is working you two!"

"Uh… yeah," Char said.

"You're so lucky. You must be getting the best training of any newbies ever to set foot in this base. How's Scythe treating you?"

"He's… pretty nice, actually," Char said, taking a step forward with the rest of the line.

"He's an undisputed genius," Taka continued. "I read about some of the things Team Remorse has done, and wow, talk about achieving the impossible! I'd give anything to be in your place."

Char was about to respond, but a new voice called from nearby. A Raichu pushed his way through the crowd.

"Hey, Taka, there you are!" it said. "Sorry, I had to spend an hour unpacking. Mind if I…?"

"Yeah, go ahead…" Taka said, rolling her eyes and letting him in line.

"Hey, aren't you Ray?" Saura asked the Raichu. "Didn't we meet this morning on the elevator?"

"Oh, hey, it _is_ you!" Raichu laughed. "Team Peanuts! Nice to meet you again! Want to chat over some food?"

… … …

Ten minutes later, the group finally got their food and sat down together. Char determined the food to be sweet potatoes—or something similar—and dug in. Saura downed a whole bowl of water in what seemed like a heartbeat. The other two Pokémon ate their food much more slowly, chatting at every opportunity between bites.

"So, how did it go?" Ray asked eagerly. "How was Team Peanuts' first mission? Come back with a lot of good stuff? Did Scythe teach you any of his secrets yet?"

"It went fine, I think," Char said, awkwardly playing with his empty plate. "We made some mistakes along the way, but we made it. We uncovered a thieves' den and came back with their stuff. I think the police is gonna try to give most of it back to their rightful owners, so we don't get to keep it, but yeah… it was a good trip."

"Wow, incredible!" Ray cheered after taking another bite. "Nobody's first mission is ever a success! I guess that's what you get for training with Team Remorse, huh?"

"So, what about you?" Saura asked. "How'd your day go?"

"Oh, we failed our mission," Ray said.

"Oh…" Saura said, tilting his head. "It… wasn't too bad, was it? You didn't get in trouble?"

"Nah," Taka said. "It wasn't an important mission. Team Bladewing dropped something in Blackriver City on the way to their destination yesterday. It was a gold band that they were going to sell. We were assigned to go find it."

"We couldn't do it, though," Ray said. "Blackriver City is a brutal place. We got attacked by ghosts, and they forced us to bail out…"

"Nobody expects a training team to accomplish their missions," Taka explained. "That's why they give us pointless missions, so it won't hurt anyone if we screw it up. But when we learn to start accomplishing the missions, we can get accepted into a real team. That's how things work around here."

"For me, it's always been my dream to join Team Remorse," Ray said with a smile. "My older brother was on that team for years before he retired, and I want to take his place. It'd be an honor to serve under the legendary Scythe!"

"Ray's got a long ways to go, though," Taka groaned. "But he's sure got the enthusiasm for it. Me, I don't care where I go, just as long as I'm good enough to do my job, you know?"

Char and Saura glanced at each other, sharing an expression of awkwardness.

"So… uh… how far are you at memorizing that poem?" Char asked nonchalantly.

"Oh, I finished it," Ray said. "I had it down since the second day I was here. You kinda have to, you know? Otherwise they won't let you back into the base! Why, did you not get a chance to memorize it yet?"

"Uh… yeah, we uh, we're finishing it today!" Char rambled, getting a sudden and surprise glance from Saura. "We've just been busy these first few days."

"Uh… okay," the Raichu said with a wink. "If you say so."

Very suddenly, Char felt extremely uncomfortable. The blaring noise from the active cafeteria, the constant sounds of plates scraping against tables, and especially the non-stop sounds of the Raichu's voice, all suddenly culminated into a mass of… unbearable irritation. He felt his stomach sink, like the fire within him had receded by half. Suddenly, he wanted to be alone, away from all the crowds and banter. He wanted to be somewhere quiet.

"Saura, let's go," Char said suddenly, climbing to his feet. "There's somewhere I want to go."

"Char…? Is everything okay?" Saura asked oddly as he jumped down from the table.

"Ray, Taka, nice to meet you both," Char said in a flat voice. "Saura, let's go."

… … …

Char felt a measure of peace sweep over him as he stepped once again into the huge yet deserted theater. The torches along the walls flared up in sequence as they entered, inviting him in with the warm glow of his element. He sighed. He really, really wanted this solitude all of a sudden, although he couldn't place why.

"Want to talk about something?" Saura asked, coming to Char's side as he took a seat on the top step.

"Not really…" Char said. "I just wanted to come here."

Char fixed his eyes, once again, on the incredibly-detailed statue of Dialga at the front of the room.

"You sure?" Saura said. "You don't feel bad lying about memorizing the poem, do you? Because I'm pretty sure Ray just thought you were joking."

"No, it's not that," Char said, not taking his eyes off Dialga's figure. "I guess… this place just suddenly made me feel uncomfortable. I had to get away. It's… it's about Scythe more than anyone else, I think. Since Scythe's training us, we're suddenly held up as these lucky people—Pokémon, sorry—and everyone's saying that we're training with the best warlord that ever lived or something. But we didn't pass today's test because we were good. We only did it because Scythe was there, and he did everything for us. But now, everyone thinks that we're... prodigies, or something. I don't want that. Especially since we're not even playing by the same rules as the rest of the… entire division."

"Maybe Scythe's just teaching us his own way," Saura offered, shrugging. "Maybe he knows what he's doing."

"Or maybe he's just treating us like this because he knows I'm a human!" Char returned. "Maybe he's just giving us extra protection because he's a Pokémon and I'm a human and he feels he needs to serve me. Just… like you, Saura. It's just… I don't want to be treated special if I don't deserve it. It makes me feel really bad. I don't want other people to have expectations of me that I can't live up to."

"To tell you the truth, I kind of feel the same way," Saura said in a genuine tone. "But I have faith in Scythe. I think he knows what he's doing."

_But I can't help thinking that maybe Daemon was right,_ Char said to himself. _Maybe learning for ourselves would be the better way to grow. But… I guess I have nothing to do but to put my faith in Scythe at the moment…_

Char sat for a moment, enjoying the quietness of the large space lined with fiery torches. It made him feel a little better knowing he was safe and sound inside of this beautiful room. He watched Dialga's stone skin rippling with light from the flames, and he tried to imagine that the great beast stood before him in the same room, ready to tell him that which it had soundlessly spoken in his dreams.

"What do you see?" Saura asked, changing his tone. "Is it bringing back any of your memories?"

Char told Saura about the dream he had during his poison-induced coma as best as he could, describing how he felt that there was something else—something indescribably important—that these dreams were still failing to reveal.

"No wonder," Saura said. "Right before you woke up, you said Dialga's name. I should have known you were having another dream."

"That's the thing, though," Char said. "I don't think they're dreams at all. I think I really am slowly remembering things that happened to me before I transformed… I just wish I could remember more."

The more Char stared at the statue, the more he tried to visualize it acting out its behavior in his memory. But no matter how hard he tried, the memory wouldn't return the same way it had. It seemed like it was teetering on the brink, but never fell into place.

… … …

After spending a good deal of time sitting in the peacefulness of the theater, but failing to induce another memory, Char pulled himself away and decided to head to the little white room where the poem was posted. There, they both rubbed their heads as they glanced upon the two stanzas they should have remembered from yesterday, and the two stanzas after that.

"Do you… remember any of it?" Saura asked.

"Uh… Something about peace that our fathers had before," Char said doubtfully. "Really… I still don't see how I'm supposed to do this if I can't even read…"

After spending a grueling length of time going over what they had forgotten of the first two stanzas, they tried painfully to pave more room for the next.

"Ho, oh, miracle, Lessons learned and lives retold," Saura recited.

"Ho, oh, tales of old, it's how we live by what we know," Char answered.

"Good, good," Saura said. "Now, let's see if we can get the next one without pushing that one out of our heads."

… … …

Eventually, when they learned everything Scythe required of them for the day, they eagerly leapt out of the room and back down the corridors. Since there was still a bit of time left in the day, they discussed other places in the base to visit. Saura suggested stepping into the dojo to see if it was available.

"I'm a bit tired still," Char had replied, "but I don't see why not…"

As Char and Saura entered Domo's Dojo, a Scyther who looked suspiciously like Scythe buzzed around the center of the room, attacking a giant rock which sat in the middle of the main platform. His movements were awkward and clumsy, though, and he didn't move with the same blinding speed which Scythe had used before.

"Oh, you two," the Scyther said to them (with Scythe's very voice), letting himself get distracted from his makeshift opponent. "Right, you remembered me telling you to come in today. Very good. If you're not busy, we can have a lesson."

Before Char could say "yes," Domo lunged at him, causing him to panic and jump backwards. In doing so, though, he tripped and fell, hitting his head against the rock platform.

"Scared you, didn't I?" the false Scythe sneered. "One thing you must learn… I will teach you… is not to panic when faced with an opponent. _Never_ panic. Yes, it is a survival instinct built into your mind, but the instinct is _wrong!_ It can be overcome, so that you will never lose your good reasoning during battle."

"But first, you have to teach us how to fight," Saura interrupted. "Confidence only comes from knowing you have the skill to do something."

"Wrong!" the Scyther yelled. "If you panic, you will never acquire skill in the first place! It all starts with the ability to turn off your lower-level instincts when they are not needed, and see things only from an objective point of view. A vital skill to learn! Now… show me what you know about battle!"

With a shift of his form, the Scyther became a Kabutops. When the transformation was over, it reared back, ready to lash forward with its spiked limbs.

"Get ready for me!" it squealed in its distorted voice. "Now…"

"Wait! Please!" Char pleaded. "I'm… not ready."

"Why?" the Kabutops demanded. "What's the matter?"

"I have a question," Char said weakly. "I was wondering if you could answer it, being the combat trainer and all."

"Oh…" Domo said, dropping his hostile pose. "Well, what do you need?"

"Something's been bothering me," Char told Domo. "Today, when we fought another Pokémon on the mission, I… couldn't use my fire breath. I tried to use it, but it didn't come out. I was wondering if… you know… you knew anything about how it works."

"Well… let's see if I can remember," Domo said, shifting forms once again. In only a few short moments, Domo had shrunk down in size to exactly Char's height. In fact, he had _become_ Char.

_Is that really what I look like?_ Char wondered, staring oddly at the real-life reflection of himself. _I look… weird!_

"Ah, to be a fire-type," Domo spoke with Char's voice, adding to the strange scene. "I've been spending a deal of time in your form, and the fire-nature is starting to return to my memory. Now… you said you lost your inner fire, did you?"

"Yeah," Char answered. "It wouldn't come out."

"Well, let me tell you how it all works," Domo said. "All fire-aligned Pokémon have a flame which constantly burns inside of your body. It is called your _Ember._ Your Ember is your very life force; it's what sustains you and animates you. In essence, you _are_ a living tongue of fire encased in a catalyst of flesh. That fire is your spirit; if it were to ever go out, it would mean that your life is over, regardless of what condition your body is in. Now, while all fire-type Pokémon have this Ember burning inside, it will… _express_ itself in different ways, depending on the species. For some fire-Pokémon, such as Ponyta, Infernape, or indeed, Charmander, the flame remains exposed to the air through a natural ventilation system of sorts - hence, the flame on your tail. For other fire-types, like Vulpix, the flame is harbored within, and will only be expelled when the Pokémon intends to use it, for instance, to defend itself."

_So it is a defensive mechanism after all,_ Char realized. _There must be some way to control it, then…_

"Now, even though your tail flame will burn for as long as you live, you must always keep it protected from things like the cold or the water," Domo continued. "Not only does it hurt _immensely_ for undesirable elements to come in contact with your flame, but you could become seriously injured, indeed, even to the point of death."

_Yeah, I found out the hard way how that works,_ Char thought.

"As a fire Pokémon with an open flame, its appearance can be useful in judging your health," the Ditto explained. "The flame you see on your tail will always be a reflection of the state of your inner Ember. Sometimes the flame will flicker and weaken, letting you know that something is amiss within your body. However, the opposite is also true. Sometimes, when you are healthy and overflowing with vitality, or if your spirit is touched in the right way, your Ember will swell, sometimes to the point of overflowing. In those times, you can use it as a weapon against enemies by expelling it from your throat."

"How do I get it to swell?" Char wondered. "That's the thing. I tried to make it do that, but it didn't work!"

"It's mostly an instinctual response," Domo explained. "It will often be your body's reaction to when you are… worried, desperate, or otherwise offended."

_Offended?_ Char repeated silently.

"That makes sense," Saura chimed in. "Remember? I remember when we were fighting that other Bulbasaur. You didn't really want to join in and fight in the first place."

"I was afraid to," Char said. "I was… shy."

"Right! If you were being cowardly, of course your Ember wouldn't have risen to your aid," Domo explained. "Now, with enough training, you can learn to trigger your Ember whenever you want. It will get easier when you become a Charmeleon and a Charizard, but you can learn it at your age, too. A good way I found to do it is to pretend my pride is being threatened. Think to yourself: _'You can't tell me what to do! I don't deserve this! This shouldn't be happening to me! I deserve more than this!'_ and so on, and so on. And you have to _mean_ it, too. If you do it right, you should feel your fire swelling. Try it."

Char took a deep breath. Focusing on his inner fire, he—

_Whack!_

"Hey! Ow!" Char cried, recovering from the blow to the head which the other Charmander had delivered. "That hurt!"

_Pow!_

Next came a clenched fist to Char's belly, knocking the wind right out of him. He fell back onto the floor but quickly scrambled up. The other Charmander quickly approached him.

"Ugh!" Char grunted.

"Yes, yes, feel that?" Domo replied. "Now you're being offended. Don't forgive me! Demand respect from me! Demand repayment for the harm I have caused! Who is the better Charmander, huh? Me or you? It's your decision!"

Char scowled at his doppelganger. He knew what he had to do, now. He had to _hate_ him. He had to _loathe_ him. He had to feel the same hatred that he once felt for Scythe, and also for Eva, and for the Spearow that attacked Saura. But… could he bring himself to hate his trainer? It didn't seem to be working. He knew he had to think of something before he collected more bumps and bruises...

No, he realized. He could not hate those who were his friends. He could not turn his fire on them. But… there was one thing that he _could_ learn to hate…

_The Master_, Char said to himself. _The Master. I hate… the Master. The same way Saura hates the Master. The same way Scythe hates the Master. The same way all the other Pokémon in this place hate the Master. He who tears families apart… He who kills and steals without remorse… he is the one whom I hate!_

Char felt invigorated; his tail flame had instantaneously grown to twice its normal size. The flames roiled in his belly, ready to be spewed outward at his command.

"Good!" Domo shouted. "I see you've gotten the hang of it. Now, since you understand how it works, it's only a matter of practice. Use your fire to defeat your enemies in battle, and—"

_My fire burns…_ Char said to himself, not listening to Domo. _Wait! That's IT! That's PERFECT! My fire burns… to destroy the Master!_

_*FWOOM!*_

A decently-sized fireball rose from Char's chest, blasting out from his mouth and striking the doppelganger in the middle of his speech. Domo fell onto his back onto the stony floor below.

"Nicely done!" he cried, leaping back to his feet. "See? You experience elation! Your fire rises to your aid! Can you do it again?"

_*FWOOM!*_

Char coughed out another plume of fire, and this time the Ditto leaped out of the way to avoid the attack.

"You learn!" the other Charmander said. "This is the key! This is the first step in learning how to use your fire in battle. You have learned well!"

Char felt the pleasant, searing heat in his chest. He glanced at his tail, watching how the flame doubled in size. He smiled.

_My fire is there,_ he realized. _It has always been there. All I really needed… was a reason to fight._

_And maybe… I don't have to be a coward anymore._

For the first time since his transformation, Char felt the faint twinkle of an emotion he had forgotten how to feel. He felt a flicker of real, true happiness.

"Thanks," Char muttered, bowing to Domo and raising his hands to show that he no longer wanted to battle. "I think I understand. I know how to control the fire."

"Trust me, you have not yet begun to learn!" Domo proclaimed, shifting back into the form of Mew. "You have learned the most basic kind of attack your fire is capable of: a simple discharge of your fire from within to without. This basic attack is known by Pokémon as the "Ember attack". But there remain dozens, perhaps hundreds more ways for you to learn to utilize your fire. But, perhaps, those can be lessons for another day."

"I understand," Char said, bowing again. "Thank you."

"Thank you for the opportunity to train you," Domo replied. "It is an honor. I have forgotten what it was like to be a Charmander, or a Charizard. You have given me the opportunity to remember what a strong, passionate nature they have."

Smiling in glee, Char stepped off of the stone platform and returned to Saura. His tail burned brightly as his thoughts kept running in circles, proclaiming "I have my fire! _I have my fire!_"

"And you, little Bulbasaur!" Domo called out. "Surely, you have not come to me in vain! Come, approach me! It is now your turn."

"Um… okay," Saura said, turning to Domo. "Uh… well, since I'm here, I have a question for you, too. Earlier, I fought a Bulbasaur, but he attacked me in a way I didn't recognize…"

"A new attack?" Domo said, already in Saura's form. "Describe it to me."

… … …

Although Char and Saura both wanted to do something else before retiring to their rooms for the night, they couldn't think of anything to do after the lessons from Domo. All the while, Saura was too busy singing to Char about the new attack the Ditto taught him, called "bullet seeds". Char was just thankful that it distracted Saura enough not to remember his team name, or anything else that might dash his good mood.

Eventually, it came time to return to Team Remorse. Satisfied at their accomplishments of the day, Char and Saura hiked back upstairs and walked down the tunnel which lead to the elite team's rooms…

"Well, I guess that's a wrap for our first day," Saura laughed as they headed back down the tunnel. "Not only did we accomplish our first mission, but we learned some new skills, and we made some new friends! Team Peanuts is on the road to victory!"

_There he goes again,_ Char noticed. _And… what? Don't tell me… he doesn't seem to mind the name anymore…?_

"And tomorrow, we'll wake up and do it all over again," Saura sighed. "This really _is_ kind of exciting, anyway. The more victories we get, the more well-known our team name will be, and the more famous we'll become! The Master's forces will cower before our… um… famousness!"

Char bit his tongue.

"Hey, Char, I've got an idea," Saura said, leaping around. "What if we had some sort of motto? Maybe our motto could be something we say every time we meet the bad guys! Imagine. The bad guys are there, thinking they're getting away with it. Then suddenly, we leap out of _nowhere_, and they know they're in trouble when they hear the words…"

Saura jumped ahead of Char and turned around, facing him like an enemy and smiling evilly.

"…To protect Ambera from devastation! To destroy the Master's domination! To denounce alliance with evil's hand! To resist all those who plague our land! Team _Peanuts_ is here to stand for what's right! We'll never go down without a fight! Ha-HA!"

_Hey, that's not half bad,_ thought Char as Saura leapt again and performed a little pose. Char cracked a smile.

But just as Char's grin covered his face, Saura's suddenly disappeared.

"Oh, Char. It's just no use!" Saura moaned in a sudden bout of anguish, surprising Char and dropping to the floor in hopelessness. "I've tried so hard to get used to our team name. But… I can't! I just can't, Char. I don't care if everyone else likes the name. I _hate_ it! I… I don't want to be a peanut. I don't want to be something weak and silly and stupid! Why'd we have to get stuck with such an awful name? I'm sorry, Char. I shouldn't be acting like this. But every time I hear the name, it just sucks all the energy right out of me…"

Char stepped forward and gave him a big hug.

"I know, I know," Saura sniffed, almost ready to cry. "We knew from the beginning this wouldn't be easy. I shouldn't be whining like this. I really shouldn't."

Char smiled.

"Saura," he said gently. "I was wondering something."

"What is it?" Saura grumbled, casting a questioning glance up at his friend.

"Would you like to change our team's name?"

Saura held his breath. His eyes widened.

"You can _do that?_" Saura cried. "I didn't know that!"

"Neither did I, until I asked Scythe earlier today," Char explained. "He told me that it's easy. You just go down to registration and request a name change for your team. We might even be able to do it before the office closes tonight. You have to write down the new name on paper, though, so you may have to help me with those footprint-things everyone writes with. And you can only get one name change per year, or something…"

"Char, I'd _love_ to…" Saura sighed. "But… do you have anything in mind? Anything better than Team Peanuts, at least?"

"Oh… I might have something in mind," Char replied, staring thoughtfully into the distance.

… … …

Later that night, a Pidgeotto swooped down into the hallway. Casting a glance of acknowledgement toward the Charmander and Bulbasaur who stood nearby, the Pidgeotto set itself down on the hallway floor. It emptied its talons of some rolled-up sheets of paper. Taking one in its beak, it applied it to a nearby bulletin board with a few pecks.

"Interesting news today," the Pidgeotto commented. It quickly gathered up the rest of the papers in its talons, rolling them into neat little scrolls, then took off again.

"Take care," it called as it flew away, leaving a feather or two behind.

Saura approached the large posting on the board, completely covered in blocks and blocks of footprint runes, all of varying sizes.

"Hmm…" Saura said. "It says… Team Absolution finished a week-long campaign in the mountains. And Team Remorse is still fighting at Basin Canyon. Hmm… They said it would be here…"

Saura grinned in eager anticipation, finding the passage of text he had been looking for. Char held his breath, savoring the look on his friend's face.

"Furthermore, Team Peanuts… by the request of the team's leader, is hereby to be known as… _Team Ember…"_

_Wow, we really are in the news,_ Char realized, feeling the fire in his belly tingle with glee. _Everyone in the rest of the Gold Division is going to read this tomorrow morning…_

_"_Despite the overwhelmingly positive feedback from their previous name, the newly-founded team has requested this change for personal reasons," Saura continued. "While it is not nearly as unique as Peanuts, we here at the registry unanimously agree that the new name is…meaningful and well-chosen. Good luck to you, Team Ember, and to all of our newly-joined members!"

Saura glanced back at his friend.

"Well, it's official," he said. "We're Team Ember now…"

"What do you think?" Char asked. "Do you like it? Do you have any regrets? I felt a little guilty for naming the team after fire, you know… But I thought it was just a good name that _meant _something. Something we can both be proud of."

"Char… I… really don't know what to say," Saura gasped, nudging Char's leg as he looked back at the news post. "The name's perfect! Thank you _so much_! I… You have no idea. It really takes a load off my back not having to be ashamed of the name anymore… and not having to pretend to like it!"

At that, the two little Pokémon turned to head for the door of Team Remorse, ready to sleep and begin the day anew with high hearts.


	12. Special Episode: The Resistance Creed

**"The Resistance Creed"**

The poem just never seemed to end.

After more than two hours of trying to cram a few stanzas of the blasted Creed-code into their heads, Char and Saura were already stricken with terrible headaches.

"Ho, oh, miracle? Lessons learned and… lives retold," Saura recited.

"Something, something… It's the way we live by what we know," Char answered.

"Well, apparently _we_ don't know this poem," Saura grumbled, rubbing his forehead against the wall. "I don't know how everyone else gets it. It just… doesn't make any sense."

Saura read the next stanza of the creed. He read slowly, enunciating every word in hopes they would stick in his memory. The words were unpredictable and meaningless. At times it consisted of random words thrown together in a rhyming manner, and at other times it hinted at some vague silhouettes of meaning. To Char, it was the most uninteresting thing he'd ever seen in the entire division base, even worse than the formal papers and rulebooks he had been given to read due to being a team leader.

It was going to take quite a while for him to garner enough interest to actually remember any of it, not to mention the fact that he couldn't actually read the text; they were in that strange Pokémon-footprint language he was not yet literate with.

"You're doing it wrong," a voice suddenly called from the other side of the room.

Char and Saura turned to meet a Zangoose. It was lounging against the far wall, reading the tablets alongside them. Its white fur camouflaged the creature against the marble-colored walls of the room.

"There's a trick to it," the Zangoose mumbled. "It's not just a poem. It's a _song_."

"A song? I don't see how," Saura said, looking over the stone tablets. "There's no rhythm. It's just a big pile of words…"

"There is rhythm," the Zangoose assured. "You just have to find it. Listen."

The Zangoose closed its eyes and, to their surprise, began humming. In spite of its low, raspy voice, the melody it sang was clear. It was a mysterious tune, somehow sad and touching…

Opening its eyes again to read from the tablets, the Zangoose started to sing.

_Freedom, peace, and war,  
Our fathers lived through once before,  
Freedom, peace of mind,  
One dream to live for all mankind._

_Our lives sing the song, destiny goes on,  
Light for the ones astray,_  
_Those who have lost the way.  
Our lives come to be, truth and mystery,  
Fools that we now believe,  
And lies we were meant to see._

_Ho, oh, miracle,_  
_Lessons learned and lives retold,_  
_Ho, oh, tales of old,_  
_It's how we live by what we know._

_The tale never dies, legend, it abides,  
Fears that we come to know,  
Sorrows we ignore._  
_Dispelled, trapped in time, power in its prime,_  
_One who has paid the price,_  
_The final sacrifice._

_Ho, oh, ebb and flow,  
Time will tell if all will hold._  
_Ho, oh, tears of woe,_  
_Our time is here before we know._

_Our foes fill the sky, darker than meets the eye,_  
_Watching until the dawn,_  
_And from the light, withdrawn._  
_They wait for the sign, dawn of the coming time_  
_Power sustains their greed_  
_for only the one they need._

_Ho, oh, miracle  
Stars in darkness shine and glow,  
Ho, oh, golden moon,_  
_light the way through dark and gloom!_

_We stand on the spire, sheltered from the fire._  
_Timing is all we need_  
_for efforts to all succeed._  
_A beast to be slain, fighting to end the reign,_  
_Sorrow for what's been done,_  
_we stand, in the end, as one._

_Lay low, wait and grow,_  
_Seeds of strength to reap and sew._  
_Lay low, keep ahold,_  
_Await the day of fate untold._

_Our call is our key, greatest mystery_  
_Legends we call our friends_  
_and foes to make amends._  
_The waves in the sea, sound and majesty,_  
_Prayers to beckon the lord_  
_through him, all is restored._

_Freedom, each their own,_  
_Perched upon the silver throne._  
_Freedom from the grave,_  
_This is how the Hero lived._

_The last is the first, breaking through the curse_  
_Holes open in the sky,_  
_We watch, and we wonder why._  
_The last turns to dust, words without the trust,_  
_Futile is our attempt_  
_To turn and reverse the past._

_Ho, oh, run away,  
Seek the victory to repay.  
See, now, how we've known  
in the end, we are alone._

Hypnotized by the song, Char was surprised when it ended.

"Does that help?" the Zangoose rasped. "That's how it's supposed to sound. Once I learned that, it helped. I'm learning the song fast now."

"I'm impressed," Saura said with a sincere smile. "Now it's hard to forget that melody. Thank you!"

"Good to hear it," the Zangoose said. "Anyway, I'm Zachel, trainee on Team Carrier. Nice to meet you."

* * *

(The lyrics are sung to "Great Canyon" From _Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red / Blue Rescue Team._)


	13. Chapter 11: A Team Effort

**Chapter 11**

"The first thing you need to do when preparing for the next day is to examine the options which are available to you."

The firelight which illuminated the cave's tunnels had already turned red for the night, but Scythe wasn't yet ready to let Team Ember sleep. As he had promised, Scythe needed to walk the new team through the process of choosing the next day's mission. With the help of Shander to deal with the paperwork, they presented Char and Saura with an array of job requests.

Blinking from the impending sleepiness, Char watched as Shander somehow held the papers between his claws and set them onto the floor. He still couldn't read the text, but tried to follow along as best as he could.

"So… I'm guessing you two always hang out together because Scythe can't do all of this on his own? Without having hands, I mean?" Saura asked curiously.

"About right," Shander responded, sliding his last paper into place. "Scythe has chosen me to be his hands. Although, it's been a little harder of a job ever since I evolved. And I keep telling this overgrown bug that all _he_ needs is to grow up and get some pincers, and he wouldn't need me anymore."

"And I keep telling this overgrown _mouse_ that pincers are pathetic excuses for weapons, and I have no intention of trading my blades for anything," Scythe said with a warm smile.

Char could tell that it was all just an excuse for these two Pokémon to spend time together, as they were obviously great friends. He knew they even shared their secrets with one another, most notably their quiet search for The Call. Char couldn't help but wonder just how Shander, out of all the other Pokémon in their elite resistance team, had won Scythe's favor as a close friend.

"Hey, Char!" Saura called playfully. "I don't have hands, either! Guess what your new job is?"

"Bag-carrier _and_ official team scribe?" Char groaned sarcastically. "Oh, the humility… And I still don't even know how to read!"

"You will have to learn eventually," Shander said. "It's as vital a skill here as being able to talk. But in the meantime, if we pull a few strings, I bet we'd be able to get some of your papers transcribed to Unown-script… since Scythe tells me you know that language."

_Ugh!_ Char grumbled to himself. _Not this again! Did Scythe actually tell Shander that I'm a human? Does his whole team know? I don't want to talk about it right now… _

"So… what _are_ our options?" Char said quickly, trying to change the subject. "Do we get to choose where our destination is? Is that what these papers are about? You have to do this every day, don't you?"

"When you come to be on a… high-priority team such as Team Absolution or Team Remorse, then no, you don't choose missions each and every day," Scythe explained. "Our missions are long-term, sometimes taking months to complete. But our team holds a meeting each and every night, and we discuss the plans for the next day as a whole, how we will progress our efforts, and so on. But overall, we try to keep our jobs limited to only one or two larger campaigns at a time until they are done."

"Like Basin Canyon?" Saura blurted.

"…Yes, like that," Scythe said. "We understand our role to play in this division, so we try to take on the more dangerous and large-scale jobs that other teams will not. So, no, this list is not for us. This is actually a copy of the task list that the training teams receive."

"Wow, these jobs look really boring," Saura said as he skimmed over the paper. "Escort a family of Nidoran through Gulch Valley? Deliver a shipment of fruit to Sitrus City… Wait, why would a resistance team even be in charge of stuff like this?"

"You'd be surprised at the number of things we actually do to usurp the Master's influence," Shander said. "Delivering food lessens a city's dependence on the Master's suppliers, for instance. It's a very low-risk task as long as you evade detection."

"Hmmm," Saura hummed, not looking very impressed.

"Here's something else which may help you decide," Shander said, pulling a very large, rolled-up piece of paper from the burlap sack he'd hefted into the study-room.

Carefully laying the scroll on the bench and unrolling the rust-covered paper under his claws, Shander revealed something incredible: it was a colorful, comprehensive map of the entire Ambera region. Even by the light of the red-tinted flame on the ceiling, the individual cities and counties seemed to leap from the paper in an unbelievably vivid patchwork of color, all meticulously surrounded by all the descriptions and notes of each individual detail of terrain that could come in handy to a traveler. Char couldn't believe his eyes; the Ambera region was _huge!_ It was a continent. The footprint-runes which labeled the map were tiny and mercilessly crammed together in places with many features, yet easy to see. It was quite a work of art. Shander used some clips to pin down the map to the sides of the table so it wouldn't go rolling itself up.

"The Map of Jirachi," Shander announced as he smoothed out the remaining wrinkles on the paper. "It's the most accurate map of Ambera ever to be drawn, and only the resistance forces have copies of it. Study it all you want, use it on missions, but _please_ make sure it doesn't get lost or stolen!"

"Especially this particular copy," Scythe added. "This one even shows the locations of the division bases and the areas they're all responsible for. See this shading? That's where the Gold Division's jurisdiction lies. Past these lines, the Emerald Division is responsible for the area, and the Black Division down there. You can see all the cities inside of our area, and even the known mystery dungeons are marked."

"Hmm… what's this shaded area?" Char asked, pointing out a plot of land toward the center of the map that seemed to lie outside of all three jurisdictions.

"That… is where the Master's castle stands," Scythe told him, a hint of a shudder echoing through his deep voice. "No resistance teams go there, at least those who are not willing to risk _everything_. You'd risk giving away our locations, our plans, our missions… _everything._ In the history of the resistance forces, only four missions have required us to infiltrate the Master's residence. Only the most trustworthy and reliable teams are assigned to those tasks, and even so, it's _never_ a pleasant occurrence."

"Scythe was on one," Shander noted. "It was only eight years ago, too…"

"Don't remind me," Scythe grumbled in annoyance. "I was only on that mission because I knew the territory personally. I barely even helped with the mission otherwise."

_That's right,_ Char realized. _Scythe once fought _for_ the Master, didn't he? I keep forgetting that. Looking at him now, it's so hard to imagine…_

"Anyway, back on track," Scythe said. "When you go over the list of tasks, make note of the areas you'll be required to visit to accomplish those tasks. Ask yourself: how far away is the destination? What roads should I take? What obstacles lie in the way? What mystery dungeons could I sneak through to evade detection from the Master's spies? What kind of Pokémon live in those territories, and how could I best deal with them? Which teammates could most help me with the mission? What tools would I have to lug all the way there in the bag?"

Saura looked over the list again, occasionally glancing at the different locations on the map. Char wanted to provide input, but still couldn't understand any of the symbols on the papers.

"How about this one?" Saura asked, pointing his paw to an area on the map. "It's close, it looks easy…"

"What is it?" Char asked. "What's the mission?"

"Ravine Woodlands. It's a sentry mission. It says… 'Ravine Woodlands is a medium-priority tactical region which must be regularly examined for enemy activity. This mission requires traveling to the aforementioned destination, preferably by way of the neighboring mystery dungeon to avoid detection, and spending no less than four hours policing the destination. If gathered enough reason to believe the destination is infested by or is being used as an enemy thoroughfare, do not engage in battle. Return immediately to the Division Headquarters and report the issue. Risk Level: D'"

"Hmm, that's a possibility…" Scythe hummed. "It's nearby, straightforward…"

"And it's another forest," Saura added. "Plant Pokémon should live there. Char and I should have no problem with those."

"Excellent point," Scythe said. "So, is that your choice?"

"What do you think, Char?" Saura said. "We'd only have to walk around and explore the woods for a few hours. Sound good to you?"

Char briefly considered the offer, and didn't see anything wrong with it—other than the possibility that it might be a little on the boring side. _Or maybe not,_ Char considered. _Fresh air, exercise, more experience against wild Pokémon… and maybe even another dungeon to crawl…_

Char nodded in agreement.

"Great," Scythe said with a nod. "You've made a good choice based on your current abilities. That's the first step. For the next step… follow me."

… … …

Char and Saura followed Shander and Scythe out of the team's quarters and into the base's tunnels, which were barely even active at this time of the night. Before long, they found themselves taking a familiar path.

When Char stepped down from the staircase, he recognized the floor immediately.

"It's Kecleon's shop," Char noticed. "Are we going shopping for items?"

"We could go shopping at this time, yes," Scythe said, "But your Team Ember doesn't have any money yet, does it?"

"Uh… I guess not," Char said. "How do we get money, anyway?"

"There are various ways to get Poké," Shander explained. "The best way is to gather merchandise on your travels and sell them to Kecleon. He buys _everything_, and he can pay a real hefty sum if you give him something he really likes. But the way most of the resistance teams make a profit is by taking jobs that have bounties. The one you chose has a small bounty, if you hadn't noticed. The one you did earlier today with Scythe had a rather large one, though."

"Really?" Saura asked. "Do we get any money for it?"

"Of course you will," Scythe said. "I've even taken the liberty of opening your account down at the treasury. The reward will get deposited into your new account sometime tomorrow morning after the records are examined. But, since you're still training, I'm going to go ahead and take eighty percent of your profit from your mission yesterday. That can be incentive for you to learn how to operate on your own."

"Oh…" Saura said, slightly dashed.

"But," Scythe continued, "since you're going to do even more of your own work tomorrow, I'll drop that to sixty percent for your next reward. And when your training is done and you are operating on your own, you will be allowed to keep all the money you earn – save for the tax which the Division itself takes from you, of course."

"So, you're going with us again?" Char asked, already knowing the answer.

"Of course," Scythe said. "I'm going to come with you on your missions until I'm comfortable that you've learned the basics."

"Don't you think Daemon would disagree with that?" Char asked, curious as to the answer he'd receive.

"Of course he would," Scythe said, not skipping a beat. "Daemon is Daemon."

Scythe kept walking as if nothing had been said, but Shander couldn't hold back a grin at the comment.

"But no, we're not going to Kecleon's tonight," Scythe said as they passed right by the store entrance. "There's no use buying things we already have. We're going to pay a visit to the storage room."

… … …

Char followed Scythe into the storage area lobby. It was completely empty. There was a counter separating the entrance of the room from the back, like most shops would have, but the counter was completely barren, and there was nothing behind it but a bare wall. There was no Pokémon to be seen, and not even a door or window to suggest there was an area in back where Pokémon could have been busy working.

"Um…" Saura said. "Are you sure this is the right place? It doesn't look like anything's here."

"Ha, haha. That's what I said, too, the first time I came," Shander laughed. "You'll see here in a moment."

Char waited for a while, not knowing what to expect. Then, suddenly, a Gengar stepped out from the solid stone wall, startling Char to bits.

"Heya," the Gengar said, jumping up to the top of the counter. "What can I do for 'ya tonight, Scythe? Ah, and Team Ember's here too, huh?"

"This is Morrik," Scythe introduced. "He's in charge of storage. When he carries something, he can take it through the wall with him, and he can keep all your valuables back there in completely isolated cracks in the earth. Somehow, he keeps track of who owns it all."

" 'S not that hard," Morrik scoffed.

"Before you head out on a mission, always make sure you have what you need, and keep the rest in storage," Scythe explained. "If you drop something in a mystery dungeon, you usually can't go back for it. It's lost forever, unless you're willing to scavenge the dungeon again or hire another team to do it for you. So, you should only take with you the things that you need, and give the rest to Morrik."

"I see…" Saura said.

"Now, usually, when you do this, you've got to know already what you're going to ask Morrik for," Scythe told Char and Saura. "To figure that out, you've got to do more research on the destination and the route you'll take to get there. For example, if you're going into a place with poisonous Pokémon, you make sure to take pecha fruit. But today, just this once, I'm going to do it for you. And since you have no supplies of your own yet, I'll lend you some of mine…"

… … …

Ten minutes later, Char awkwardly stumbled out of the storage area holding an absolutely stuffed bag full of supplies.

"That should do it," Scythe said cheerfully. "Congratulations, you two! You're all prepared for your journey tomorrow! All that's left to do now is to get a good night's rest. But I have to warn you, this process won't always be this easy. As you learn how to be a resistance team, it'll get a little more complicated. But we'll show you everything you need to know when the time comes. For example, normally, when you decide on a mission, the first thing you need to do is go down to Registration and tell them so that other teams won't take the same mission. Training teams can usually skip that step, though."

Char was barely even listening. He was too occupied with trying to carry the bulging bag and stay standing at the same time. It was _really_ heavy.

_Thump._ Overcome by the bag's weight, Char tripped over his own feet and landed face-down on the floor. He released a muffled whimper as he tried to get up.

"Careful," Scythe said nonchalantly. "You've got to pace yourself. Lift from the knees! You've got a long way to carry that thing tomorrow!"

As Saura helped Char up, Scythe effortlessly stole the bag and slung it onto his own shoulder.

"I'm joking, of course," Scythe said with his smile. "I'll carry it. I'm just going to be watching you two, anyway."

… … …

Later that night, Char sat awake in Scythe's room. He knew he was supposed to be resting up for the next day's mission, but instead, he stayed awake and stared at his tail flame, the only active light source left in the room. All the other spirit-torches had been somehow disabled. It burned an unusually deep shade of red due to the color-flame spell which affected all of the fire in the complex.

"Ugh… Char, are you alright?" Saura asked groggily, noticing his friend's wide-open eyes. "Having trouble sleeping or something?"

"No…" Char said simply.

"Then why don't you rest?" Saura croaked. "I don't want you collapsing on us tomorrow—"

Suddenly and soundlessly, Char's tail flame flickered. It re-lit itself almost immediately, but now was bright blue! The base-wide spell had been activated, changing the color of every flame to indicate that, for the seven darkest hours of the night, it was not safe to travel outside.

"Whoa…" Saura gasped. "That's… weird."

"Yeah, that is," Char said, running his claws through the blue fire. "I just wanted to stay up and see that happen. I'll go to sleep now…"

"Good night, Char…" Saura sighed, closing his eyes again.

Char imagined the Watchers and recalled everything he'd been told about them. It made a shiver run down his spine knowing that the wicked ghosts were now unleashed across Ambera, doing whatever it was that they did. He knew for certain that he never wanted to see them with his own eyes.

"Well, Dialga, I'm still here," Char whispered to nobody as he situated himself on the floor for sleeping. "Any time you'd like to come and let me know what's going on, I'd appreciate it…"

Thus ended a very, very long day for Team Ember… but it was nothing compared to the next one which loomed on the horizon.

… … …

"_Get up!"_

Char blinked repeatedly. He'd been awake just moments ago, and he was _sure_ that his tail had still been blue. Had Scythe been waiting for the precise moment the fire would change back?

"No sleeping in today!" Scythe called, nudging them both. "Let's be off! The day will not wait for us!"

Char nodded and stretched as he rolled into a sitting position. Through his blurred eyes, he saw that Scythe was already holding their bag of supplies and ready to embark.

_Wow, he just keeps getting more zealous each time I see him,_ Char said as he rubbed his eyes. _Maybe he's not taking it easy on us after all._

Scythe lit the room's torches to make it impossible to fall back asleep, and he had both Char and Saura on their feet within five minutes.

… … …

"Good to see you awake at this hour," a familiar voice said as the group ventured down the team's hallway.

Char cringed. It was Daemon again. He and two other members of Team Remorse, Shander and an Exploud, stood at the side of the hall.

"Good morning, Team Ember," the hound said condescendingly. "Having a little trouble waking up?"

"Good morning, Daemon," Saura said obstinately.

"Scythe, the team has _sorely_ missed you at Basin Canyon lately," Daemon said pointedly, turning a disgusted look at the bag of supplies he carried. "Do you think you'll be returning any time soon?"

"I think the rest of the team knows what they're doing," Scythe said, obviously trying to evade him and get out the door. "I'm confident there won't be any problems until settlement."

"If you keep this up, you won't be _ready_ for settlement," Daemon reminded him. "We _need_ you at the Canyon, not running around with these children! Otherwise, this could all turn into one big mistake. Finish up with them and get back to the task at hand! If it takes too long, dumping them into a training team would be the only acceptable solution."

"Wow, he even insults Pokémon who are standing in the same room," Saura hissed to Char.

"Understood," Scythe said. "But that will not be necessary. You seem to have things well under control at the moment. And, like I said before, I _will_ review your logs, and I _will_ come to the settlement. Now, are we going to waste any more time standing around and talking, or do we have missions to accomplish?"

Daemon bit his tongue and turned toward the door.

"Let's move it," he barked to his teammates. "Nidoroch's team needs to be relieved as soon as possible, and we need four more tunnels cleared out by the end of the day. Oh, and Team Ember?"

"Y-yes?" Char squeaked.

"Have good luck on your mission."

He and the team hustled down the hallway and out of sight.

"Wow, he said something nice…?" Saura said with fake surprise. "Never thought I'd see that happen."

"'Good luck' is his favorite insult," Scythe told him, leading them down the hall. "Daemon constantly likes to remind everyone that winning has nothing to do with luck, and that only the amateur need to rely on it. As he likes to say… 'To the skilled, luck is nothing but a minor convenience.'"

… … …

The group took the western entrance, the same way they'd entered the base on the very first day they arrived. Just like the previous morning, they were joined by other teams on their way out for the day, but many less Pokémon than usual; after all, these were the true early birds, the Pokémon who jumped at the crack of the dawn to begin their missions. Not very many teams were up to the challenge of awaking quite this early. It hadn't even been fifteen minutes since the torches changed from blue to orange.

Nevertheless, as Char munched on a big green apple he'd pulled from Scythe's bag, he started to recognize some of the other faces which followed him. Apparently, Saura did as well.

"Hey, is that Taka?" Saura said in surprise. "Wow, she's up really early!"

Char turned to look, and sure enough, Taka was following along behind him, along with a Shinx and a Zangoose.

"Hey, look! It's Scythe with Team Peanuts!" the Shinx crowed.

"Team _Ember_, you moron," Taka rebuked. "They changed their name. Learn how to read the news."

"Oh… they did? I liked Team Peanuts better," the cub replied, cocking his head.

The little Shinx scampered toward Char, its teammates unenthusiastically following behind.

"Hey, Taka," Saura said. "Do you training teams usually get up at the crack of dawn like this?"

"Lately, yeah," Taka said. "It's mostly Ray's fault. He says he's training to be on Team Remorse, but he just wakes everyone else up with him."

"Good for him!" Scythe cheered. "We could certainly use energy like his on the team. It's hard enough getting half the team awake on time."

"So, where are you guys headed?" Saura asked. "Anywhere interesting?"

"Hardly," Taka said, rolling her eyes. "It's a four-hour sentry mission at Ravine Woodlands. About as dull as they come."

"Wait… that sounds familiar," Char said. "That's…"

"Hey! That's the same place we're going!" Saura cried. "Does this mean we'll all get to stick together?"

"Hmm, I wonder how this managed to happen," Scythe said. "Perhaps a mix-up at the registry. Hmm. A group of six is really pushing it, but… since this is a training mission, and such a low risk, I don't see why not."

"Wow!" The Shinx cheered, leaping excitedly into the air. "We're going on a mission with Scythe? For four whole hours? This is awesome! This'll be the best mission ever!"

"It'll sure make things a little more interesting than they were going to be," Taka said. "It's hard to be bored when you've got so many Pokémon to talk to. Oh, by the way, this is Zachel." She gestured to the Zangoose. "She's from Team Carrier, but she's tagging along with us because she got stuck going to the same destination."

"Morning," Zachel replied with a wink. She was carrying the bag for the rest of the group.

"And this little guy is Leo," Taka said, indicating the Shinx. "He's just a little spark of energy. Just like Ray. I guess it's an electric-type thing."

"It's an honor!" Leo yelped. "I can't wait to tell Ray that I was practically on Team Remorse for the day! He'll be so jealous!"

_Wow, this might be really fun!_ Char thought to himself as he took another bite of his breakfast.

* * *

**Great Flatlands**

Like always, the group was due for a long walk. After they'd braved the ridiculously long staircase, said "hi" to Gate the Haunter, and set foot onto the Great Flatlands, it seemed like one big hike into the middle of nowhere. The sun was barely just peeking over the horizon at that point, leaving the terrain practically as dark as night. The speck of sunlight was, apparently, enough to ward the Watchers off. Char shivered a little; the fresh morning air was a little chilly today.

He found it amusing how all three of the trainees instantly shut their mouths whenever Scythe said a word.

"So, Team Ember," Scythe said. "Which way do we go? This is your mission, after all."

"Um…" Saura said, looking in all directions. "I thought I knew… It was to the south-west. But… this place looks all the same to me! How can you tell which way to go?"

"Even _we_ know this one!" Taka said with some pride. "Saura, look. In a place like this, finding the directions is as easy as reading a compass. See the sun? The sun's in the east right now, so south-west would be that way."

"Oh, right, I should have known that," Saura said. "But yeah… we go south-west, we find the Etcher Ravine, and we follow it south. That should take us right into the Woodlands."

"Sounds like a plan," Scythe said. "And we always have a map if we get lost. Now, one other thing: are we going through the mystery dungeon, or around it?"

"We were going to go around it," Taka said, "but now that we have you guys, we could go either way."

"Yeah, let's go through it!" Leo suggested. "There's no way we can lose today! Not with Scythe and Team Ember here!"

"Well, Char?" Saura said. "What do you think?"

Char couldn't agree more. Soon, it was decided: they'd all brave the Etcher Ravine mystery dungeon.


	14. Chapter 12: A Pleasant Journey

**Chapter 12**

**Etcher Ravine S1**

Spirits were high as Char and Saura led the massive team into the Etcher Ravine. The six members marched proudly across the border of the Mystery Dungeon, not looking back.

The Etcher Ravine was a long, narrow canyon with a small but violent river running through the center of the valley's floor. From wall to wall, a lush, humid garden of trees and vines sprouted up around the stream—many budding with colorful flowers and fruit. Even though the environment was so inviting, Char found himself a little nervous on the venture; it was a very difficult place to find one's way through. Not only were the bushes and saplings often difficult to push past, but the ravine walls themselves cast the whole place into an eerie twilight—even though it was already mid-morning by the time they arrived. Ultimately, though, Char wasn't worried; as the little Shinx had said, there was no way they could lose today.

To add to everything, the solemn silence that had taken up most of Char's trip through the Jaded Woods was replaced by the constant banter between the team members. It was like a party! Even Scythe seemed cheerier than normal, and the tag-alongs took every opportunity to chat with him.

Before long, the group had met their first wild opponent. To Char's horror, it wasn't anything he'd expected to meet in the dungeon the night before. It was an Azumarill—a _water _creature. It had been trying to climb a tree when the oversized resistance team barged into its territory, and it immediately dropped to the ground in a hostile stance.

"Hey, look!" Leo shouted. "It's one of those big water mouses! I forget what they're called! Who wants to fight it?"

"Uh… wait!" Char said, a lump now lodged in his throat. "What's _that_ doing here? A _water_ Pokémon? I thought there would be more _plant_ Pokémon here, not this!"

"Oh, yeah!" Taka said. "Etcher Ravine is home to a lot of water Pokémon—Marill, Quagsire, Poliwag... Don't you research your dungeons before you go out?"

"Uh…" Char answered, slowly backing away as the Azumarill centered its gaze on him. "It's looking at me all funny! What do I do?"

The mouse took aim at Char, and with a mighty squeak, unleashed a stream of water at him. Overcome by panic, Char dove for cover behind Scythe as fast as he could.

"AHH!" he cried. "_HELP!_"

"Let me try this!" Saura said, stepping up into Char's place. "The perfect place to use my new move!"

Saura squatted with his front legs, lowering his head and pointing the tip of his bulb forward at the enemy. He focused, and soon the bulb began to vibrate with built-up energy. As the energy got more intense, Saura closed his eyes…

A shower of tiny projectiles erupted from the tip of the bulb and flew towards the enemy.

Saura opened his eyes to find that some nearby trees now had a few punctures in their bark where the bullets had landed, but the enemy itself was unharmed.

"It _missed?_" Saura said in disbelief. "Aww, come on!"

"You really thought you could aim with your eyes closed?" Taka laughed. "That move is next to impossible to hit with as it is. But good job learning it! It's something I've still got to do."

As Saura stared with disappointment at the results of his failed attack, Leo stepped up next to him.

"My turn!" he shouted.

Leo gritted his teeth in concentration. His fur stood on end, and some yellow bolts of static electricity rippled across his form as he charged energy. Before the Azumarill could dodge, Leo released a bright static spark at the creature. The water mouse screeched in surprise as it was violently electrocuted. With eyes frozen wide, it collapsed backward onto the ground. Leo followed up by quickly slamming the creature with a headbutt, sending it flying a few feet and tumbling against the trunk of a tree.

But the Azumarill was strong. It soon recovered and was back onto its feet, even though it was still clearly rattled from the attack.

"Hey, hey! Good job, Leo!" Saura shouted, surprised at the little guy's performance.

"I'm not so strong yet, but I'm getting good practice!" Leo answered with pride.

The mouse looked like it would retaliate, but it was unsure of itself.

"Alright," Taka said, stepping up to the front with the others. "I can finish it. Stand back!"

Taka cupped her hands together. As she slowly spread them apart, a glowing sphere of light materialized between her palms. It started at the size of a marble, but kept growing as she kept it balanced in front of herself.

"Whoa!" Saura said, watching in awe. "What's that?! How're you doing that?"

"Energy ball," Taka replied simply, trying to concentrate.

When the energy ball grew to be the size of her head, Taka thrust her hands forward to throw it. The Azumarill bounced to the side to evade it, but the ball swerved in mid-air and changed its course, connecting with the enemy in a brilliant explosion.

The next thing anyone saw, the mouse was upside-down and smashed into the side of a bush, the front of its body completely charred. Tears dripped from its eyes; it was out for the count.

Saura's mouth was agape. "You have _got_ to teach me how to do that!" he cried, examining the completely debilitated animal from afar as it twitched and tried to free itself from the thorny twigs.

"Is it over?" Char yelped, still cowering behind Scythe's leg. With his eyes closed tight, he hadn't seen most of the battle.

"It's over," Saura told him. "You can come out now…"

"Scaredy-cat…" Taka added lightheartedly.

"Hey, I hate water, okay?" Char grumbled as he got up, a hint of shame in his face. "The last thing I want is to get hit in the tail with a water attack. Besides, I just wasn't expecting water Pokémon here…"

"Now you know the value of doing your homework," Scythe said. "You assumed there'd be plant Pokémon here, instead of looking it up for yourself. Thankfully, today, we're more than equipped for the water creatures. I don't think you have any reason to worry. Team Stripes came prepared."

"Yeah!" Leo said. "I eat water Pokémon for _breakfast!_"

"Heh heh, good for you," Scythe laughed. "Saura and Taka here also have an advantage over them, being plant creatures. Just keep a wary eye for the enemy, and you'll be fine."

"Yeah, Char," Saura said. "And remember what Domo said about panicking."

_Ugh, just shut up about it,_ Char thought, his face growing warm from embarrassment.

Suddenly, Char gasped. Wearing a look of pure horror, he pointed up to the sky. "LOOK OUT! A PIDGEOT!" he yelled.

"_AHHH!_" Saura and Taka yelled in unison, casting panicked glances upward. "Where?! WHERE?!"

Terrified, they both leaped to Scythe's legs and held on tight. Char, however, was laughing so hard that he couldn't stand. What was even funnier, though, was how Scythe had also gotten a shot of adrenaline from the prank. For a moment, he'd cast a worried gaze to the sky, his scythes slightly raised in preparation for attack. But he'd dropped the stance and smirked at Char as soon as he realized the truth.

It wasn't long before Saura's expression of terror faded into a scowl. "Okay, Char. Very funny," he said, stepping away from Scythe. "Point taken, point taken…"

"_Hmph," _Taka said, crossing her arms and recovering from the humiliation.

After walking a little while longer, the team ran into a Poliwag. Char wanted to prove his courage by helping to defeat it, but ran for cover as soon as the tadpole blew a stream of bubbles at him. Saura stepped forward to swat it senseless with vines and knock it out of the way. After that, they stopped to rest for a while and eat before ending the first mile of their journey.

* * *

**Etcher Ravine S2**

"This dungeon is pretty straightforward," Char commented. "We just follow the river. How long is it, by the way?"

"Four miles," Taka said in a flat tone. "You know, it says this stuff right on the map."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, we need to do more research," Char said. "I got that already. But this is only our second mission, after all."

In this leg of the trip, the shrubs cleared up a little and allowed some breathing room in the cramped jungle. The ground here was mostly gravel, so the trees couldn't grow. Char was thankful for it; it meant that there weren't so many hiding places for Water Pokémon to jump out from.

"So far, so good," Saura said, taking a deep breath.

As they walked, Saura noticed something odd about Leo's face. At times, his facial expression would scrunch up, and he would squint as if he were getting the sun in his eyes.

"Uh… Leo? Are you okay?" Saura asked. "Is something wrong with your eyes?"

"I'm practicing!" Leo answered, squinting around again.

"Uh… practicing what?"

"If I try hard enough… sometimes I can see through stuff!" he replied.

"Whoa! That's cool," Saura said. "That's what Luxrays can do, you know."

"I know _that,_" Leo said. "I'm not _dumb_. But it's hard. I have to focus really hard or it won't work. And there has to be lots of light… Hey! There's something! I think…"

"What is it?" Char asked, looking around. "What do you see?"

"There!" Leo said, pointing forward at a large stone. "I think there's a Pokémon there! Behind the rock!"

Eagerly bounding forward, Leo took a look around the large stone. As soon as he peeked, he jumped back and returned to the group. An angered Chikorita chased him out, frozen in surprise when it saw the whole group. With a startled "_kiiu,"_ it stood its ground and prepared to fight the trespassers.

"Chikorita, huh?" Taka said. "Hmm… those can be really strong."

"I'll fight it!" The little Shinx called, his fur starting to sparkle with static.

"Maybe you shouldn't, Leo," Taka suggested. "Plant Pokémon are resistant against your electric power. I know: let's give Char a chance to fight this one! I know he must be _itching_ to fight something that's not going to spray him with water."

"Okay!" Leo said, calming his static and jumping behind Char and Saura. "Good luck, Char!"

Char took a small step toward the enemy, fists clenched. It would be his first real battle of the trip. He had figured out that plant Pokémon burn easily, thanks to his battle with the Bulbasaur and Taka's earlier remark, so he didn't expect to have much trouble.

"Go on, Char," Saura said encouragingly. "Show them all what you've got."

_My fire,_ Char remembered. _I need my fire to fight. My "Ember," it's called. Where is it? Is it going to help me this time?_

The Chikorita struck first. Twirling its little leaf, it jumped into the air and flung something like a single green blade straight at Char. Before he could dodge, it struck its target, cutting a sizable gash in Char's stomach area. But the gash wasn't too deep, and it didn't seem to hurt all that much…

"_Oww!"_ Char moaned, rubbing the wound.

_I've got to focus here!_ Char said to himself. _Yeah! Here we go. I need… emotion. I need to feel angry! Right! That Chikorita will pay for what it did to me! It has no right to injure me, the mighty and powerful Charmander! It will feel my fire! I will make it respect me!_

It wasn't much, but Char felt it when the flame in his stomach started to rise and flare. The pleasant smell of smoke entered his mouth and his nostrils.

_I did it!_ Char cheered to himself. _I summoned my fire at will! All on my own!_ _But… it's not very strong. Do I have to get even more annoyed than this?"_

The Chikorita stood in its battle pose for a moment, examining the environment. Then, it leapt into the air, pivoted, and jumped into a shallow puddle of water which ran off from the main stream through the gravel underfoot. Little droplets of water rained down on Char, one causing a disturbing sting as it managed to strike his tail flame and turn to steam. It started slapping the water with its leaf, trying to keep Char at bay.

"Heh heh, smart," Scythe commented.

_Oh… that is __**it! **_Char said to himself, immediately becoming infuriated with the enemy.

Char exhaled in the Chikorita's direction. He spewed a great bright ball of fire, bigger than any he'd produced yet, which completely engulfed the enemy and set its entire body ablaze.

"_KIIIII!"_ it yelled, flailing wildly and trying to put the fire out in the puddle.

_Oh no, you don't!_ Char thought again. _I'm not done!_

Char reared back and exhaled again. Another fireball of equal caliber came forth, lighting the Chikorita on fire all over again. Desperate, it leapt into the rushing stream. Char saw that its body was almost completely black, like a chunk of coal, as it bobbed in the surface and washed away.

Char turned back to the group, still panting from the experience. Black smoke bubbled from behind his teeth and through his tiny nostrils. Team Stripes let loose a cheer for him.

"That was awesome, Char!" Saura congratulated. "You're really getting the hang of using your fire!"

"Did you see that?!" Leo said. "His tail fire was as big as he was! And it turned blue on the inside!"

"Okay, remind me never to make you angry," Taka said, exaggerating a shudder. "I wouldn't be surprised if that poor thing doesn't even live!"

"Good work," Scythe said, smiling warmly to him.

Char looked down at himself in wonder. He stared at his light-orange underbelly, wondering how bright his inner Ember really could get. With enough battles, perhaps he'd find out…

* * *

**Etcher Ravine S3**

After another whole mile and dozens more battles, the team's morale hadn't changed one bit. Char even got to help with another battle against an annoying Nincada—it was fast, but it couldn't dodge Char's blasts of fire. Char felt more proud of himself the more he used his "Ember".

On the third mile, the trees and bushes closed in once again, making it hard at times to keep pushing forward. Scythe was more than happy to lend a hand, effortlessly slicing down the thicker clusters of plants to make a passage for the rest of the team.

This stretch was quite unusual; almost no wild Pokémon attacked. There was a Rattata and a Wooper, but they both fled without battling, and it was all anyone saw. The team wasn't complaining, though, especially Char, who stayed at the front of the line most of the time and held the lead.

After about an hour, everyone took another break to eat. Scythe encouraged them not to be afraid of eating their fill, as both bags held enough food to last them for the rest of the day, and even more hung on the trees all around them. After the short rest, it was back to crawling through the ravine.

As they walked, Leo started humming a catchy little melody.

_What a great big world, a sight to behold,_  
_What a perfect place to be!_  
_What a great big world for life to unfold_  
_and it's filled with mystery!_

_All my friends are gathered around_  
_and it's such a sight to see,_  
_and we work and play and get through the day_  
_Like a great big family!_

_From the mountains to the parries,_  
_The heavens down to the ground,_  
_All the creatures great and small,_  
_Our song makes the world go 'round!_

_It's a great big world, a sight to behold,_  
_An enormous place to explore,_  
_With the friends we make and treasure we take  
Who could ask for something more?_

_In this world there's so much to do_  
_And so much we can't understand,_  
_But we work and play and get through the day_  
_And we do the best we can!_

_In the mornings when we wake up,_  
_And in the night as we lay,_  
_All our spirits join together_  
_In song, to sing our tears away!_

The song quickly got stuck in Char's head.

"Leo's so adorable," Saura commented to Taka. "How'd a kid that young get into the resistance force, anyway?"

"I heard he was orphaned," Zachel said quietly. "His parents were killed in one of the Master's raids, and the good guys got there too late. Found him alone. Took him in. That was two or so years ago. He's been living with the resistance teams ever since. He only joined Team Stripes two months back."

"If that's the case, he sure is taking it well," Char said.

"Same thing I say," Zachel said. "Remarkable little kid he is. And he's got a personal reason to fight. I think he'll be something great someday."

"Enemy!" Leo announced. "Uh-oh. It's a Parachisu. Or however you say that. Those squirrel things! Sorry, I'm still learning my Pokémon! They're electric, right?"

Char looked forward. The Pachirisu scampered down a tree trunk, looking very eager for a fight. But that wasn't all; a second one followed behind it. Both faced the group, static bolts jumping over their white-and-blue fur.

"Uh oh," Leo said. "What do we do?"

"Hey, I've got an idea," Taka said, examining the squirrels. "Let's all ATTACK AT THE SAME TIME!"

In a flurry of vines and claws, all six team members gleefully bounded forth into the fray. Priceless expressions covered the Pachirisus' faces as they beheld the wave of Pokémon descend upon them.

"_Eeeeeeeeeeeeeek!"_ they squeaked, quickly darting away into the depths of the forest and never looking back.

"Hah hah HAH!" Saura laughed. "Good job, everybody! We showed them!"

Saura and Taka spent the next hour having a silly argument over who the Pachirisu were more scared of, and Scythe chimed in with a hearty laugh whenever one made a good point. Leo's energy was still bottomless, and it just Char happy every time he saw the little child leap around in joy. Zachel was mostly silent, but wore a constant smile.

Char sighed contently. Surrounded by his friends and nearing the end of a pleasant and successful journey, he was sure that the day couldn't get any better.

He was right.

* * *

(Note: The lyrics are sung to "Treasure Town" from _Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky_)


	15. Chapter 13: Scizor

**Chapter 13**

**Ravine Woodlands**

"Um…" Leo said suddenly. "Are we out of the dungeon already? I thought you said it was four miles! That was only like three!"

Char had noticed the change in the ravine; it was as though they had been warped to a forest in the gorge. He had written it off as a quirk of the mystery dungeon.

"Hmm… odd," Scythe said, examining the surroundings. "Very odd. I remember this place being four miles long as well. I've never heard of a dungeon shrinking in size before…"

"Look," Zachel spoke out, quickly taking the map out of the bag and checking it. "Etcher Ravine _is_ four miles long, according to this."

"Well, that's… unexpected," Scythe said. "It's possible we've discovered a new kind of mystery dungeon anomaly. But I've been through more dungeons than I care to count, and they've always been the exact same length each time. If they change in size, they grow; they do not shrink. And even then, they only expand over the course of decades."

"Are you sure we're outside of the dungeon?" Char suggested. "How do you know we're not?"

"Do you see the way the terrain changed?" Scythe said, indicating the trees around him. "This is the Ravine Woodlands now. We've arrived to our mission's destination. But I'll have to admit, I'm puzzled."

"Time flies when you're having fun," Char said. "Maybe we just didn't notice the distance."

"Wait, wait…" Scythe said suddenly, pacing from side to side and periodically staring off into the woods. "There _is_ one other explanation for this… But it's… unlikely. It's something that I've only seen happen _once_ before in all of my travels."

Scythe knelt to the ground, keeping an eye on the treetops and the canyon cliffs which surrounded them.

"… There is a possibility that we have been found," Scythe said quietly.

Everyone gasped.

"_Found?!_ By who?!" Saura demanded. "I thought you can't _find_ someone when they're in the middle of a dungeon!"

"Quiet, Saura. And all of you, keep your voices down!" Scythe warned. "But yes, that is normally the case. You're completely hidden when you're crawling a dungeon. But there is a chance… a highly, highly unlikely chance… that… if someone sufficiently powerful knows exactly where you are within the dungeon… most notably, the Master's magicians… and it needs to be a perfectly precise guess… they can tear the shelter of the Dungeon's curse right out from over you, revealing you to be seen. It is called… performing an _unveiling_. And we may have just witnessed it happen to us."

A brooding quiet came over the group. Char saw worry form in everyone's eyes, Saura's most of all.

"What do we do?" Saura whispered.

"To be on the safe side…" Scythe replied, "We should turn around and go back through the dungeon, back to the base, and report the mission as a failure. However… if someone's watching us, they may be waiting for us at the other end of the dungeon, since this ravine is so linear. We'd have to climb up the ravine walls to escape."

With a unanimous "sounds good to me," the group hastily performed an about-face and started back toward the dungeon they'd just inexplicably exited.

"Wait, wouldn't it be a successful mission?" Char wondered. "I mean, if we spotted enemies at the Ravine Woodlands…"

"But we didn't," Scythe said, now sounding annoyed and a little uneasy. "We haven't gathered evidence that there are enemies here. We're aborting the mission for the sake of keeping everyone alive, just in _case_ there are enemies. Char… remind me to never let such a large group come with us ever again…"

Their happy clamor now only a nervous silence, the group backtracked through the ravine. Scythe led the group this time, and he insisted they travel against the ravine wall for shelter.

"If you see anything out of the ordinary, tell me," Scythe said gravely, keeping an eye on the surroundings.

"Right," Leo said, squinting around and trying to use his special vision. "It's kinda dark here though, but I'll try."

And then…

"I see something!" Leo said, startled. "Up there! Behind that rock, on the cliff ledge! I can't tell what it is…"

"Is it a Pokémon?" Char asked.

"_Whoa!_" the Shinx said in surprise. "I know that Pokémon! It's a Scizor!"

Scythe stopped cold in his tracks. He reeled back, like he'd just been hit in the head with a boulder.

"Are… you _sure_?" he asked quietly.

"It has to be," Leo answered. "Right there, behind that rock!"

Char saw Scythe's demeanor change. He was _afraid_. He could see a streak of true fear behind the old warrior's eyes. He realized it was the first time he'd ever seen the Scyther in this state of mind before. Char's heart filled with uncertainty; he could only imagine what would happen now that even the fearless Scythe was shaken.

"All of you," Scythe rasped. "Get up against the cliff. Behind me. And _don't move_. Do _not_ move! If you move… you might be killed."

Char and the rest followed his command unquestioningly.

"So, it's come to this…" Scythe hissed to himself, watching the indicated rock intensely. "Adiel…"

_Adiel?_ Char wondered.

It was like a standoff. For a full minute, then two, then five, everyone was frozen and dead silent. Only the sound of the animals from the jungle and the rush of the rapids could be heard alongside everyone's muted gasps for air. Scythe's gaze never wavered.

"Is it still there?" Scythe hissed to Leo.

"I don't know," Leo admitted. "I can't see anymore. The light's all wrong."

"What is it, anyway?" Taka asked carefully. "Why are we being so… like this?"

"If there is really a Scizor up there," Scythe whispered, "It's the one responsible for pulling us out of the dungeon. And we are all in grave danger… I believe I know this Scizor, and the only reason he would ever show himself to you is if the Master is looking for your blood…"

Taka's face paled even further, as did everyone else's. Scythe kept his sights on the rock which sat on a shelf on the cliff side far about their heads.

_A bounty hunter employed by the Master?_ Char thought. _This is bad. What do we do?! Where do we go?! Can Scythe protect us from this? This happened because our group was too large, didn't it? Are we going to die today…? … … Or is the Scizor even still there?_

Finally… after nearly ten minutes of silence, the Scizor chose to reveal itself. It stepped up to the edge of the cliff, taking a few moments to examine the terrain beneath. Then, it jumped. Within seconds, it'd landed on the ground several feet in front of Scythe.

All of the Pokémon behind Scythe let out a muffled cry of terror at the sight of the Scizor, cramming even closer to each other for safety. Scythe lowered his head and raised one blade into the air, a feral stance with a clear meaning: _come any closer, and I will fight._

Char felt his heart beating faster than he'd ever thought possible as he gazed at the wicked beast before them, its crimson, full-body carapace standing out among the green trees of the forest. The Scizor was nearly the same size as Scythe, but its broad wings, massive pincers, and long three-horned faceplate gave it the illusion of being even greater and more powerful. Char had to look twice at the spiked pincers; not only were they bigger than the creature's head and looked like they could snap the body of a younger Pokémon in a single grasp, but he felt a nameless fear at the sight of the spotted eye-marks on their sides. The Scizor's eyes were a burning yellow, its piercing and unblinking gaze locked with Scythe's.

Char's fire raged greater than ever before from the terror instinct; he felt as though it would even suffocate him. He could only struggle to suppress it.

The Scizor took a single step forward with one of its two-toed feet, and Scythe's stance jerked and became even more threatening than before.

Then, the Scizor spoke.

"_Do my eyes deceive me?"_ it said in a low, powerful, authoritative voice. "I thought there was a mirage, but it truly _is_ you, Scythe. You know, I thought it was odd when you didn't show up at the canyon yesterday, but this? Protecting your… students… from me? You've really outdone yourself this time."

Scythe said nothing, continuing to scowl. The Scizor took yet another step forward.

"Congratulations, yet again. This is a momentous occasion! This must be the first occurrence in the history of the world where such a perfectly-executed unveiling has been thwarted. And by none other than the legendary Scyther everyone knows and loves. Seems I can never stop underestimating you. You're an amazing creature, you know that? Absolutely incredible. I wonder how you knew to come here? Pure luck, perhaps? Well, either way, I certainly wouldn't put it past you to have predicted this. Well played. _Very_ well played."

"What are you doing here?!" Scythe demanded violently.

"Well," it answered, "ever since I noticed your teams coming back to this place on a regular basis, I couldn't resist planning a little… surprise visit one day."

"_This_ is what you have come to?" Scythe hissed angrily. "Preying on the young? Aren't there enough of you that slaughter innocent children already?"

"I don't see it as slaughtering the innocent," the Scizor replied smoothly, yet pointedly. "I prefer to see it as slaughtering the guilty."

"You can't fight me," Scythe hissed again. "Not here."

"Ah, hah hah, Scythe," the Scizor laughed evilly, giving a graceful bow. "Calm down. After bearing witness to your brilliant devices, I'm no longer in the mood to fight. I gladly concede. You're the one who wins today's little game. Besides, I wouldn't want to make you look bad in front of your children. Even _I_ know you don't deserve that..."

The Scizor paused in mid-sentence.

"...Oh? What's this?" it said in an exaggerated tone of surprise. "What do we have here?"

Taking its eyes off Scythe, it glanced down at the group of cowering Pokémon against the cliff side. It took Char a second to realize something: it was staring right at _him_! ... No. Not at him. At the Pokémon beside him, the one whose body he was gripping in fear.

"Bulbasaur!" the Scizor spoke, pointing a pincer at Saura. "And not just _any_ Bulbasaur, but _Saura_, our newest recruit! Are you ready to join us yet? You only have three days remaining!"

Saura's mouth hung open, as if he'd lost complete control of his body at hearing the Scizor's words. Char held him all the tighter.

"I'm… not… joining you…" Saura croaked out.

"You don't have a choice," the Scizor said, its tone of voice becoming stern. "The Master has chosen you. Nobody truly escapes from the Master once they are chosen. Nobody. Although, at times, he may allow you to _think_ that you have."

The Scizor eyed Scythe as he spoke the words, yet Scythe didn't even flinch.

"Well, I'd love to stay and talk, but I'm very busy today," the Scizor said. "Go on home, have your fun… I'll be seeing you again shortly. Especially _you_, Bulbasaur. But once again, it's been an honor to have met you today, Scythe. I hope the next time we meet will be under… different circumstances. Come, Dusknoir! It's time to leave!"

The Scizor bowed to Scythe, Then, wings buzzing, it deftly leaped up the ravine walls and was soon out of sight.

The silence remained for what seemed like hours. Nobody moved. Char felt Saura trembling uncontrollably, caught in a state between weeping and speechlessness. Even his own fire was reluctant to secede, questions looping endlessly in his mind: _What… just happened? What does this mean?_

"Well," Scythe finally groaned in a desolate tone as he relaxed his stance, "let's go. We're done for today."

* * *

**Great Flatlands**

On the way back to the flatlands, the group shared a morbid silence. Everyone's spirits were either too crushed or confused to say anything. Char walked alongside Saura, rubbing him on the back for comfort. He felt so terrible for him, seeing him even having trouble lifting the seed on his back to walk. He knew _exactly_ what was going through his mind: _maybe I didn't escape from the Master at all…_

"Scythe… what _was_ that?" Taka said, finally breaking the silence and speaking what was on everyone's mind.

At first, it seemed like Scythe wasn't going to answer. Then, after a long sigh, he replied.

"Adiel," he said. "Long ago, before the Master came for me, he was one of my clan-mates."

_So that's why he seemed so… friendly, if you even want to call it that,_ Char thought.

"He turned to the Master?" Leo asked sadly. "That's awful."

"The Master's forces came for me one day," Scythe explained. "That's when I joined them. But after I escaped from the Master's grasp, they went and took Adiel to replace me. He resisted the Master at first, but the Master's brainwashing worked quickly on him, and he stopped struggling… And since he and I had similar training, he went on to become… one of the Master's greatest generals, commander of a large portion of his servants. The Master only uses Adiel when he truly means business, and he rarely fails his tasks… Also, he's made it a personal mission to… find me, and dispose of me."

_That _is_ awful!_ Char thought.

"Well, look on the bright side," Taka said with a squeak in her voice. "He didn't attack us!"

"There's a very simple reason he didn't attack us," Scythe said, speaking without looking back at the group. "It's the very reason I didn't attack him. It is because… if he were to fight me, he doesn't know who would win the battle."

There was a moment of quiet as this sunk in.

"You are all very lucky to still be alive," Scythe added. "Adiel isn't merciful. If I hadn't been defending you, he would have taken one of you down before any of us would have realized it."

"Hey, I guess Daemon was wrong after all," Char said, trying feebly to lighten the mood. "If we were out on our own today, it would have been a disaster! It's good that you came with us today!"

"Yes, it is," Scythe said grimly. "It would have been a mistake to send you out on your own already. To some degree, I suspected something like this would happen. So… I had to ignore Daemon's complaints and do what I knew was right."

"I've always wondered," Leo said. "If Daemon's wrong so much, why's he your partner?"

"Because, little one," Scythe said, filling his voice with gravity, "For every time I've corrected one of his mistakes, he's also corrected one of mine."

"Really?" Leo replied.

"Yes," Scythe said, still keeping his eyes on the road ahead. "Our basic natures clash, and that is why we are a perfect pair. Daemon is a brilliant Pokémon who can question me, challenge me, find flaws in my plans where I cannot see… and that's why I keep him at my side. And by the same token, I help him make his decisions by disagreeing with him. Do you think it would do any good for my team to choose a partner who constantly agrees with me?"

_Wow…_ Char thought to himself, _I never thought of it that way. And now I see why Daemon is so valuable to Team Remorse. Scythe is much wiser than I gave him credit for! And now, he even saved our lives! I can't believe I was starting to doubt him. _

_From now on… I'll give Scythe my complete trust._

* * *

**Division Base**

It was early in the afternoon.

With bags still half full, the disheartened crew of six made their way back to the base and dispersed to their various teams. No goodbyes were shared, no smiles were displayed; it seemed that they simply wanted to put the day's events out of their minds. To Char, it was his first failed mission.

_So much for the immaculate Team Ember_, Char thought silently. _And now we've got a powerful enemy out for us. What a fortunate day, indeed._

As Char, Saura, and Scythe returned to Team Remorse's hall, they ran into Ursa reading a news bulletin on the wall.

"Well, you're back early," Ursa commented upon seeing them. "I'm pretty sure that wasn't four hours. Wait, you didn't fail, did you?"

"Ursa, go to Intelligence and have them issue a twelve-day ban on all training teams," Scythe commanded. "And tell them to increase the risk on the Ravine Woodlands missions to five-star."

"Wow, what for?" Ursa gawked.

"Because… Adiel is on the move," he replied in a low tone.

Scythe didn't have to ask twice. Ursa could barely contain his shock, shooting looks of disbelief at Char and Saura. It was then that he noticed the glaze of fear which still hung in their eyes, even Scythe's.

"Right away," he muttered, leaving quickly.

"What do we do now?" Char asked once he was gone.

"I'm going to have a talk with the rest of the team, as soon as they get back from the mission," Scythe grumbled, opening the team's door. "We have much to discuss. Unfortunately, that can't happen for a while. The members that went out this morning aren't coming back until tomorrow night. As for you… go do whatever you need to do. You won't be going on a mission tomorrow."

Although it didn't surprise him, Char was hurt to hear those words. He knew it was for his own safety, and he knew it was by no fault of his own, but they certainly didn't help to cheer him up.

"Come on, Saura," Char said. "Let's go eat."

Saura nodded, and the two went to the mess hall.

… … …

"Come on, won't you cheer up?" Char said to Saura, who was refusing to even start on the plate of food in front of him. "You know that Scizor only said that stuff to scare you, right? There's no way he can get to you down here! We're protected by ghosts and traps and hundreds upon hundreds of powerful Pokémon. And after today, Scythe is sure to keep protecting us, even when we go on missions. You're _safe!_"

Saura didn't answer.

"You know, if you really want to, we could lock ourselves up in the deepest level of the base and stay there for three days," Char suggested as kindly as he could.

Saura's voice creaked. He looked at Char with sad eyes.

"You know, I think I would like that," he said.

Char frowned. "Saura, eat your food," he ordered. "It'll make you feel better. Besides, I don't care how powerful that Scizor is. He's _bluffing_. There must have been hundreds of Pokémon who have angered the Master in so many other _worse_ ways, and _they_ survived! And we're just a couple of kids! Compared to all them, we're… _peanuts!_"

Saura plucked a slice of food from his tray and slowly chewed it.

"Listen, all we have to do is follow the rules and be a good resistance team, and we'll do just fine, Scizor or not. Let's just wait and see what happens, okay?"

"You're right," Saura said lowly, setting his forehead on the table. "I'm… just a big whiner, aren't I?"

"Saura…"

"No, no, you're right," Saura said again. "I'm just being a coward. This is a dangerous job. I… have to accept that. But at the end of the day, it's a job I really want to do. Scizor or not."

Char glanced at his surroundings. The cafeteria was nearly deserted, the Pokémon all gone on their missions for the day. He was still trying to swallow the loss, and the feeling tugged at him of being left out of the day's events. What he really wanted to do was start the day anew with a clean slate.

"Saura… how about we go learn some more of the Creed, then turn in early today?" Char suggested. "I don't know about you, but I got up pretty early this morning. I'm tired already."

Saura smiled. It was just what he was thinking… except maybe for the part about the Creed.

… … …

And so, even though the day ended on a low note, Team Ember's resolve could not be snuffed. They spent the rest of the mid-afternoon learning another portion of the Creed, studying the map of Jirachi and researching nearby dungeons, and exploring a new tunnel of the base to help them remember their way around. Soon, there was nothing to be done but to retire for the night and wait for the dawn of the next day.

In the early evening, Char and Saura returned to Scythe's room all on their own. Scythe, however, wasn't there that night for some reason – as he'd accidentally fallen asleep in the planning room – so the two set themselves down to rest without him. They had a long, peaceful rest.

The next day…

"_Get up!"_

_Ugh, _Char wondered as he twisted his body across the ground, reluctant to wake up. _Again?! I thought we weren't doing any missions today!_

"Get up, sleepyhead!" the voice repeated. "We've got work to do! Get up, you lazy bum!"

Char opened his eyes and painfully sat up. He scanned the room with his blurred vision, trying to make sense of it.

"Saura!" Char realized. "Where'd Saura go?! What happened to him?"

"Saura got up long before you did," the voice said. "Now it's your turn."

Char was very confused. The voice was not Scythe's. It was definitely not a voice he recognized before. Maybe another member of Team Remorse?

As Char's eyesight returned to him, and he could pick out the shapes and colors of the room, he identified his visitor. It was… a Haunter?

"Gotta pull your weight in the Gold Division," the Haunter said. "No loafing! Now get up! Since you're not going out today, you need to stay inside and do some chores!"

"Chores?!" Char repeated.

"Yeah, chores, you know, menial labor!" the Haunter said. "The guild don't run itself! Saura's on cleaning duty today. You, on the other hand, will be doing something far more useful. Come with me."

Before Char could react, the Haunter grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet. Before he knew it, he was being dragged through the corridors of the base toward a destination he could only guess at. Then, something really strange happened… Char walked right into the wall! He realized that, being touched by the ghost Pokémon, he had the temporary power of intangibility. Char watched as many familiar and unfamiliar rooms flashed by as they walked through the very walls of the base.

"We're here!" The Haunter announced, pulling Char into a cramped room. "Here's where you'll be working for today."

Char looked at the room. There were no doors, no windows, no passageways to the outside. He was absolutely trapped. There were no light sources, save for his own, so Char had to lift his tail to investigate the room. There were only two features of the room which he could see: a large gemstone in the shape of a rectangle, and a few smaller diamonds sticking out of the wall.

"…What's my job?" Char asked.

"What's your job?" the Haunter repeated. "Isn't it obvious? Don't you recognize who I am?"

Char looked at the Haunter again. Then, it struck him. He didn't know how he missed it before, but it was clear as day now: the ghost was Gate, the sentry of the base's north-eastern entrance!

"S…sentry duty?" Char guessed.

"Yup," said the ghost. "I need a vacation, so you can take over for me today."

"W…what do I do?" Char wondered nervously. "How do I do this job?"

"Oh, it's easy," Gate said. "You know your Pokémon, right?"

"…What if I don't?" Char squeaked.

"Oh, ha hah, you're joking, right?" Gate laughed. "Everyone knows their Pokémon. Now, here's what you do. See this big gem? You can see the Pokémon who try to enter the base on it, just like a big camera. Your job is to identify each Pokémon who tries to enter the base.

"That's it?" Char said. "Just identify them?"

"Yep," Gate said. "And when you identify them, just touch this little gem here, and say their names! The magic will do all the rest. Well, almost all the rest. You know the Creed, right?"

"…uh…" Char grunted.

"Hah, of course you know the Creed!" laughed Gate again. "Everyone knows the Creed! Now remember, there are over four hundred Pokémon that could enter the base at any time, and you need to get every one right! Get just one wrong, and you could doom us all!"

"Uh, I'm really not so sure about this," Char said, starting to eye the room for a way out. There was, of course, none.

"Oh, it's really not that hard. Here, I'll do one for you. See the screen?"

Char looked at the screen. The image was so very fuzzy, but if he squinted, he could just barely make out the shape of a Pokémon. The Pokémon was… red. And… furry. And… had six hands. And three feet sticking out of its head.

"Quick, Char!" Gate said. "What's that Pokémon? Remember, you can only get two wrong!"

"Uh… Uh… I… Don't… I don't know!"

"Oh, come on! It's an Octofus! Get your act together!"

"_What?_"

"What about this one?" Gate said, pointing to the screen again. "Oop, too slow! You should be faster than this, Char! It's a Freezle!"

Char gulped. He was on the verge of panic. Were these new Pokémon species he'd never heard before? And how did Gate expect him to know every species of Pokémon by heart?

"Now, there's just one thing left," Gate said. "After you've identified the Pokémon, touch the gem and recite the entire Creed from the top. Careful; if you miss one word, you have to start all over. That's how the spell checks and makes sure the visitor got the password right. And that's it! I'll see you at the end of the day!"

"_NO!"_ Char cried as the ghost floated away. "Gate, _stop!_ I can't do this!"

"Cya, kiddo!" the ghost said, floating into the wall.

"NO! Come back!" Char screamed at the top of his lungs, diving forward as the very last of the ghost disappeared into the solid rock. Char's head brutally collided with the rock. But he didn't even feel it; his heart was racing, and his mind was spiraling in complete panic.

"_GATE!"_ Char yelled, pounding on the wall. "_GATE! COME BACK!"_

… … …

"_Aaahhhhhhh!"_

Panting heavily, Char jumped awake. He was in Scythe's room. It was dark except for just his blue tail flame. Saura slept soundly beside him, emitting the peaceful sound of steady breathing.

It had been a dream.

"Ahh… Ahhh…" Char breathed heavily, trying to calm his racing heart. "So… glad… it was… just… a nightmare…"

As his breathing returned to normal, Char's eyes fluttered shut again. He set himself back down on the ground, hoping to the legendary dragons that the next dream would be better.

And then, it happened.

With his eyes closed and his mind already starting to return to the state of sleep, Char started to feel inexplicably dizzy, like he'd just been tossed off the face of a cliff and couldn't tell which direction was up.

Char opened his eyes to try to get a bearing on his physical position… but he found that it didn't help. In fact, he wasn't sure if he'd even opened his eyes again, as the image on his mind's eye hadn't disappeared.

_What's… happening to me?_ Char thought. _Is this a dream? I just had a dream, and this doesn't feel even one bit like it._

Next, the sound of a deep, powerful hum flooded his ears. Not just his ears, his _being_. And it wasn't even a _sound_, more like a _feeling_. His body reverberated with a tremendous energy that somehow seemed like a sound, yet it could not be heard. He felt like he was floating in space and listening to some sort of great beast humming a one-note song.

_What is that noise?_ Char wondered. _Is that… me? Am I making that noise? It doesn't feel like a noise, or any feeling I've ever had. It almost feels like… telepathy!_

Suddenly, a loud, mighty bellow of indescribable caliber rang out from the nothingness! Like the humming, it sounded as a deafening silence that couldn't be heard or identified. As the roar sounded through the dark void, brilliant colors erupted before Char's eyes.

_Is this… another one of my visions?_ Char wondered again. _No, it can't be! This… this isn't a memory. This isn't a vision. This is… this is… an experience of some sort… It's like I'm peeking into the spiritual realm itself, or something…_

The bellow escalated. The colors became even more vivid and intense, turning into rings which circled Char's sense of presence and surrounded him. He couldn't tell if it was getting lower or higher, but it was certainly getting "louder," though it still always remained silent. Char had the urge to cover his ears; but he couldn't move his body. He couldn't even see his body. It seemed like his body was missing entirely.

Finally, the roar exploded into a full-blown, soul-shattering feeling that gave Char the sensation of being blasted away at high speed. With each pulse of the soundless cry, Char could have sworn his entire being had been ripped into a million tiny pieces.

The cry wasn't just a cry; it came with _emotion. _ Some sort of all-consuming emotion flooded Char's being, soaking through every crevice of his soul. It was the feeling of despair, of hopelessness.

The roar, then, became a voice.

**_DIALGA!_**

_Dialga?_ Char wondered, using every ounce of his will to retain his self-awareness as he watched the supernova erupt.

**_I am here,_** answered a voice.

This voice was not like the roar. It was powerful, yes, but it was calm and wise, and also sad.

And then, before Char's eyes, a figure emerged. It was a great, wingless dragon of incredible proportions. Its blue hide, lined with countless silver blades, glimmered brilliantly in the inexplicable light. Its mighty tail swung behind it, an expression of its dominance. Its eyes were blood-red, and on its chest rested a diamond that shone so bright it could not be seen.

_D…Dialga!_ Char called, his spirit ecstatic. _Dialga! It's me!_

But Char's voice fell flat to the endless roar.

**_DIALGA! _**the mighty roar said once again. **_PLEASE, HELP ME!_**

**_I cannot, _**Dialga answered sadly. **_I am powerless!_**

Suddenly, just as soon as the experience had started… it was over.

Char found himself sitting awake in Scythe's room. He did the only thing he could do—stare wide-eyed at the wall. At this point, he could not put any of his questions into words. He flexed his hands in front of his eyes to make sure he was still solid.

The door's room flung open.

Scythe stood in the doorway, his gaze immediately locking with Char's. Wonder and awe filled his eyes. In the dim light of the room, Char saw something sparkle on the side of the Scyther's face—he was crying.

"Char…" Scythe gasped. "I… heed your call!"


	16. Chapter 14: Answering The Call

**Chapter 14**

"Every so often, a Pokémon is born with a special ability known as The Call," Scythe explained to Char as they, along with Saura, rushed through the deserted corridors of the base.

Char had no idea what was going on. Before he could respond, Scythe had hastily ushered him and Saura from their sleeping place. Char found himself following close behind as they hurried through the blue-tinted halls. Saura had the hardest time keeping up as they ran, still trying to come to his senses after the rude awakening.

"Char has the Call?" Saura asked groggily, trying to get his eyes to stay open. "I didn't hear anything! What is the Call, anyway?"

"You don't _hear_ it," Scythe said. "It's a telepathic call. It only affects you on a subconscious level. Hah, they didn't believe me. Nobody believed me! Not Eva, not even Shander! But here you are, Char! Right here in our grasp, right in front of our very eyes! Hah! _Quick! This way!_"

Scythe dashed into a dark side-tunnel, and Char did his best to keep up by the light of his tail. It all strangely reminded him of the dream he'd just escaped minutes before.

"Where are we going?!" Char demanded.

"We need to _hide!_" Scythe hissed.

"Hide?" Char repeated. "What, can't we hide in your room?"

"No, not even there," Scythe said. "If I am correct, soon, all fourteen hundred Pokémon in the entire base will be wide awake and looking for us. We need to be out of sight until it all passes over."

Char was amazed at Scythe's reaction to the whole thing. The old bug was absolutely _ecstatic_. Fire burned in his eyes as if he was witnessing something legendary. His steps were nervous and impatient, yet he took great care not to move too fast for Char. He constantly cast nervous, worried glances toward every adjacent corridor.

Down the stairs they went, down into the lower floors of the base. As they descended the spiral staircase, a low rumble came from down in the dark depths. Even after they'd only passed three floors, it became clear that other Pokémon were coming, and they would be overrun.

"I hear them," Scythe said in a trembling voice. "The base is coming alive! We're almost too late…"

"Do you know of a good hiding place?" Char asked.

"I was going to have us hide under the very bottom of the stairs," Scythe said. "Nobody ever goes down there… but now I don't think we'll make it. Now, we'll just get intercepted."

"Quick question," Char said suddenly, remembering his recent dream. "If a ghost Pokémon touches you, can it drag _you_ through the wall just like it does with items?"

Scythe froze.

"Brilliant!" he cheered. "Char, you're incredible! The storage area. We're only two floors away from that. Quick! We can make it there!"

Running faster than ever, Scythe bounded down the stairs five at a time. Char's feet fumbled about as he followed behind, trying to keep up the speed yet not take a spill and tumble down the stairs. He knew it was a _long_ way down, with a lot of stairs to hit on the way…

After they descended another floor, the unmistakable sound of footsteps began to echo through the stairwell. Soon, it was accompanied by the low murmuring of barely-awake voices. Char wondered why it would be dangerous to be spotted by other Pokémon, but since now was clearly not the time to ask, he could only put his full trust in Scythe and keep running.

Finally, they emerged into the seventh floor. To Char's surprise, no Pokémon were patrolling the halls of the floor just yet. By the bright blue lights of the torches, he could see that the main halls were empty. Scythe dashed down the hall, beckoning the others to follow as fast as possible.

At last, the final stretch was visible. The hub which led to Kecleon's shop and the storage area opened before them. Char's heart skipped a beat when he noticed that both doors were closed for the night with planks of wood.

_*CRASH!*_

Before Char knew it, Scythe had barged straight into the door of the storage area and taken it down. Splinters of wood fluttered to the ground as Char followed him inside, holding his breath in anticipation.

Morrik the Gengar leaped out of the wall in anger, screaming "_WHAT IN THE NAME OF AR—"_

"Morrik, we need your help," Scythe interrupted. "Hide us in the storage area."

"W-what?" Morrik said, reeling back. "Y-you're kidding, right?"

"Morrik, this is _vital_," Scythe roared. "Hide us, _fast_!"

"W—all three of you?" Morrik said in disbelief. "Well, I've never done anything like this before, but if you say so, Scythe… Uh… hold on, I guess?"

Char grabbed hold of the Gengar's arm, half-expecting his claw to go straight through the ghost's skin. But it turned out to be tangible, and he held on tightly as his friends did the same. Once they were all ready, Morrik sighed and led them straight into the back wall. Char braced himself as he saw the solid rock wall coming closer and closer…

Walking through the wall was one of the weirdest sensations Char'd ever experienced. He found himself blind. The sound was muffled as though Char was underwater; all Char could hear were low, haunting reverberations that reminded him of the vision he'd just experienced only minutes ago. A painful tingling sensation burned at the tip of his tail as the flame couldn't quite stay alive. A clenching feeling arose in his chest: his lungs deflated and were frozen in place, as there wasn't any air…

But the worst feeling of all was the _hunger_. Walking through the wall was exhausting, somehow, and was quickly draining his body of any semblance of energy he'd attained from the nervous rush to hide. Even his grip on the Gengar weakened as they went, but Char didn't want to think about what would happen to him if he were to let go. He wondered if he instantly die, becoming a petrified fossil in the middle of the wall.

Just when Char was starting to lose his grip on reality, a rush of ice-cold air engulfed him and brought him back to his senses. They'd arrived at a storage pocket. With a strange little sizzling sound, his tail flame re-lit itself as it popped out of the wall and brought light to the absolute darkness of the chamber. It wasn't a very big room, and it was packed from wall-to-wall with orderly piles of items, clothes, and food. He heard himself taking a big breath for air along with his two friends.

"Now, uh, you know you can't stay in here for too long before you suffocate, right?" Morrik reminded them.

"We're fine for now," Scythe said, panting. "Thank you for your help, Morrik…"

"You're welcome, I guess…" the ghost said, scratching its head. "Now… uh… wait here for a sec."

Morrik leaped into the wall, and soon re-appeared holding a pile of clothes. He set them on the floor.

"Mobile scarves," he told them. "You can use these when you want to leave. Just put them on and walk straight that way. Just be sure they get back to me; they belong to Team Dread."

"Thank you," Scythe said again. "And I'm sorry about the door."

"Ahh, 's not a problem." Morrik said, walking back into the wall. "I'm sure you had a good reason."

Morrik left, but Char still didn't feel peaceful. The air was terribly chilly, taxing his poor little flame and giving him frostbite on his nose. It didn't help much that his stomach wanted to retch from starvation. He noticed Saura frantically jumping around the room, examining the piles of items and gobbling up the first pieces of dried food that he saw. Char joined in, not caring what teams they were stealing the food from.

Char soon collapsed onto the floor, his stomach satisfied for the time being. He was still cold, and tired, and confused…

"Scythe, what is _going on?_" Char managed to say. "What are we running from? Are we in danger?"

"Not really, no," Scythe said, sitting against the oddly-angled corner of the room. His smile had never left his face the whole time. "All I know is that I don't want to be the one to explain to everyone what just happened. But, can you believe it? This is all _your_ doing, Char! You released a call so powerful… It was truly touching, it made my eyes water."

"So, what _is_ this 'Call', anyway?" Saura asked again. "Can't you tell us? Or does it have to stay a secret still?"

"I can tell you," Scythe said. "Like I said, every so often, a Pokémon is born with an innate ability we refer to as 'the Call'. It stays dormant for most of the Pokémon's life, but at unpredictable times, when it activates, it will telepathically cry out to other Pokémon, and anyone who hears the Call will come to you. It all happens subconsciously, so neither the caller nor the answerer will realize what's going on. Depending on a Pokémon's sensitivity to the Call, the other Pokémon will simply be disturbed, or find themselves strangely drawn to you."

"Uh… okay," Char said, trying to wrap his mind around it.

"The Call comes only every several decades," Scythe continued, "and the power of the call varies. One Pokémon's call might only fill one room, while another's might reach out to a whole city. But… then, there are Pokémon like you, Char, whose call is so vast and immeasurable, even the legendary dragons would heed it! And when the call is _that_ powerful… strange, unpredictable things happen! We knew that the next time the Call would appear, it would be more powerful than ever before… And those few of us, like me, who are so sensitive to the Call that we can hear and understand it on a conscious level, we've been searching for it… searching, and waiting… and now, the wait is over, Char, because you're here!"

"So, wait," Saura said. "Char let out this telepathic cry that I didn't even _hear_, and now the whole base is awake and looking for him? And that's why we have to hide?"

"Exactly," Scythe said. "Like I said, they wouldn't hurt you, but I think it's safer this way. After tonight, most of the Pokémon in this base will know that we've found the Call, but for safety's sake, we're going to keep a secret of who _exactly_ has it…"

"There's something I don't understand," Char grumbled. "What's so special about the Call, anyway? Why were you looking for it and waiting for it for so long?"

"That's the most important part," Scythe said gravely. "The Call which is so powerful that it can summon even the aid of the legendary dragons… can win the war!"

There was a moment of quiet as the words sank in.

"You mean… we can actually get them to fight for us?" Saura said in disbelief. "We could summon Dialga and Palkia to fight on our side?"

"Yes!" Scythe answered excitedly. "Throughout history, this power to call upon masses of Pokémon has won wars and kept entire civilizations of Pokémon and humans alive. If _we _were to harness this power to call upon the gods, the resistance force would become undefeatable! But, would the Call have fallen into the hands of the Master, the same could be said about him. Whichever side obtains the Call would be the victor. That's why it's so extraordinary that you're here today, Char! It means that the Call has finally been secured, and the resistance forces can finally win! The Master will finally be brought to feel his due remorse!"

_Maybe this is my purpose, then?_ Char considered. _This Charmander body… if it possesses both the Call and the ability to hear the Call… that must really be something rare and special! Maybe I was put here to summon Dialga to help the resistance forces win the war! But… didn't I call to Dialga? I did, didn't I? And Dialga answered me! It said it was powerless! How could Dialga be powerless? What… could this mean?_

"But… there's one thing I can't understand," Scythe said, his smile finally fading. "Eva tested you, both of you! Using her psychic abilities, she can sense the Call in Pokémon even when it's not active. Yet… she didn't find it in either of you. And she made me look like a fool, at that…"

_This is it,_ Char thought. _Now is the time to say it…_

"Scythe… I have something to tell you," Char mumbled, his face full of shame. "Eva didn't test me. She lied to you… and she threatened me to not tell you. I'm… sorry I didn't say this earlier. She just pretended to test me, but she said it wasn't worth her time."

Char held his breath as he watched for Scythe's reaction. Scythe blinked.

"Char, you're kidding!" Saura said, shocked at the news. "I didn't like Eva, but… that's ridiculous. She didn't test you? And you even turned out to actually _have_ the Call?"

"That arrogant brat…" Scythe spat. "You know, this doesn't really surprise me. Part of me never wanted to trust Eva in the first place, but because of her power, I ignored my instincts. I should have listened to them. She will hear about this. I will _not_ go lightly on her about this. It could almost be considered treachery. Char… you should have told me sooner. You should know that Eva can't do anything to you. Not here."

"I'm sorry," Char said again.

Scythe got up, his eyes wide in concentration. He paced around the tiny room, muttering strings of thoughts quietly to himself. Char couldn't imagine all the things that were spinning in the warrior's head. He was starting to see what it all meant. He wasn't just a Pokémon. He was an _important_ Pokémon. His power could change the world. What now? What could he do?

"What now?" Char decided to ask. "Is there a way I can use my power to help?"

"That's the hard part," Scythe said. "As far as I know, there's no reliable way to trigger your Call. It happens all on its own, on its own time. We will just have to wait. Although, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if your call tonight reached out to the ancients. It was… so powerful… I shudder in memory of it! But now, I will live knowing that I could wake up one day, and Dialga would be standing at our front gate, ready to help us. We just have to wait and see what happens."

After about twenty minutes of Scythe's excited banter and Char's nervous silence, Char started to feel a little short of breath. Having less air to feed on, his tail flame slowly died down, dimming the light of the room and making it harder to see. Regardless of what was happening out in the base, it was time to leave.

As Char slipped the scarf that the ghost had given him around his neck, there was one last question he felt he needed to ask Scythe as long as they were confined to this cell, away from all the other Pokémon in the base. Part of him didn't want to ask the question, but the other part of him knew he had to, especially now that his purpose was starting to be revealed to him. At last, when they were ready to step through the wall, Char hesitated. Gathering his courage, he turned to Scythe.

"Scythe, there's one other thing I need to ask you," Char said nervously. "Do you—"

"Yes," Scythe said, eying Char with a blank face. "Yes, I do."

"Oh, come on!" Saura growled. "Not this again! Scythe, please, just answer's Char's question."

"I did," Scythe said, turning to the wall again. "The answer is yes."

"_I'm a human!_" Char cried. "There! I said it! Now you know. I'm a human. Now we don't have to play this dumb game anymore. Now you know my secret. Because I trust you, Scythe. I really do. I need you to know, so I can stop worrying about it. So there."

Silence. In the dying light of his flame, Char watched Scythe for a reaction. He resisted the urge to bite down hard on his tongue. Had he just make a big mistake? The warrior had his back turned, staring at the wall through which he was about to walk, contemplating his reply. Char held his breath as he awaited the answer, even though he was already getting dizzy from lack of air…

"You look like a Charmander to me," Scythe said quietly, not turning around.

Before Char could respond, Scythe stepped into the wall and disappeared from sight.

… … …

Using the strange "mobile scarves," Char and Saura passed through the wall and back into the main corridors of the base. To their surprise, the directions that Morrik had given them didn't lead back to the storage area lobby; they were now in a familiar, yet unrelated hall. Scythe was nowhere to be seen.

It was still in the dead of night, but this time, a few Pokémon wandered through the hallways. When Saura casually asked a passing Pikachu why it was up so late, she told them that she had trouble sleeping tonight and just felt like taking a walk upstairs. A Minun said it was sleepwalking and it found itself several floors away from its room when it woke up. A Growlithe claimed it was awake because it swore it felt an earthquake and wanted to go upstairs to escape the base, before realizing that getting caught by the Watchers was a much more horrible fate than being buried alive. A Typhlosion asserted it had a dream about Dialga, and a voice told him to go upstairs and visit Team Remorse's chambers.

With each Pokémon they questioned, Char felt more and more nervous about his power. He could see its gravity right before his very eyes, how it had the power to literally control the minds of the Pokémon around him.

"This is so weird," Saura commented as they walked back up to their rooms and passed countless numbers of confused Pokémon all suffering from insomnia and wandering around. "The entire base was… looking for you."

"And apparently I summoned them all," Char muttered.

"Hey," Char said quietly, passing by an annoyed group of Nidoran trying to find their way back downstairs. "I just realized something. Do you remember when I first met you?"

"Vaguely," Char said. "It was only a few days ago, but it feels like weeks…"

"Well, that night, I was taking a walk," Saura said. "But when the night came, I… I decided to keep going farther into the forest, instead of heading back home. Even though I knew the Watchers were coming. I felt… I felt like I really wanted to go to the cave. Do you think… that I heard your call?"

"That would make a lot of sense," Char thought out loud.

"Also, how do you think Shander and Scythe found us?" Saura continued. "They probably heard the same call I did! They were drawn to the cave, and they found it even though I thought it was hidden, and… and Scythe was the only one who understood what was happening, since he was looking for the Call all along. And that's why he took us here to the base to be tested. It makes perfect sense!"

_That does make perfect sense,_ Char realized. _Of course, that would also mean… that every good thing that has happened to me since becoming a Pokémon has happened because of my power: Saura finding me, Scythe and Shander finding me, Scythe and Shander taking me to the base, even Saura and I getting special treatment with Team Remorse… If it weren't for the Call, I'd still just be a lonely Charmander sitting in that cave, too afraid to go anywhere… It's almost like the Call is bending my surroundings to best suit me. No wonder it's such a coveted power!_

Char continued to gawk in awe at the effects of his call. So many Pokémon had been disturbed from their sleep! Some were even lounging and sleeping in the hallways, too tired to make it back to their rooms. He could only wonder what he would hear about this crisis the next day.

… … …

Meanwhile, Scythe was headed in a different direction. He crept in the shadows and tried to avoid being seen—since it was his rooms that all the Pokémon had been drawn to, and it was him that they would all question—and made his way down to a certain hallway of residence. His heart was set to give a certain Pokémon an earful of his frustration.

"_Eva!"_ He hissed angrily, arriving at the Espeon's door.

Without waiting for a reply, Scythe tried to force to door open. It didn't budge; it was blocked from the inside. Eva _had_ to be home.

"_EVA!"_ Scythe yelled a little louder. "I'm not going to let you hide from this. This is _your_ error, _you_ will be the one to face up to it."

No reply.

With a snort, Scythe reared back…

_*Slash!* *Slash!*_

The wooden door fell into several pieces, and Scythe barged inside.

The room was completely dark. All the candles and torches were turned off and snuffed out.

"Eva…" Scythe said again, becoming even more annoyed at the Espeon's stubbornness.

Just as the Scyther's irritation was about to become full-blown rage, he realized something he should have seen sooner: the Espeon wasn't there after all. Her sleeping mat was empty.

"Eva…" Scythe growled to nobody but himself, slashing at the air. "You coward! What do you think you're doing?! Where did you run off to?"

Growling incessantly, Scythe fled the room.

… … …

When Char and Saura arrived back at Team Remorse's front door, what they saw was an odd sight that, in reality, didn't surprise them. About twelve Pokémon were sleeping in that very corridor, too lazy to return to their own rooms after being summoned by the Call. Char gritted his teeth as he carefully stepped over a sleeping Meditite on the way to the door.

Just as Char's first knock connected with the door, a rage-filled voice rang out from behind it.

"_GO AWAY!"_

"Uh…" Char said. "But… we live here!"

"_PLEASE!" _the voice demanded again. _"FOR THE LOVE OF ARCEUS, LEAVE US ALONE!"_

"Uh…" Char said again.

Then, Char noticed something: he was still holding the mobile scarves from before. With an evil smirk, he quickly tied one on and put the other one on Saura, and they proceeded to march straight through the locked door…

They met a weary, infuriated Gabite, a member of Team Remorse, on the other side.

"Oh… it's you two," it said indifferently. "Ugh… And here I thought it still wasn't over. There's no way I'm getting up for the mission tomorrow. Too…tired…"

… … …

"You know, I don't think I'll even be able to sleep now either," Saura said as the two once again tried to relax in Scythe's room. "Tomorrow's going to be a crazy day. You know that, right? Everyone's going to be talking about this… And when word gets out that the Call caused this, we'll never hear the end of it…"

_That's for tomorrow,_ Char told himself. _Tonight… it's time to finish our sleep._

As Char's eyes fluttered closed, he knew one thing was for certain: his purpose in the world of Pokémon was slowly but surely becoming clearer. Although, for the first time, he found himself starting to wonder if he really wanted to find out what it was.


	17. Chapter 15: I Can Explain

_Author's Note:_ _In early 2013, I began a minor revision of this story. As of now, this revision ends here. I apologize to new readers if you encounter an increased number of typos starting with this chapter.**  
**_

* * *

**Chapter 15**

**Empirical Falls**

"Remember… we've got to do this fast. This is our last chance to grab our stuff!"

The sky was dark and cloudy the night a humiliated Seviper and Croagunk made their way back to their pillaged hideout. The previous day, word was officially out that a gang of thieves kept a den full of stolen goods south of Jesterville and right on the border of the Jaded Woods—thanks to a certain meddling resistance team—and come sundown of the next day, the thieves knew there'd literally be nothing left of it. Their last chance to salvage anything was in the darkness of the night, as the Watchers hovered in the sky.

With only three hours left until sunrise, the two arrived at the Empirical Falls.

"I don't see the point," the Seviper snorted. "The boss will have our hides for this! Have you even _thought_ about what we're going to tell him?"

"It's his own fault," the Croagunk mumbled, trying to find the path back to the cave. "If he'd been here, we could've taken down that stupid Scyther. He picked a real bad time to go on an errand…"

"Didn't have a choice," the Seviper replied. "Adiel called him away. Besides, it's _your_ fault this happened! Quit trying to pin the blame on someone else! There will be no twisting the truth when the boss gets back. I'm _not_ taking the fall for you. Not again."

"You could just run away, you know," the Croagunk suggested evilly.

"That's not a bad idea," the Seviper said, dripping with sarcasm. "What's the point of staying with—"

The sound of moaning came from below, cutting off the Seviper's masterfully-crafted insult. It was the voice of a ghost Pokémon lying in wait for a victim. The Seviper froze, waiting for the inevitable attack. The Croagunk shivered in anticipation.

A large Shuppet rose from the ground before them. With eyes glowing white, and a face of evil glee, it emitted a hiss and started bobbing through the air towards the Croagunk. He took a few steps backward, preparing a strike to defend himself.

But then, the ghost's moan echoed. The sound came from all around him.

"There's more than one," the Seviper warned, his voice fearful. "They're closing in…"

Another Shuppet popped out of the earth, directly behind the Seviper. Soon, three more emerged from the shadows, all glowing with dark energy. The ghosts hovered menacingly in the air, forming a tight circle around the thieves.

"Blasted Watchers," the Seviper spat. "Don't they know their allies when they see them?!"

"Apparently not this time," the Croagunk mumbled. "Get ready…"

The Seviper struck first. He uncurled violently and flung himself into the air, sending its bladed tail at the nearest ghost like a whip. The ghost fell back, disturbed. Then, all five of the ghosts dove inward at the intruders like hungry Carvanha to a feeding frenzy. The Seviper lurched in an attempt to strike away a ghost with its fangs, but the ghost dodged back and quickly countered, latching onto the Seviper's head. The Croagunk furiously punched at the ghosts, but most of his attacks passed straight through the bodies of the ghosts, who proceeded to throw themselves at him, the cursed dark energy leaking from them…

"No, you don't!" The Croagunk shouted as the Watchers swarmed him like flies. "Not today!"

With a loud croak, the frog Pokémon held his breath and focused on a well of dark energy in his chest, a power which was given to him upon induction into the Master's service. He prepared to use one of the techniques which had aided him many times in the past in defending himself against the Watchers. A small, shadowy ball of power formed between his hands…

"_Ugh! _Get _off!_" The Croagunk roared noisily as he released his power. A pitch-black pulse of shadow exploded from him, engulfing the Watchers. They shrieked as they were all flooded with dark energy, and soon went limp and faded away back into the ground.

"Meh heh heh, that'll show them," the Croagunk mumbled, rubbing his forehead and trying recover from almost getting cursed by the ghosts' power.

"The Watchers aren't supposed to even be watching this region tonight," the Seviper hissed in annoyance, picking himself off the ground. "Dumb ghosts."

"The Watchers go wherever they please," the Croagunk reminded. "It's not like we can tell them what to do."

The two rushed onward, and soon found their hideout. Not wanting to attract any more Watchers, they hurried inside. Croagunk lit a lantern, and the Seviper reeled in horror at everything the resistance team had taken.

"See?" Croagunk said with a ridiculously faked carefree tone. "Everything's still here!"

"_No!_" the viper shouted, slithering forward to examine the piles of stuff. "You _fool!_ Everything of value is gone! The scarves, the orbs, everything that's of use to us! The boss will be _outraged!_"

"Nonsense!" Croagunk scoffed, searching through the piles himself. "They left plenty of stuff. Like… oh, no!"

A horrified gaze now in his eyes, Croagunk dug through a pile of scraps, furiously shoving everything away.

"They didn't! They couldn't have! This is impossible! They…"

He reached the very bottom of the pile, the stone floor of the cave, and angrily smashed a nearby stack of scraps with a clenched fist. Something of glass shattered within it.

"…they took my feral-shard! Do you _know_ how hard those are to find?"

The Seviper didn't answer, instead just smirking at him with a "you deserve it" look upon his face.

"I was _this close_ to being able to evolve! Meh, you're right. We really blew it this time."

"_You _blew it," Seviper said again, angrily. "I wasn't the one who decided to be an _idiot_ and go out hunting during the day."

"Well, good evening to you both,"

At the sound of the new voice, both Pokémon spun towards the entrance of the cave. A large, menacing Dusknoir floated in.

"BOSS!" The two Pokémon yelled in unison, trying not to betray their nervousness.

"W-welcome back from your mission, boss!" the Croagunk stuttered.

"How was your mission with the Scizor? Did it go well?" added the Seviper.

The Dusknoir hung its faceless head, floating farther back into the cave. "No… it was a complete failure," it uttered. "I performed the _perfect_ unveiling. The single most accurate, most skillful unveiling in the history of the Master's reign. But it was undone by… the Scyther."

The Seviper and Croagunk cast worried glances at each other, their nervousness growing by the moment.

"Somehow, the Scyther knew about our plan, and he chose that one day to guard over his team members. Scizor and I had to back down."

Without further ado, the powerful Ghost unleashed his pent-up anger at the nearest wall. He punched with all his might, setting a huge hole in the rock and causing pebbles to fall from the ceiling.

"That wretched Scyther!" it growled angrily. "How can one Pokémon be so brilliant? How does he predict our every move, time after time? He's been a scourge in our sides for over a decade now. He is like a mastermind! Like… a human, almost! This must end! He must be brought to humility!"

The Dusknoir punched again, shaking the entire cave and causing a huge boulder to fall out from the wall and crush a nearby pile of stolen supplies.

"_Graaaaaaah!_" it yelled.

The Dusknoir stood still for a moment, looking down at the hole he'd punched in the wall. Seviper and Croagunk were, simply put, scared stiff.

But, just as suddenly as the ghost Pokémon's rage had appeared, it was gone.

"So, how were your days?" the Dusknoir asked in a surprisingly friendly tone. "Get very much accom-wait, what did you do with my Dusk Orb?"

"Dusk Orb?" Croagunk gulped. "I, uh, didn't do anything with it."

"I need it back, I wasn't done with it yet," the Dusknoir said. "It still had plenty of energy left in it. Someone must have moved it. It used to be right here, right next to the…"

Dusknoir froze again. He glanced around at the contents of the cave, then to his two teammates. He took immediate notice of the forced smiles spread across both of their faces, and the way their muscles twitched like they were about to run away as fast as possible.

"_**YOU FOOLS!" **_The Dusknoir raged, slamming its fists into the ceiling and causing more rocks to fall around. _"__**YOU WERE BLOWN OPEN, AND YOU THOUGHT I WOULDN'T NOTICE?! **__Can't I leave you alone for __**THREE DAYS**__? __**THREE DAYS? THREE DAYS, AND ALREADY WE'VE BEEN ROBBED?! ALREADY WE'VE LOST HALF OUR WORK?"**_

Croagunk tried to run, but the Dusknoir lurched forward and slammed him against the wall.

"_**WHAT HAPPENED? WHO DID THIS?"**_ It roared, seething with dark energy.

"I—I can explain!" the Croagunk pleaded. "It… the… the…"

"The Scyther attacked us," the Seviper admitted shamefully in place of his partner. "We'd just settled in for the day, when… They ambushed us from within the dungeon! The Scyther used a little Bulbasaur and a Charmander to trick us, and… he almost destroyed both of us. There was no way we could have fought back. Not without you here."

The Dusknoir dropped its captive.

"A Bulbasaur and a Charmander, you say?" it replied, the anger once again vanished from its voice, replaced with a calm and thoughtful tone.

"Yes, and it sounded like he was… training them. Leading them through the forest," the Seviper explained.

For a moment, Dusknoir was silent.

"Ha. Hah hah. Hah hah hah," The Dusknoir said, almost a faked laugh. "Hah hah. Hah hah hah hah! That's… that's funny. You see, those two were also with him during the unveiling. You're meaning to tell me that… the Scyther… not only did he attack you when I was away, and then put a halt on Scizor's operation _immediately afterwards_, completely uprooting us both _at the same time_, he's walking his students through the process as well? This is… this is his way of _schooling_ them?"

Croagunk started to join in the laugh, but Dusknoir fell silent again.

"We all know that the Scyther is brilliant," Dusknoir said, "But this… goes too far! Now he's just rubbing it in our faces. Heh, heh, heh! It's funny! I think it's time we've done something about this… this Scyther. I think it's high time we crack a plan that not even _he_ will see coming."

"But who can come up with a plan like that?" Croagunk wondered. "Not even Scizor has been able to do it yet!"

Dusknoir glided over to very, very back of the cave, where even the lantern didn't shine. Truth was, he wasn't all that upset about the hideout getting discovered… just so long as the one thing which mattered most to him was still there.

His arm becoming intangible, he reached it into the wall and felt around for a little pocket of air which he'd been keeping a secret even from his two minions. He was relieved to find it exactly where it was supposed to be. Eagerly, he yanked it out and looked it over: it was a small, round object of incredible value. His hands trembled as he held it.

"Remember what Scizor is always telling us," Dusknoir said evilly. "If your opponent doesn't know how strong you are, there's no limit to what you can do with them. And now… I think it's time to unleash one of our… hidden weapons."

"Bwuh?" Croagunk said, confused. "What's… that you're holding, boss? I don't remember stealing something like that."

"_**NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!**_" the ghost yelled suddenly. _"Besides, what __**ARE YOU WAITING FOR?**_ Start _**PACKING**_! We have to be gone by sunlight! _**GO!**_"

"Yes, master!" the two yelped in unison as they started scrambling around for things they could take with them.

* * *

**Division Base**

"_Get up!"_

_Ugh,_ thought Char, rubbing his forehead. _Do we have to get up like this every day?_

"I'm dead tired," Saura groaned, rolling over. "Can't we sleep for just a little while longer?"

"We don't have a choice," Scythe said. "The division's holding a meeting. We have to attend."

"A meeting!?" Char repeated in annoyance. "I wonder w— oh."

"Indeed," Scythe said. "_Something_ last night created quite a disturbance. So, first thing this morning, they're sounding the alarm to have a meeting. We need to get down to the grand hall."

Char felt sick, not just because he'd been up for several hours the previous night, but also because it scared him to even imagine what would be said at this meeting. Surely, they would be discussing the Call and its effects on the base. Would they find out he had it? It wasn't something very difficult to figure out. He _was_ one of the new kids sticking around with Team Remorse. Would he have to stand up before the entire division? Would he be ridiculed, or, far worse, have to spill the secret of his humanity?

This morning, instead of his usual zealousness, Scythe wore a frown as he ushered Char and Saura out of the room.

"This all could have been avoided if it weren't for Eva," he reminded them as they proceeded down the hall. "And now, I don't even know where she ran off to. I stayed up last night searching the entire place… couldn't find her. The registry claims she's still in the base somewhere, but… she might have fled."

"She _ran?_" exclaimed Saura in disbelief. "Because of all this?"

"It's because of her that we couldn't take the necessary precautions to prevent something like this from happening," Scythe said scornfully. "Now that she's seen her mistake, she's hiding so she won't have to deal with it. But she can't hide forever. She'll turn up. And when she does… she'll hear about it."

When they reached the end of the hall, a large group of Pokémon stood lined, talking amongst each other and waiting for their leader. Char realized that this was the first time he was able to see all of Team Remorse together, save for the few who were still out on the mission. On one side of the hall stood a Marowak, a Nidoking, a Feraligatr, and an Umbreon, and on the other, there was a Gabite, a Breloom, a Crawdaunt, and Ursa the Ursaring. As Char and Saura approached, the team looked down at them oddly.

"The teams will go down to the meeting in procession," Scythe explained quietly. "You'll have to be in back this time. Stick with Ursa."

"Morning, Team Ember," Ursa said. "Hard to tell what's going to happen today, you two. We've got to keep our fingers crossed that this doesn't all turn into a fiasco."

The murmuring stopped as Scythe stepped up to the front of the line and turned his attention to the entire team.

"Well, well," he said, addressing the team. "I can only think of one thing to say, and that's to be prepared for anything. At best, this could be a monumental occasion that we've finally found what we've been looking for. At worst… this could cast the entire division into schism. But _anything_ in between could happen."

_Wait,_ Char realized. _Does that mean Scythe told everyone about me? About the Call? I don't know whether to feel safer, or more nervous…_

"What will we do if it does destroy the division?" The Nidoking asked. "Have you thought about that?"

"I will make one thing clear," Scythe said, holding his head high. "I will _always_ fight the Master, regardless of what happens. Anyone who wants to stay at my side and keep Team Remorse alive, it's your choice."

"I'm not going anywhere," the Nidoking said firmly.

"I'm staying," the Gabite announced. "Got nowhere else to go, anyway."

"Let's all be honest with each other," the Umbreon spoke up. "There's no breaking up this team. Where Scythe goes, we go. Right?"

The team cheered their unanimous decision, although there was a clear streak of uncertainty in everyone's voice. When everyone was nice and collected, they opened the door and started their procession down to the lower levels of the base in two, orderly rows.

… … …

On the way down, all Pokémon, no matter how crammed the hallways were, cleared a path for Team Remorse. But as he proceeded with them, Char watched as all the Pokémon glared suspiciously at him, causing his stomach started to get tied in knots all sorts of knots. He could tell, just by looking at them all, that they probably knew the secret. It didn't take a psychic to tell that not everyone had gotten a good night's sleep, and that they all suspected what had caused it. Char did his best to stay hidden between Saura and Ursa until they reached their destination.

For the first time, Char got to see what it looked like for the Grand Hall, easily his favorite room in the entire base, to be filled. The simple beauty of the vast dish-shaped room, with its large, circular stair-steps, outer ring of torches, and gargantuan statues of the legendary dragons was now impossible to see, buried under hundreds, no, at least a _thousand_ Pokémon all filing into their seats and clamoring about not having slept well. Each and every Pokémon was grouped by team, with the more important teams near the front and the training teams at the back. It was the first time Char noticed all of the many special places for the irregular Pokémon to watch from, such large side-caves for the Onix and high perches for the Pidgeotto. Once more, Char couldn't tell whether to feel safe and sound with so many allies, or worried that his safety and sanity was about to be put into danger as soon as the meeting began. He felt his Ember churning like an upset stomach as he filed in near the very front row with the high-ranking resistance team.

"Wow," Saura said for the third time as he watched the seats quickly fill up by the bright orange light of the hundreds of torches on the wall. "This is… a _lot_… of Pokémon. This is like… a whole city. Just to see everyone in the same pace like this…"

"Yeah, the Gold Division is easily the biggest of the three," the Umbreon said from next to Char. "We've developed a habit of housing more refugees than we should, but, in turn, we've had the highest recruitment rate on record. The other divisions are more of the elitist type. Anyway, I don't believe we've met. Everyone calls me Raon."

"Hi, Raon," Char said, again trying to shake his hand before he realized the Umbreon didn't really have any.

"Of course, _you_ two need no introduction," he said. "You've only been here for a few days, but _everyone_'s talking about Team Ember! I think you're going to be even more popular than us!"

"Did Scythe… tell you about us?" Char asked carefully. "I mean, like…"

"Like you having the Call?" Raon said. "Of course he did. Last night, when he came back to the room, he woke everyone up and gave us all the news. But don't let that worry you! Team Remorse is on your side. Now we all know to look out for you."

Char was going to say something, but bit his tongue when he noticed that the entire room had gone dead silent. The murmuring stopped, and the rustling of feet and wings quickly faded out. Char turned his gaze to the center stage only a few feet in front of him. A Chatot fluttered onto the stage, followed by an Alakazam.

"This is it!" Saura whispered. "The meeting is starting!"

"Good morning," the Chatot announced to the entire audience. Even though he was so close, Char was surprised his voice was so loud.

"It's a trick of the architecture," Ursa whispered. "The ceiling is a giant dome, so you can hear voices from the stage anywhere in the room. That, and Alakazam likes to broadcast the words with Telepathy at the same time, so everyone can understand what he says."

"Thus begins the thirty-eighth grand convention of the Gold Division of the Great Resistance," the Chatot continued. "I apologize for the… sudden and inconvenient timing of such a meeting, but due to recent circumstances, we have much to discuss. So, without wasting any more time, it's my pleasure to introduce to you… your greatest servants, High Intelligence."

A procession of Pokémon climbed onto the stage and stood at Alakazam's side. First came a Slowking, apparently Dr. Orde from the hospital, then a Xatu, then finally, coming down from levitation, a mighty Metagross. With a gentle but enormous _crash_, its four limbs came to rest on the stage.

"There he is," Raon said. "Metagross. If the Gold Division had a leader, it'd be him. It never sleeps. It spends all day and all night reading records, and piecing together parts of the puzzles. It assigns most of the missions the Division accomplishes each and every day. Alakazam and Xatu are his assistants, and Dr. Orde is considered one of them, just because of his intellect. Together, they can see the entire division as a whole and make decisions regarding all of us."

Char held his breath as the Alakazam took to the front of the stage.

"First and foremost…," it spoke loudly, its voice echoing both audibly and mentally, "the issue that's on everyone's mind at this early hour… Late last night, at approximately three twenty-two A.M., by the human clock, there was… an epidemic amongst the entire division."

Voices arose from the audience, signifying their acknowledgement of his words.

"Over half of the members of the Gold Division awoke last night, almost instantaneously, and began to wander around the base in a state of half-consciousness."

More murmuring from the crowd. Char's heart escalated, but he took deep breaths and tried not to panic.

"There have been many rumors surrounding this strange occurrence," the Alakazam said, "but Metagross has determined the most likely cause…"

_Here it comes,_ Char thought. _The Call! The Call! This is it!_

"…An earthquake."

_Huh?!_

As the entire room came alive with uproar, Char glanced at Scythe. Shock covered his face, and so with the rest of the team.

"What?!" Scythe said, shaking his head. "Now… _This_, I didn't see coming…"

"Quiet, please!" Alakazam pleaded, silencing everyone. "Yes, yes, at about Three-twenty-one, a minor earthquake shook the base. It was only a three on the Diglett scale, but it would have been enough to awaken everyone from sleep and affect them subconsciously."

"It was the Call!" someone shouted from across the room. "The Call!"

"Quiet, Quiet!" Alakazam pleaded again, just before the uproar could restart. "While evidence suggests it could have been the Call, the likelihood of such an occurrence is simply… benign. Not only is a Call of such magnitude practically impossible, but the timing is not right. The last Call was only twenty-four years, six months, two days, and five hours ago, and according to Lucario's pattern, a call, indeed, one of such magnitude, would not have appeared for _at least_ another two years, five months, seven days, and sixteen hours. Keep in mind that these are not simply statistics, but _solid, proven scientific facts_."

"I… I don't believe what I'm hearing," Scythe said, completely incredulous.

"You don't think…" Ursa said. "You don't think this could be possible, do you?"

"I… wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it with my own eyes," Scythe muttered. "High Intelligence… is _lying_!"

"You might be wondering how this explains why everyone was somehow drawn to the quarters of Team Remorse. There is a very simple explanation for this: you all respect Team Remorse, correct? You all trust them as powerful allies, do you not? Well, in your states of half-consciousness, you sensed danger, and you fled to Team Remorse for protection, the same thing you would have done on a battlefield."

"It is difficult to believe, yes," the Xatu said calmly, "but… Metagross is rarely ever mistaken."

"Scythe!" the Feraligatr said softly. "You know, we _could_ put an end to this right here and now! Just shout out! You're in a position to do it!"

"It's no use," Scythe said. "If High Intelligence sees fit to lie like this, they already _know_ the truth, so there's no sense in arguing. Besides, this division trusts their words much more than us. Ugh… I bet those four brains of his took two seconds figuring out the answer and thirty minutes conniving a good lie to cover it up."

"Anyway, it is in the past," Alakazam continued, trying to calm the roaring crowd. "It does not affect us now. Now, we must move on to the second important issue on our agenda… Yesterday, after returning from a mission with his apprentices, as well as a few members of Team Stripes and one of Team Carrier, Scythe reported that he'd had an encounter with Adiel, the Scizor."

A gasp of horror rose from the room, followed by more muttering.

"Thankfully, Scythe and all five of his companions escaped with their lives and lived to tell the tale," Alakazam said. "But yes, it's very horrifying news that the Master has once again employed Adiel among his forces. The news could mean unforeseen trouble for us. Rest assured that Metagross has already begun to think about it. Since we got the news, he's been ceaselessly considering all possibilities of what the Master could be planning next."

"Due to these circumstances, I regret to announce… that… we must now place a twelve-day restriction on all training teams," Xatu said. "No training teams will be allowed to embark on missions until the restriction is lifted. We are… sorry for the inconvenience, and we know full well how far behind schedule this will put many of you, but… it is for your safety. Scythe's party only survived because of his presence. If their mission had been a routine one with no supervision… they would have not returned."

"I don't get it," Scythe stammered, not even listening to the new announcement. "Why? Why has this happened?"

"Obviously, Metagross thought it was the best course of action," Marowak said, fidgeting with his bone. "It's just like you said earlier, Scythe. Tell the truth, the division goes into schism. Lie… and it's a better outcome for everyone."

"Better outcome for everyone, my foot," Scythe rasped. "The Call could win the war. How is that _not_ the better outcome?"

"Maybe Metagross sees other unforeseen consequences that you can't comprehend," Marowak suggested.

"He's doing us a service, Scythe," the Feraligatr said. "They know the truth. We know the truth. But now, we'll just less attention over it."

"Yeah, don't worry about it," Ursa added. "Everyone who's important believes you. That's all that matters."

"This isn't the way it should have happened," Scythe insisted. "I don't care if it _is_ the better outcome. It doesn't feel right."

"Now, we must let our brethren of the resistance know about this news as well," Alakazam said. "Thus, I declare two missions: to send the warning of Adiel to the Black division, and to send the message to the Emerald division. Both missions are at the two-star level of risk, and have a bounty of four thousand Poké. These missions will become available at the registry as soon as this meeting adjourns."

"One thing's for sure," Scythe said. "I wish Daemon and the others were back. All of us need to have a serious discussion."

The rest of the meeting covered minor, silly issues which had obviously been thought up by Metagross to justify calling a meeting, such as a reminder to everyone not to allow their teams to get too big on missions.

"Hey, Char, you're dozing off," Saura hissed when Char's eyes stayed closed for too long, causing him to jerk back to attention. "So, that wasn't as bad as we thought, huh? The Call is still nothing but a rumor to the rest of the division."

Char, though, couldn't help but share Scythe's discomfort. If the Scyther's instincts told him that something wasn't right, something wasn't right, and it didn't make him feel any safer.


	18. Chapter 16: Keeping Busy

**Chapter 16**

The door closed behind Team Remorse as they returned to their private cave.

"I still don't understand," Scythe muttered to the group. "It just… doesn't make any sense. Why has intelligence done this to us?"

"It's a lie that makes sense to tell," the Crawdaunt said. "They didn't want the news of the Call to get out of hand, and now, they don't have to worry about it. It's a brilliant strategy… something you of all Pokémon should appreciate."

"Yes, I know that," Scythe said, staring at the floor. "But now, I can't help but wonder… has Intelligence ever lied to us before? I, for one, have trusted them unconditionally since our team was founded. Has it been a mistake?"

His words rang powerfully among the team. There was no response.

"Regardless," Scythe said suddenly, picking up his head and swinging a blade through the air, "This affair will… simmer. There will be no speaking of this to anyone. The last thing we need is to become an enemy of the Division. Raptor, you and Craw have your missions to do. I expect them to be done as usual."

"Of course," the Gabite said with a nod. "Though, you must excuse our… sloth. We had a long night."

"Ursa, Markov. Red Haven. Just like we discussed last night."

"No problem," the Feraligatr said. "Simple mission. We'll be back before lunch."

"Raon, I want you, Nidoroch, and Kyria to take the care of the Ravine Woodlands duty for today," Scythe said. "I have a feeling that mission isn't going to be a popular choice among the division."

"Sure thing," the Breloom said with a nod. Surprisingly, it was female.

"Marrow, you can hang around the base and give me a hand with the files," Scythe ordered. "In all the chaos, and without Shander here, I haven't finished with the records from yesterday. Intelligence will be wanting them as soon as possible."

"Lovely, paperwork!" the Marowak grunted.

"Good, now, be off," Scythe commanded, motioning to everyone. "Daemon and the others will be back this evening. Be prepared for the meeting."

Char and Saura watched as Team Remorse quickly dispersed to follow Scythe's orders.

"Oh, and you two," Scythe said, turning to Char and Saura. "No mission today. Stay at the base, get your rest. Oh, and just in case… try to keep a low profile. This isn't a day to be visiting with friends."

"Understood," Saura said.

"Oh, and just one more thing," Scythe said. "I also expect you two to be at the meeting tonight. When the torches turn red, make sure you are back here as soon as possible."

"I can't believe he wants us to attend the meeting," Saura sighed as he and Char wandered off to find ways to occupy themselves for the day. "It seems, you know, a little over our heads… But I guess he needs to train us like that…"

_I know why he wants me to be at the meeting,_ Char determined. _It's because this is all my fault in the first place. I'm the one who has the Call. Now, whether I like it or not, I've got to be involved in everything. And if this power can go off at any time, I've got to be ready for anything!_

As they walked through the base that morning, Char noticed how a lot of the other Pokémon gave him suspicious looks. It was _extremely_ unsettling. It made him want to crawl into a hole and cower there for hours on end.

"But, oh well, what can we do?" Saura wondered. "Actually, I'm surprised Scythe didn't say 'hey, two more stanzas!'"

"It's probably implied," Char speculated, trying to keep from making eye contact with anyone else "We can go and learn some more later today."

"Wow, this is pretty uncomfortable," Saura said quietly. "Everyone's just staring at us…"

"Yeah," Char said. "It's a shame Scythe took those mobile scarves away when we slept. I bet we could use them now."

"Hey, that's an idea!" Saura said. "Maybe we could buy some of our own! We might have money today from our first mission. Let's go to the treasury and check our account!"

… … …

Although it took a little work pushing through the morning crowds and standing in line, Char and Saura made it down to the treasury in one piece. Thankfully, most of the Pokémon were too preoccupied with getting ready for the day, forcing their way into and out of the cafeteria, to take much notice of them.

Surprisingly, the treasury was not at all crowded like the other locations on the floor. Only a few Pokémon lingered here and there, some holding big brown bags stuffed with something heavy. _Gold? _Char thought. _Or… Poké, as Shander called it? I wonder why there aren't more Pokémon here. Isn't money something important to the division?_

The lobby to the treasury was very ornate. The stone walls had been carved and colored to resemble bright red bricks. Four giant gold pillars were positioned near the corners of the room. In the center of the floor lay a huge red frilled rug laced with shiny, golden weavings of winged Pokémon. On the far end of the room, two giant rectangular windows were carved out of the wall.

"How can I help you?" asked a Persian on the other side as Char awkwardly approached the lower of the two windows.

"Uh… hi," Char squeaked. "We're Team Ember. We want to see how much we have in our account."

"Of course," Said the Persian, lowering its head behind the wall and searching for something. "I believe I remember you. Scythe opened the account just earlier this week. Ah, here it is. Your account holds… twelve thousand, seven hundred and eighty-four Poké."

"W-what?" Saura cried. "Are you sure that's ours? We can't have that much money already! We only accomplished one mission!"

"Very well," The Persian sighed, reaching down below the wall again. "I will show you your statement. Here. Tell me if anything seems amiss, and we will try to look into it."

The Persian produced a neatly folded sheet of paper and slid it across the window to Char. Char opened it, but of course, he couldn't read a word. All he saw was a list of numbers. He handed it to Saura, who slapped it down onto the floor and stared intently at it.

"Uh…" Saura said, scanning the statement. "Here's where our account was opened, and it started out empty. And here's where our first bounty was awarded. Retrieved stolen goods. Reward: four thousand, five hundred Poké! Oh, but Scythe took away eighty percent, leaving us with only twelve hundred… And… wait, what? Another bounty?"

He re-read the line, tracing over it with his paw.

"Reported enemy activity in Ravine Woodlands? Reward: nine hundred Poké!"

"Wow, and I thought we aborted the mission because of the Scizor!" Char said, mouth agape. "I just assumed it was a failure!"

"I guess it was technically a success!" Saura said with a smile. "After all, we did exactly what the mission objectives said to do. Wow, that feels good to know! Oh, but Scythe still took some of the reward. We only got five hundred and forty."

"Then where did the extra money come from?" Char wondered. "That only accounts for about two thousand."

"Hold on, I'm still reading," Saura said. "W—wha?! Donations? We're getting donations from other teams? Seventy from Team Stripes, Five hundred from Team Absolution? Two hundred from Team Duskhunter? And… oh, wow."

"What?!" Char pleaded. "What is it?"

"It says… High Intelligence: monetary grant: ten thousand Poké! Char, we really _are_ rich! High Intelligence gave us a ton of money! And… according to these records, it just happened less than a day ago. Wow! Char, I wonder, what can we buy with all this?"

_But why did High Intelligence give us that money?_ Char wondered. _To pay us off for lying? _

"Let's go to Kecleon's!" Saura said eagerly. "Maybe we can buy one of those scarves. Or two!"

"Is everything alright?" The Persian asked, stepping up to the window again.

"Yeah, we're great!" Saura said. "Now, how do we… withdraw our money? We want to go shopping!"

"Oh, that's not necessary," Persian explained. "You don't need to withdraw money unless you plan on using it outside of the division's base. If you just want to buy something from Kecleon's, or if you want to transfer funds to a different team, it can all happen behind the scenes. Now, to prevent theft, Kecleon demands that you send him the money beforehand. So, if you'd like to buy something from him, you'll have to transfer your funds to his account. If you don't use all the funds, you can ask him to send back the remainder, or simply keep it there until you wish to purchase something else."

"Uh… okay," Saura said. "So… uh… can we do that?"

"Certainly," the Persian said, flipping through the papers beneath the window. "How much do you wish to spend at Kecleon's?"

"Uh, I don't know how much things cost," Saura said. "How about… five thousand? That should be enough to buy something, shouldn't it?"

"Five thousand it will be, then," the Persian said, scratching something onto a slip of paper with his front claw and sliding it to Char. "Here, take this receipt. Kecleon only checks his account in the morning, so you'll have to show this to him if you want to buy something."

"Thank you!" Saura said.

"It's our pleasure," Persian said kindly. "I look forward to helping you again, Team Ember."

Saura was beaming. "C'mon, Char. Let's go buy something!"

… … …

"_FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND?"_

"Yes," Kecleon said. "I'm so very sorry for the extravagant price, but you, sir, have very expensive tastes. Mobile scarves are among the rarest and most valuable items in the land, and I've only got one, and I refuse to part with it for less than that."

Saura was speechless, and Char was just a little bit disappointed. Casting a sad glance up at the green reptilian Pokémon before him, Saura gave a hopeless shrug.

Kecleon's shop was filled with Pokémon trying to stock up on supplies for the day's journeys, and Char and Saura had to stand in line for over half an hour just to get in the door. Kecleon himself spoke fast and with urgency, as if to move the two along and help other customers, but his friendly, polite demeanor never wavered. He let his brother, a pink-colored Kecleon, help the rest of the customers as he spoke with the Team Ember.

"I'm so very sorry," the Kecleon said again. "Perhaps I could interest you in something else? If stealth is what you seek, I have several of the fabled invisify orbs! Just activate one, and you'll be invisible for up to a whole hour! Only fifty thousand each!"

"No, thank you," Saura sighed. "We can't afford those, either. Eh, and here I thought we were rich… I guess we've got a long way to go."

"Do you have anything for beginning explorers?" Char asked, trying to lighten the mood. "Something cheap and useful, you know, for general purposes?"

"Oh, but of course!" Kecleon said, walking quickly to a nearby shelf of clothes. "I am _made_ of that sort of merchandise! How about a Pecha scarf? Very popular with the new recruits!"

"What's it do?" Char asked.

"Prevents poisoning," Kecleon explained. "It's coated in a potent antidote made from Pecha Fruit. Wear one, and the antidote will constantly circulate through your system, rendering you as immune as a poison-based Pokémon!"

"That sounds like a really good idea," Char said. "I was poisoned once, it felt awful…"

"Well, with one of these, you'll never have to fear the poison ever again!" Kecleon said. "Or, how about this little item over here? The 'escape orb'! Incredibly vital for every Mystery Dungeon mission! Activate it within a dungeon, and it will instantly perform an unveiling, freeing you and all your allies from the dungeon's curse! This is the one thing you'll always want on hand, just in case something goes horribly wrong. Why, even the bravest and best of resistance teams bring one on every mission!"

Saura didn't look too impressed, but nodded kindly in reply. "What do you think?" he asked Char.

"We'll take them," Char decided. "One of those scarves and… three of those orbs."

"Very good!" Kecleon said with a smile. "The total will come to seven hundred Poké. You can take the items with you if you are in a hurry, or I can have them delivered to your storage later. It's your choice."

Saura requested the items be sent to storage, and Kecleon thanked them for their business and hurried to the next customer in line, apologizing for the wait. Team Ember left the shop feeling strangely unsatisfied.

"Just wait and see," Saura said. "We'll become so great, that one day, we'll _buy_ that mobile scarf! Yeah! And a bunch of those invisible orbs, too!"

"Well, that was a good waste of an hour," Char groaned. "Now, I wonder if Domo's available? I'm starting to feel like some exercise…"

… … …

When Char and Saura entered the dojo, they were greeted by the sight of a mighty Charizard spewing flames into the air, lighting the torches to open for the day. Char was once again awed at the sight of his future form, and suddenly felt the desire to train rushing back to him. His heart melted at the thought of having wings, and the absolute freedom which came with them.

"Oh, early birds, are we?" Domo hummed upon seeing them. "Of course, we were all rudely awakened this morning… But anyway, congratulations, you're still my first visitors of the day! Come to practice?"

"Yeah," Saura said. "We're banned from doing missions today, and for another whole week, too. We're trying to find ways to keep busy."

"Well, I can keep you busy for a few hours," Domo said proudly. "If you must know, I've been training ceaselessly with my Charizard form for the past two days, all because of you! Are you ready to learn some more techniques?"

"You bet!" Char shouted.

In just a moment, Domo had finished lighting the torches and was now a perfect copy of Char, ready to begin the demonstration. Saura retreated from the platform, giving the two combatants some room…

"So, have you been practicing with your fire?" Domo asked. "You should have the hang of things by now. Have you learned how to summon it at will?"

"Mostly, yeah," Char answered, not fully honest. While he had been getting better at it, his fire had been weak at best, and he knew he still needed a lot of training if he wanted to fight with the best of Pokémon.

"Good," Domo said. "Now, I will teach you a couple advanced techniques you can perform by skillfully manipulating your fire. First… prepare your Ember for battle!"

Char tried to do as instructed. He recalled some of the more annoying memories he'd experienced over the past few days. He remembered the Chikorita in the ravine, how it so cleverly splashed him with water… just to annoy him…

…and the Scizor that would have effortlessly crushed his skull into pieces, had his trainer not been there to help him…

It worked. His fire rose to his aid, ready to be spewed forth.

"Is that all?" Domo asked. "How weak. You need lots more practice. When you're _really_ serious about battle, your tail flame should grow larger than you are, and it should even change from red to blue, then from blue to white. Well, of course, that can't happen while you're in this base, but still. Your fire is inadequate."

Char looked back at his flame. It was now roughly half his size, and still didn't look too terribly violent. He felt a little ashamed of himself, but the desire to better himself only grew.

"Nevertheless, this will do for the first lesson," Domo barked. "Now, here's what I want you to do. I want you to spit a small ball of fire at me, just like you normally would to an enemy."

Char focused. He felt as the fire slowly rose up his throat. Soon, it teetered on the edge, the urge to spew it becoming unbearable…

"BUT!" Domo suddenly shouted. "_Just_ before the fire leaves your mouth, I want you call it off! Hold it back! Cancel the attack at all costs! Understand? Now, go! Breathe! Prepare for the attack, then stop it!"

_Ugh… this isn't going to be pleasant,_ Char thought, wanting badly to relieve himself of the pressure.

Char cringed. Finding a spark of courage, he took a deep breath—the deepest he could possibly manage—then let it out.

But at the last moment, Char shut his muzzle tight, preventing any fire from escaping. At once, tiny little flames burst from his nostrils, and a terrible pain shot through his throat and stomach like he was about to explode…

Char coughed. It wasn't a painless cough, but a cough that felt like a claw tearing through his chest. He simply could not hold it back. Immediately, another cough followed, then a third. Char dropped to the ground, tears streaming from his closed eyes, as his lungs erupted over and over with painful spasms…

"Char!" Saura cried. "Are you okay?"

Char heard the voice, but couldn't answer. Instead, he coughed again, releasing a long, whistling wheeze that squeezed his lungs for all they had.

With each violent exhale, another pitch-black could of smoke was released into the air. When Char was finally starting to recover and open his eyes, he noticed that he literally could not see two inches in front of his face.

"And that's it!" Domo exclaimed, trying to fan the smoke out of the way. "That technique is known as the _Smoke Screen_. With it, you can fill the air with smoke and reduce the accuracy of your enemy's attacks. Also, being a creature of fire, _you_ have a distinct advantage in a room filled with smoke… as you can breathe it freely like air… but your opponent may not be so lucky."

"Does… -_cough-_ does it… _-cough, cough-_ always have to be this painful?" Char hacked.

"Of course not," Domo said. "As you train, you will learn to bring your fire up to just the right level, and hold back at just the right time to release the smoke without injuring your lungs. It takes practice, but trust me, it's a skill you really want to learn…"

As the smoke spread and filled the whole room, Saura started coughing as well. But the smoke cleared soon after as it hit the ghost-flames on the ceiling and walls, somehow getting filtered by them. In only a minute, the air was as clear as always.

"Next, I have another skill to teach you," Domo said after transforming into Charizard. "Ah, look. Your flame has even grown! I knew your first attempt at producing a smoke screen would leave you annoyed. Perfect! Now, the technique I am about to teach you is a difficult one, and will become mountains easier once you evolve, but with a little bit of effort, you can learn it as a Charmander. Now… ready your fire!"

_He doesn't have to tell me that, _Char thought, still trying to recover from the painful experience. _He… he deserves a giant fireball to the face for making me do that. Yeah! I'll show him weak! _

Char clenched his fists, trying to act as offended and vengeful as he could manage, to fuel his fire even further…

"Ready?" the Charizard growled. "This time, don't hold back! Release your fire with all your might!"

Once again, Char focused. His fire was so much more powerful this time, flowing easily like a river of lava within him as it oozed up into his throat.

"BUT!" Domo boomed. "When your lungs have completely deflated, do _not_ cease your attack! Just keep pushing as hard as you can! Do you understand? Keep going, even when you think you are out of power!"

Char couldn't wait for Domo to finish talking. With a great _fwoosh_, he spewed fire at the Charizard's belly. And held.

_Whoa!_ Char realized as the flames kept coming from his mouth. _I didn't know I could do this! I'm… sustaining the flame! How long can I keep this up?_

Soon, his lungs were completely empty, but Char kept on pushing. The flame didn't even waver. For the first time, Char realized that maybe his Ember wasn't even controlled by his lungs in the first place. He wondered if there was a different, unseen organ in his body responsible for the attack. As long as he kept his mouth open, the flames just kept on coming…

The Charizard suddenly leapt out of the way of the fire, and something incredible happened. Char saw his fire fly several feet across the room!

Upon seeing the power of his attack, Char had to finally cut himself short. He took a deep breath to recover from the imminent suffocation.

"And _that_ technique has been dubbed 'The _Flamethrower_'!" Domo explained to the wide-eyed Charmander. "Its magnitude is limited only by the level of your Ember's arousal. Its duration is limited only by how long you can hold your breath. You cannot spew fire and inhale at the same time, you see. But your Ember is ceaseless, and once the attack has been triggered, it will not stop until you cut it off!"

"That's awesome!" Char yelped once he regained his breath. "But… it's tiring!"

"Yes, indeed, it is tiring to use your fire," the Charizard said. "That's why you would normally just use the basic Ember attack when your enemy is weak, to conserve strength. Also, once you evolve, your body will become greater and stronger, able to withstand much more exertion than now, and your lungs will be able to hold more air. Your fire attacks will become… truly devastating."

The more Char thought about it, the more he couldn't wait to become Charizard. His mind drifted back to that feral-shard that he'd held a few days earlier, and wondered if it were still in storage.

"Now, just between you and me, when you evolve into Charmeleon, come see me _immediately,_" Domo hissed. "I don't yet have a Charmeleon transformation."

"Wow, Domo!" Saura cried in amazement, approaching the Charizard. "Got any new techniques to show me?"

"Sorry, Saura," Domo said, shaking his head. "Like I said, I've been spending all my time as Charizard lately. But I promise, next time, I will be prepared with new techniques for you."

"Aww, okay," Saura said.

"Well, that's all I have to show you at the moment," Domo said. "Practice these new techniques well. If you use them properly, you might one day find yourself undefeatable!"

"Oh, we will!" Saura said happily. "I'll make sure Char gets plenty of practice. Just make sure you have those lessons ready for me!"

The lesson coming to an end, Char and Saura bowed to their combat trainer. Char started to experience the twinges of a feeling he never thought he'd have: true self-confidence. Using these new attacks, he knew he could count on himself to perform well in battle. It was a very pleasant, invigorating feeling. He wished for nothing but more of it.

"Glad I could help!" Domo shouted as they started to leave. "See you later, Team Peanuts!"

Char and Saura stopped in their tracks. They turned around oddly to see the Charizard with a gleaming smile on his face.

"What?" Saura blurted.

"Team _Peanuts_," the Charizard repeated, smiling even wider.

"You know we changed our name, right?" Char said.

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I know," the Charizard said, a slight giggle sneaking its way into his voice. "But… I just can't help but laugh whenever I hear that name. It's a shame you abandoned it when you did. Team _Peanuts_! Truly, a brilliant name!"

To Char's surprise, Domo began to chuckle.

As he did, parts of his Charizard body started to glow bright white, as if it were transforming, yet trying to resist the process. Its legs wobbled, growing and shrinking in size, and its wings and arms briefly turned the color of purple. Its face distorted and flattened, becoming a weird, almost nightmare-inducing blob of flesh.

"Right, Ditto can't hold their forms when they're laughing," Saura said to Char, rolling his eyes. "But seriously, I still don't see what's so great about that name. Why'd everyone like it? It's the worst team name there could ever be!"

Domo soon composed himself, and was able to revert back to his Charizard form. He concentrated and was able to keep from laughing, yet the smile stayed stuck to his face.

"You have to understand something," the Charizard said. "I don't know if you've realized it yet, but life on the resistance force is brutal. Every day we wake up, we have to cope with the fact that we chose this as our vocation, to fight as soldiers in a never-ending war against impossible odds. Pokémon die every day in defiance of the Master. And for what? They'll never know. We'll never know. There may come a day when the Master will finally fall. We'll never see it. And it's not going to be my doing, or yours, but the work of the truly great ones like Scythe. We're all just here to support them, really, doing our little parts to keep the world running… And every day, we have to just keep getting up and doing it again, and finding ways to… keep smiling."

"…Oh," Saura said. "So… it was good, because… everyone laughed at it?"

"It put a smile on everyone's face, yes," the Charizard said warmly. "And it made us laugh. You have to understand, we weren't laughing at you, but with you. Knowing that you chose that sort of name made us all respect you ever the more, and it gave us a little bit of joy as we went through our day. I, for one, pictured you becoming a great team such as Team Remorse, and keeping the name; that would have taught the Master to mess with peanuts!"

"Well, for the record, we didn't choose the name in the first place," Saura said flatly. "The secretary did, because we couldn't think of one."

"Ah, of course," the Charizard said, trying to hold back another laughing fit. "I suspected as much. You see, this sort of thing has happened before… Jay has a knack for making the best names. Several years ago, she registered a… a… 'Team Dumb Bunny'…"

That was it; he couldn't take any more. Domo erupted into laughter again, causing entire chunks of his form to fade into a purplish ooze. Char had to look away; watching involuntary transformation made his stomach retch.

"Well, let's go find something else to do," Saura suggested, rolling his eyes again at the Ditto.

… … …

When Team Ember decided to head for the mess hall for lunch, they were surprised to find it still pretty full, even though it was long past time for all the teams to be busy with their daily activities…

_It's because of the ban,_ Char realized. _These are all training teams who can't be on missions today. Just like us._

"Hey, I wonder if Team Stripes is here," Char wondered. "Maybe we could—"

"No, no," Saura said quickly. "Remember what Scythe said. No conversing with friends today."

_Right_, Char remembered. _I almost forgot—we're still in the center of a huge controversy. Don't want to attract attention until this all blows over._

So, without saying a word to anyone else, Char went to go stand in line. Thankfully, the Pokémon around him seemed friendly to him, greeting him only with respectful smiles. He wondered if it was because they were all children on training teams who didn't quite comprehend the gravity of the mood that day.

"Everyone likes lunch!" the Bellossom cheered as it passed Char a tray of food and drinks. "Lots of mouths to feed today! Enjoy your food!"

_Applesauce?_ Char wondered, looking at the food.

Without incident, Char gathered enough food for himself and Saura and returned to their table, one positioned inconspicuously in the room's far corner.

"How are you supposed to eat this without getting it all over you?" Char wondered, setting the food down and staring at the big mountain of golden substance in the middle of his plate.

"What's wrong with getting it all over you?" Saura asked. "That's normally what happens when you eat…"

Char crossed his arms. "Well, where I come from, that's considered rude," he said. "Humans have these things called—"

"Hey, guys!"

Char turned to see three Pokémon quickly approaching their table. It was Team Stripes. Ray, Taka, and a Meowth surrounded them, and Leo quickly brought up the rear.

_Great,_ Char thought, his stomach upturned. _Okay, nothing bad will happen if we don't say anything stupid. Just be friendly..._

"Hi, Ray," Saura said, clearly with the same uncertainty as Char. "How's your day going?"

"Boring!" Taka answered, sitting down to the table. "I can't believe we're stuck at the base for a whole twelve days. This is going to be a long two weeks… It's hard to find ways to keep yourself busy."

"We know," Char said. "We've been trying all morning."

"Did you really see the Scizor?!" Ray asked excitedly. "What was he like? Did Scythe battle him? I still can't believe I wasn't there! I would have given _anything_ for just one day out with Scythe like that!"

"Raaay!" the little Shinx whined. "We were there too, remember? We told you about this ten times!"

"Yeah, he never gets tired of hearing the story," Taka said, rolling her eyes. "And he's also never going to forgive himself for passing off the Ravine Woodlands duty to me."

"Well, I think you're lucky you weren't there," Saura said. "Scythe says we could have died."

"Nah, I really doubt it," Ray said. "Not with Scythe there with you. I still wish I was there."

At a pause in the conversation, Char took the opportunity to start on his food. Hesitantly, he lowered his mouth down to the plate and ate like an animal, getting the sweet, sticky substance all over his muzzle. When he looked up, he was surprised that none of the other Pokémon thought weird of the behavior. He wiped his mouth with his arm.

"So… guys," Ray said, lowering his voice. "Is it true? Do you have the Call?"

A lump formed in Char's throat. This was _exactly_ the sort of thing Scythe didn't want happening.

"Uh, we don't really know," Saura lied. "I just thought it was an earthquake."

"Eathquake, shmeathquake!" the Meowth spoke. "Have you _seen_ High Intelligence lately? They've been going nuts!"

"He's right," Taka said. "I heard that High Intelligence has been acting really weird ever since the big night last night. Even Dr. Orde really isn't himself today. We're starting to think the whole earthquake thing was just a cover-up."

"Uh, well, there's really no way we can tell for sure," Char said. "I mean, Scythe thinks it's the Call, but… well, it's not like we can tell what it was. We were asleep!"

"Then it _has_ to be the Call!" Ray said. "Scythe's instincts are _never_ wrong. That's why you're with him in the first place! He knew it from the moment he first brought you here."

Saura cast a mean glance at Char. Char bit his tongue.

"Hey, you two," Ray said quickly. "You know, you don't have to worry about us, right? We're on your side. We're not going to go blabbing your secret to everyone. That's not what friends do."

"Yeah! My lips are sealed!" Leo proclaimed.

"Our lips are all sealed," Ray said with a nod. "But… it's crazy. I've just been thinking about this all day… I think that big things are about to happen here. It'll be a real honor to be witnessing it."

Char's tongue was tied in many knots; he had no idea what to say. All he knew was that it was going to be a long two weeks.


	19. Chapter 17: A Meeting of Minds

**Chapter 17**

"C'mon, Char… you can do it! Think!"

Saura was almost ecstatic. They'd spent the last three hours in the white room, memorizing the Creed… and it was all about to pay off. Char leaned his head against the wall, racking his mind for that last handful of words…

"C'mon, Char!" Saura begged again, his excitement wavering a little. "This isn't too hard! We don't have to start all over again, do we?"

After nearly two whole minutes of silence, Char lifted his head and cast a beaming smile at Saura. "Futile is our attempt to… turn and reverse the past!"

"_Yes!_" Saura shouted, jumping in the air. "Char, we did it! We memorized the whole thing! Wow, isn't Scythe going to be thrilled?"

"That wasn't so hard after we found the rhythm," Char agreed. "That really wasn't so hard at all."

There were many other Pokémon feverishly studying the Creed in the little white room that day, mostly due to the training team restriction. They all gave Team Ember a weird look as Char and Saura shared a little hug.

Char really felt good about himself. For once, the Creed didn't feel like some bulky baggage in his head, like trying to carry the bag of supplies through a dungeon. He felt it ingrained in his memory like a catchy tune. Knowing the whole creed made him feel a little stronger, as if he'd just evolved; now, he was ready to take on just a little bit more of the world than before. For once, he started to feel as if he were a part of a _real_ resistance team.

"What will we do to celebrate?" Saura asked eagerly, pacing around the room. "Should we go show off to Scythe? Or maybe to Gate! Let's leave the base for the first time, and then—"

Suddenly, the room's light changed color. The Pokémon all yelped in surprise, muttering to themselves as they glanced up at the now-red torches on the walls.

"What?!" Saura cried. "Already? It can't be! It doesn't feel late yet! You can't tell me we just spent a whole day!"

"Time flies when you're having fun," Char suggested. "Come on, Scythe's waiting for us. We have to attend a meeting."

… … …

Char and Saura hurried up to Team Remorse as fast as they could. When they arrived, Char eagerly rapped on the front door.

"Hey, Scythe!" Saura called. "Scythe, guess what we learned!"

The door slid open, but it wasn't Scythe standing on the other side; a very displeased-looking Houndoom stared back at them.

"…Oh," Saura said suddenly. "Uh… good evening, Daemon. Welcome back."

Daemon didn't look impressed. The hound was clearly worn out from his two-day venture, and it showed in his eyes. Char guessed he wanted badly to sleep, but Scythe had insisted he stay awake for the long-awaited meeting.

Saying nothing, the hound turned and left. Char and Saura followed soundlessly, sure to close the door behind them on the way in.

"So, everyone's here?" Scythe grunted authoritatively as Daemon led Team Ember into the war room. "Good, good. It's a bit daunting how much we have to discuss tonight. You three missed too much."

"Well, it'd better be important," Daemon growled, sitting down near the front of the table. "And I don't see why we had to wait for these children."

"You have _no_ idea," Ursa told him.

The war room, tiny as it was, was packed. The members of Team Remorse were crowded around the rectangular table at the center of the room, with Scythe and Daemon near the front and the rest standing in two ranks down the sides. Scythe motioned for Char and Saura to take their places at the very end. Trying his best not to be intimidated by the whole scene, Char obeyed.

"Now, first off," Scythe said, standing up at the front of the table, "The status at the canyon."

"…It's going as expected," Daemon said. "The tunnels are completed. The citizens are prepared. Settlement is in two weeks."

"Nothing went wrong?" Scythe asked forcefully. "They're all prepared for the settlement?"

"If you would have been there, you could have seen for yourself," Daemon growled. "But no, nothing went wrong. _Everything_ is according to plan. All that's left is for you to do _your_ part when the time comes."

"Good," Scythe said. "It's what I wanted to hear."

Char cast a glance at Daemon. His eyes were bloodshot, and he looked as though he was ready to collapse onto the table right then and there. His teeth were partially bared, as if he was struggling to stomach the grating sound of Scythe's voice.

"Here, though, things haven't been so fortunate," Scythe said, lowering his voice. "Adiel is out."

Shander and the Exploud gasped.

"Oh, my," Shander muttered. "This adds a twist into things…"

"No!" Daemon snorted. "Where? Who spotted him? I heard some rumors that he'd been spotted at the canyon, but I wrote them off…"

"Do not write it off," Scythe warned. "He _was_ at the canyon. And he _was_ here. I know… I saw him with my own eyes. While I was taking these two on a routine mission to the Ravine Woodlands… he came."

Daemon's mouth hung open. "So… he targeted the Ravine?" Daemon repeated, a measure of humility entering his voice. "That doesn't make sense."

"Indeed, it doesn't," Scythe said. "When we spoke, he claimed that he was simply trying to pick off some easy prey. But I suspect something greater is at hand here. Metagross is currently focused on this issue. We will have to wait for his thoughts on the matter. But if you ask me, it looks like… he's trying to create some sort of a diversion."

Daemon's face had changed at the news, like someone had struck him in the heart. Char knew why; Daemon had realized that, if he had it his way and sent out the team all on their own, it would have been a big mistake.

"Did you see this coming?" Daemon demanded. "Is that why you insisted on protecting the children?"

"In the back of my mind, I suspected Adiel might have been somewhere behind the conflict at the canyon. It seemed like his style," Scythe said. "But if I told you I predicted just what would happen, I would be lying. But there was something in the air lately, and it didn't make me feel comfortable."

"In that case, I expect that you've requested at _least_ a seven-day hold on the trainees?" Daemon snorted. "Wouldn't want anyone to get hurt."

"_Twelve_ days," Scythe responded, "Just to throw them off this time."

Daemon slouched back, defeated. Char couldn't quite tell if it was in humility, or just exhaustion.

"What do we do?" Shander asked. "We can't keep a constant watch over Basin Canyon for the next few weeks, can we?"

"With Adiel afoot, we have to," Scythe said. "We don't have a choice. A well-placed strike could ruin our months of hard work."

"But there's no time! The Red Haven mission could be at stake as well!" Craw noted, pounding a pincer on the table.

"Right, we still haven't found the perpetrators," Markov the Feraligatr reported. "We need more forces there if we want to get this done before the Master crushes us."

"And we've got to focus on the base if we care for the safety of the division," Ursa noted. "If Adiel pops up somewhere else, we've got to _be_ here."

"Hmm," Scythe hummed, staring down at the table in thought. "There's got to be a solution to this. I get the feeling Adiel's trying to pull something… and we've got to pay attention of we want to catch it."

"Hey, some of us could pull double-duty," Raon suggested. "We could stagger our missions so that we're always in both places at once."

"Just like the Aero Cliff mission?" Ursa said. "Might work. That was a little tiring, though."

"Please, do _not_ bring up that mission," Daemon growled, shaking his head. "We were all living corpses by the end of the week. It was almost a complete failure!"

"But we _did_ pull it off," Raon said. "We could do it again!"

"We were _lucky_," Daemon said. "I thought Aero taught us a lesson. We can't rely on _luck_. We only succeeded because the Brutals underestimated us and launched only five squads to assault us. If there'd been six… or even five and a half…"

The entire team fell silent, taking Daemon's words to heart. Char could barely follow along, but he started to understand how much effort the team put into their work.

"I've _got it!_" Scythe announced, triumphantly slamming his blades down on the table. "We get help."

"Help? From who?" Nidoroch shouted in surprise. "Team Dread? Team Entei? You don't think they'd be up to this, do you?"

"Team Absolution," Scythe said firmly. "They'd be the most reliable choice. They just finished their last mission, and they haven't accepted a new one yet. Last I saw, they were just running errands for the division."

Daemon snarled disapprovingly. "Team Absolution is a handful of brainless juggernauts," he said. "With all due respect, they couldn't strategize their way out of a box! You expect them to hold their own on this venture?!"

"Hold their own, no," Scythe said. "They'd accompany us and give us the increased headcount we need. We'd still be directing the venture."

"It wouldn't be very good publicity," Daemon noted. "I can't remember the last time we asked for help. It would make us look like we've spread ourselves too thin and succumbed to bad judgment."

"Well, we haven't," Ursa said. "We've spread ourselves just right, just like always. It's Adiel who's screwed it all up. With him in the picture, our hands are suddenly too full. I think the division will understand—they even announced the whole situation at the meeting this morning."

"In that case, I would have to agree," Daemon said. "It would be a good move. Fine, alright. We get help."

"Would they be accompanying us to the settlement at Basin Canyon, then?" Shander inquired.

"I don't see why not," Scythe said. "I think their strength would make a good addition to our efforts there. Daemon—do you think you could take over Red Haven once Team Absolution is on board? Think you could lead them down the road?"

"My pleasure," Daemon said.

"And I guess that leaves me with the canyon," Scythe said. "If Adiel shows up there… I could thwart him, especially if Team Absolution's here to help."

"So, good enough?" Shander sighed. "Problem solved? I'm a bit tired, myself…"

Char was quite impressed at the team's problem-solving skills. Through an open forum, and input from multiple team members, they'd quickly arrived at a solution to a dire problem. One day, Char would have to be the one making decisions for his own team. It was a scary thought, but if Scythe was the one teaching him, he'd probably turn out alright. Char knew that this ability would only come with more skill and experience, especially the kind which Scythe possessed.

"Since we're here, there _is_ another issue I'd like to bring up, if I may," Daemon said, assuming his serious posture once more. "About these children. Team Ember…"

The entire team, save for those who still didn't know the truth, held their breath. Char did as well, sensing that the focus of the meeting had just shifted to him.

"Oh, I was just getting to that," Scythe said, taking a deep breath. "You see, when I said that something was in the air… I suppose I could have been a little more specific. Daemon, Shander, Brock… I would like to announce… that we have uncovered the Call."

Char still felt a little nervous as the whole team turned to fix their eyes on him and Saura. He gulped.

"What?!" Daemon spewed.

"The Call…" Shander said, his eyes full of awe. "Which one? Which one has it?"

"Char does," Scythe said with a gleaming smile.

"How… how powerful is it?" Shander asked, simply stunned. "Is it… just as we expected?"

"It's more powerful than we could have imagined," Scythe said. "Just last night, he woke the entire base. The _entire base_. The entire base was on our doorstep last night. All because of him."

For a moment, there was silence. Daemon's jaws were closed tight, and a faraway look hovered in his eyes. He was speechless.

Shander backed away from the table, then approached Char with a sort of awe and reverence that could barely be contained. Char bit his tongue as the Sandslash stood over him, examining him with his black, beady eyes…

"There was a meeting this morning to address the… issue," Scythe explained.

"You've done it," Shander interrupted, placing a claw on Char's head. "Scythe, you've done it! I never thought it would be possible, not now, but you've done it. You found the Call. It's here. It's finally here! But… Eva…"

"Eva was a fitly liar," Scythe said simply. "Eva lied about checking him… and she missed the only diamond in the sand. But here he is, right in front of us… the living legend!"

"I never imagined you would do it…" Shander continued, starting to smile. "I can't believe I didn't believe you. You _did _hear it! And…what now? What can we do now? How do we… deal with this?"

"That's the other thing," Scythe said. "At the meeting this morning… High Intelligence…"

Suddenly, a sound echoed through the room. It was the sound of a knocking. Scythe silenced himself and glanced at the door, looking very surprised.

"Uh… is someone here?" Ursa wondered. "One, two, three… yep, all twelve of us… and Team Ember, too…"

"Who could have the audacity to bother us now?" Daemon growled. "It's almost after-hours!"

"Oh, by Arceus, is it happening _again_?" Raptor the Gabite groaned, holding his face in his claws. "Not again, please…"

"No, no," Scythe said. "Believe me, if this was the Call again, I would have heard it. Somebody! Ursa! Get the door!"

Ursa hurried out of the war room to open the team's front door, while everyone else waited nervously to see who, of all Pokémon, could be visiting them at such a strange hour…

When Ursa returned, he wore an expression of wordless surprise.

"What was it?" Scythe asked him.

Ursa didn't answer. Instead, he simply stood in the hallway and gestured into the war room. To everyone's surprise, a Xatu filed into the room, followed by an Alakazam.

"It's High Intelligence!" Saura hissed to Char.

"Good evening, Team Remorse," The Alakazam said respectfully as Ursa closed the door behind them. "Scythe, if we may, we would like to have a word with you and your team."

For a moment, Scythe looked afraid to say anything. The Alakazam spoke with extreme authority and urgency; Scythe knew nothing he could have said would have made a difference. Although he was clearly displeased at the sudden intrusion on his team's meeting, he gestured kindly to the guests and conceded his position at the front of the table.

"Of course," Scythe said simply. "It's an honor to have you here. The floor is yours."

"The honor is all ours, Scythe," the Alakazam said, standing at the head of the table and staring down the team. "Because of you, a new era in the resistance has begun."

_What's going on?_ Char wondered. _Are they going to apologize to us for lying?_

"As you probably know," the Alakazam said, "the disturbance last night was _not_ caused by an earthquake, as we might have suggested earlier today at the gathering. It was undeniably, unmistakably, the Call. Of course, you have probably figured this out by now. We have come here tonight because we wanted to clarify our position to you. You, Scythe, and your team have always been one of our division's greatest assets, and we do this because we would like, despite recent developments, to continue to have your complete trust."

Char looked into Scythe's eyes. He was annoyed at the words, bordering on infuriated. He figured that the psychic Pokémon, of course, probably picked up on this as well.

"Yes, we knew," Scythe said lightly, controlling his temper. "But why was it necessary to lie? What was wrong with telling everyone what they probably already knew? Now, the base is divided between those who agree with you and those who do not."

"I wanted to announce the news," the Alakazam said. "It was my intention to do so when I first called the meeting. But Metagross didn't agree. It ordered me to cover up the news with a fabrication of truth. Despite the moral ambiguity of such an act, I knew it would have been foolish to disobey him."

Scythe didn't respond, but he still smoldered on the inside. The Alakazam walked over to the confused little Charmander, his hands folded behind his back, as a short silence hung in the air.

"We know how you've been searching for the Call," Alakazam said, glaring down at Char much in the same way that Shander had done earlier. "But we also know, now that you've found it, you still are unable to comprehend its power, its effect on our very surroundings. Metagross insisted that, if the news of the Call were to become public… the division's members would be split in a much direr manner. They would, too, be unable to grasp the Call's power… its gravity… and, in doing so, may make decisions the division would regret."

"What do you want us to do?" Scythe demanded politely. "Do we pretend to be oblivious to the whole matter? For how long?"

"Do not take us wrongly, Scythe," the Xatu said. "The Call can, and will, tilt the balance of the war. But… it will only come in due time. Alakazam and I… have begun a new leg of research dedicated to this phenomenon. We… have been recovering and reading all the earliest records of the Call and its effects. Once we obtain a deeper understanding of its power… it is our intention to announce our findings to the division at large. But… until then… we must trust Metagross that it is best to be dishonest."

"All attempts to measure the magnitude of this Call have been unsuccessful," Alakazam continued. "It has surpassed any scale we thought we had. It is indeed possible that a legendary may have heard it. What we are dealing with… is, for the time being… above our heads."

Alakazam knelt down to Char's level, examining him from head to toe. Char was so nervous that he felt he would die from hyperventilation, but as the Alakazam looked him over, he felt a sudden feeling of relief come over him, subduing his vibrating nerves and helping his spinning head come to a rest. Char knew that the feeling was coming from the Alakazam.

"It is you, isn't it?" The Alakazam said, smiling warmly.

"Y-yes," Char replied.

"You may not yet understand it, but the world's balance now rests in your hands," The Alakazam said softly. "We want your trust. Let us help you to understand and use your power. Will you do that?"

"Yes."

"Good," said the Alakazam. "You are in good hands here with Team Remorse. Let them continue to guide you, and we will do all we can to uncover the secrets of the Call. With your cooperation, Charmander, and yours, Scythe, we could bring about changes the world has never seen."

"As has been my life's mission," Scythe said, "to change the world."

"Keep training him," Alakazam said, standing back up. "Help him develop to his full potential as a Pokémon, so he may be ready when the time comes."

Xatu and Alakazam bowed, then excused themselves from the room.

… … …

The meeting dispersed rather quickly after High Intelligence had left, as Scythe had nothing left to say.

As another day finally came to an end, Char and Saura settled down in Scythe's room to rest. Scythe was still away, presumably preparing for the next day's missions, as Char reflected on the day's many events.

"I'm not sure whether to feel comfortable or not," Char sighed to his friend. "On one hand, Team Remorse and High Intelligence are working with us. On the other hand… I don't know if I'll ever be able to take all this. I'm just a little Charmander! I hope Dialga knew what he was doing when he sent me here."

"You should try to feel comfortable," Saura suggested, his eyes already closed. "You know what I think? I think that your Call ability has a lot to do with why you were turned into a Pokémon. If Alakazam and Xatu are going to help you with the Call, they might help you uncover your past, too."

"I didn't think of that," Char admitted.

"Still, you're right, this is getting really stressful," Saura said. "I'm starting to lose count of all of our problems. But I'm sure we'll feel better in the morning…"

Just as Char was ready to close his eyes, the door slid open. Char took a glimpse at the entrance, expecting to see Scythe back from his errands… but it wasn't.

"Daemon," Char said groggily, standing up and meeting his superior at the door.

"Team Ember," Daemon replied.

Char saw that Daemon's eyes were still broken and longed for rest, but he noticed a change in the Houndoom's voice. Was it… weakness? Friendliness? Saura rushed to Char's side as fast as he could.

"There is something I must say to you," the hound said. "For the past week, at every possible opportunity, I… have been treating you unfairly. I apologize."

Char didn't know what to say. He wanted to accept the apology, but he didn't want to sound rude.

"Thank you," Saura said simply.

"It's because I doubted Scythe when I shouldn't have," Daemon said. "You must understand something about Scythe and I. We do not tend to get along. He likes to rely on his instincts, whereas I… try to use common sense wherever possible. He's always had a gift for that sort of thing. You might have noticed how he loves to try and finish your sentences when he knows just what you're going to say."

"Oh, yeah, he sure does," Saura said, breaking a smile. "It can get really annoying, too."

"Indeed," Daemon said. "His instincts tend to be accurate more times than I can predict, however illogical they may be. As was the case with you. When he first brought you here, I couldn't stand the sight of you. And now that it is revealed you have the Call, I see now that I should have trusted him, but instead, I chose to voice my disdain without giving you the benefit of the doubt. For that, you deserve my apology."

"Apology accepted," Char said. "We didn't mean to make you mad. We were the ones dragged into all of this, after all."

"However," Daemon said, his voice strengthening, "You still have a long ways to go if you wish to earn my respect. But, from now on, know that you have my support."

After wishing Team Ember a good night's rest, Daemon left.

"Wow, now that was something I wasn't expecting in a million years," Saura yawned, settling back down. "I guess Daemon really isn't so bad after all. I don't know about you, but that makes me feel a lot more comfortable."

As Char's eyes fluttered closed, he knew he couldn't agree more.

… … …

"_WHAT'S GOING ON in here?!_"

Char and Saura jumped nearly a foot in the air as a screeching voice rang out across the room, waking them up. Scythe stood at the door, looking very displeased.

"You're _sleeping_?" Scythe roared. "And you haven't prepared for tomorrow?"

"W-what do you mean?" Saura yelped.

"What do I mean?" Scythe repeated. "You are a resistance team! Resistance teams accomplish missions to serve the division! _Each _and _every_ _day_! You think you can just lounge around the base forever? You had your day of rest already!"

"B-but…" Saura stuttered. "I thought… we were banned from missions! For twelve days!"

"That ban was placed on _training_ teams," Scythe said. "_You_ are not a _training team_! You are a _full-fledged_ resistance team! Now, go! Get out of here!"

"Yeeesh!" Char whimpered as he and Saura rushed out of the room.


	20. Chapter 18: Hands Full

**Chapter 18**

Char and Saura once again filed into Team Remorse's planning room, which was like a cramped little office with a small desk at the center stuffed with papers. Char unrolled the map of Ambera onto the desk as Saura dug around in a stack of paper for the task list.

"Okay, let's get this over with and get back to sleep," Saura said, jumping up onto the table and setting down the task list. "What should we do?"

"Something nearby, hopefully," Char said. "Remember, that Scizor is around."

"Oh, I almost forgot about that," Saura said worriedly. "Yeah, definitely. Something close. Um… How's this? Guard Duty at Kestra Town? It's only ten miles to the south of here."

"Guard duty?" Char repeated. "Are you sure that's a good idea? If something bad happens, we'd be responsible to take care of it. We're not that strong yet!"

Saura nodded thoughtfully. "Well, we'll still have Scythe to help us, right? … But that means he'll just take more of our bounty if he has to do all the work. Oh, and the bounty on this one is only four hundred Poké. Lame!"

"Hey, why not check the bounties first?" Char suggested. "Find a nice big one! Then we can think about taking the mission!"

Saura skimmed down the list. "I don't see any," he reported. "I guess this is because it's only the training list. Urgh, It's a shame we have to use this list in the first place, but I guess we're not strong enough for… Hey… wait! What's this?"

Saura pointed at an item near the end of the list. Char couldn't read, but he saw the numbers as clear as day: five thousand Poké!

"Now _that's_ more like it!" Saura cheered. "It's a place called Red Haven! It's pretty far away, but for that money, I could be motivated!"

"Red Haven?" Char repeated. "Isn't that where Team Remorse is working right now?"

"Oh, you're right," Saura said. "That wouldn't be a very good idea. And the risk level is 'A'. Hmm… If I'm right, they wouldn't even let us take that one with our level of experience. Well, let's see what else there is…"

Saura continued to skim down the list, tracing his paw across the bounties. Most of them were pathetic amounts, as could be expected for training teams, but one suddenly stuck out… there wasn't even a number listed.

"This is weird," Saura said. "There's no amount for this one. For a bounty, it just has… question marks. What do you think that means…?"

"Maybe the bounty isn't decided?" Char wondered. "Or maybe it's being kept a secret!"

"That's interesting," Saura said with a grin. "I want to see what the reward is. Want to give it a shot?"

After agreeing to take the mission with the mystery reward, the twosome poured over the map and did some research on the locations involved. This time, they were sure to make note of just what kind of wild Pokémon they'd be up against, instead of assuming based on the landscape. Saura plotted a simple course across the map, one that didn't involve any dungeons, and helped Char to write a list of the directions to follow and the items they'd probably need.

After doing all they could in the limited amount of time they had—everything would be closed for the night once the torches turned blue—they hurried down into the base to run their last-minute errands. Char rushed out to Kecleon's store to stock up on dried food and items, and Saura made his way down to the registration office to confirm the mission for his team. As there weren't very many teams who made a point of getting preparation done the night before—and certainly not any of the training teams, who rarely ever confirmed their missions in this manner—the job was clear to take. Soon, both were back up in Scythe's room, eager to get some rest.

… … …

"_Wake up!_"

Just as quickly, the rest was over.

"Ugh… Good morning, Char," Saura groaned as he rolled to his feet.

"Up and at 'em!" Scythe cheered, bursting in the door. "Let's head out! There's work to be done!"

Char wasn't going to slouch this time. He jumped to his feet, ready to take on the day. He enjoyed a nice long stretch as he waited for Saura to come to his senses…

"Oh… you two might want to cover your ears," Scythe said suddenly, interrupting Char in mid-yawn.

"_**WAKE UUUUP!**_"

The massive voice, practically an earthquake, blasted from the door behind Scythe. It took Char's breath away, knocking him completely off his feet. Saura cringed, his vines tightly plugging his ears.

"Ahh, good ol' Brock," Scythe chuckled, shaking his head. "It's a big day for the whole team, you know. Everyone's got to be up this time! Thanks to a certain Scizor, our hands are going to be full for the next few weeks. We've all got to start out strong..."

"So! Where'd you decide on today?" Scythe asked as the threesome walked down the hall.

"Goldenrod Meadow," Saura said proudly, hoping to impress his trainer. "The mission is to escort a few Buneary children to Sitrus City. Their mother wants to make sure they get there safely, so she's asking for help."

"Hmm, good enough," Scythe said.

Char took a deep breath of relief, thankful that Scythe wasn't horrified at their choice of a mission.

"Got everything you need?" Scythe inquired.

"We sure do," Char said proudly, hefting the bag over his shoulder. "Enough food for all of us, a pecha scarf, since there's a chance we could run into some poisonous Pokémon like Butterfree and Beedrill, a detect band, which should give us an edge against the agile Rattatas, _five_ oran berries, and an escape orb if we accidentally wander into the small dungeon to the north."

"Good!" Scythe applauded. "I'm impressed! You've done your research! Now… got anything for breakfast? I'm hungry!"

"Uh…" Char said nervously, digging through the bag.

"And what about those Buneary kids? They'll need to eat, too! Got enough for them?"

Char bit his tongue. Of all things, he didn't think of that.

"Not to worry," Scythe said as they arrived at Team Remorse's front door. "I know you can't learn everything at once. I wasn't sure you remembered to pack your bag, so I brought one of my own. Off we go!"

With an exaggerated wipe of his forehead, Char mouthed "whew" to Saura.

… … …

As Scythe took up his own bag and prepared to lead the team out into the base, the team members were all starting to creep out of their rooms. Char saw Daemon, Markov, and Ursa out in front, all trying to shake off the weariness and get into gear like they had probably done hundreds of times before.

"Scythe," Daemon called out. "Before you leave, what should we have Team Absolution do once they agree to our deal?"

"We should be fine for today," Scythe said. "Just give them the basic debriefing. If they're willing to come with you today, so be it. Send them off to Red Haven with you. I'll give Kain the whole story this evening when I come back. If not, we can all take one double shift to start out with… It'll be good to get us in the mood."

"So be it," Daemon grunted with a nod. "And Team Ember… I wish you success on your mission today."

"Thanks!" Saura answered. "You, too!"

Daemon turned his attention to the main corridor which connected the team members' rooms. Not all the team members were awake yet; those who were lucky enough to be on their feet already slowly filed down through the hall.

"_Team Remorse!_" Daemon bellowed, almost at the top of his lungs. "_Why do we rise?"_

The rest of the team, Scythe included, sounded their reply: "_**So that **_**he**_** will fall!"**_

_That's pretty cool,_ Char thought as he headed out. _What a great way to get up in the morning—to remember your purpose. Maybe Saura's right. We could use a motto. Maybe something to do with fire? Something about… spreading the fire? The fire that will never die? I dunno… I'll have to think about it._

* * *

**Goldenrod Meadow**

"Oh, thank you so much for helping us!" a Lopunny said to Char as they met at the edge of the gorgeous golden meadow. "I heard rumors that the Master's army has been around lately. I was worried sick! We're moving into the city because it's safer there. Would you please make sure my children get to the city safely?"

"That's what we're here for!" Saura assured the mother. "Just leave everything to us!"

"Oh, thank you!" the Lopunny said once more. "I would take them myself, but… My husband broke his leg last week, and I have to stay here with him until he's healed. Here, let me introduce you to the children!"

Seeing the beauty of the land spread before him in the light of the early dawn, Char was suddenly reminded of his first day as a Pokémon. Was it really only five days ago that he'd emerged with Saura from that first cave? Maybe it was just his Pokémon emotions, but he was starting to feel that he'd spent his entire life in Ambera. Every time he looked at the landscape, especially at this wonderful meadow as the orange light of the dawning sun gleamed off the grass, it seemed like home to him. Whenever he saw it, he knew exactly why so many Pokémon dedicated their lives to protecting it from the Master's evil whims. It was, indeed, a treasure.

"Here they are," the Lopunny reported, tearing Char's attention away from the surroundings. "Wait just a moment, I'll have them awake for you, if you'd like to get going as soon as you can."

A long, flat slab of rock sat implanted in the ground. Char examined it, and saw that a narrow trench had been dug underneath it. The mother bent down and spoke into the hole, gently prodding the sleeping children that lay within.

"Kids! It's time to wake up! You've got a long road ahead of you today! Wake up!'

"Ugh, already?"

"It's so early!"

"Do we have to go to the City?"

"Just a little while longer, please?"

"Sorry, but it's time to go," the mother said sternly. "Your guardians are here. Now, come on! Get up!"

One by one, the Buneary kids crawled out from the hole. The first one looked like a living fuzzball, its unkempt brown fur hopelessly tangled from a restless night's sleep, its ears drooping lazily onto its face. It didn't look very happy to be up. A second little bunny followed, a slightly larger child with much longer ears, its fleece stained with dirt.

"Come on, don't dawdle!" the mother goaded. "Your guardians shouldn't have to wait on you!"

Two more children jumped out from the hole, eyes blinking.

"So sleepy…" one moaned, stretching out on all fours.

As Char was watching the children wake up, Scythe emitted a quiet sound of displeasure.

"What?" Char whispered to him. "Is something wrong?"

"You tell me," Scythe replied. "There are more of them than us!"

Again, Char felt some butterflies in his stomach. The job description never said how many children they'd have to watch for.

"Don't panic," Saura told him. "We can do this."

"_Beary_…" the mother called into the hole with a displeased tone. "Beary, you come out here right now! Your brothers and sisters are all awake! Ugh, I'm very sorry about this, sirs, Beary is a stubborn one."

"Eehh! No!" a voice cried from inside the trench as the mother reached in for him. "I don't want to go!"

"I'm going to count to four," the mother warned. "One… _two… three…_"

The last child, the smallest of them all, quickly leapt out from underneath the rock. He didn't look too happy to be following orders.

"So, here they are," the mother said. "The smallest one is Beary, and then there's Meary, Teary, Leary, and Heary. They're very well behaved… except you'll probably have to keep an eye on Beary. He can be a little… energetic at times."

Char looked closely at the littlest bunny. Already, he could tell that Beary was different from the rest. His nose twitched, his eyes darted, and one paw restlessly combed a tuft of grass upon the ground, as if he was being forced to stand on a sharp rock and couldn't wait to move.

"Don't worry!" Saura said, holding his head high. "They'll be no problem!"

"You know how to get to Sitrus City, right?" the mother asked. "Once you get there, you need to take them to Genevieve, my friend. She's a Nidoqueen. She lives near the center of town in the Pearl Dome. It's not hard to find once you get there."

"Not Aunty Genevieve!" Leary whined. "Why do we have to go there?

"Listen, all of you," the mother said firmly. "We've discussed this before. It's not safe for you here right now. You need to be somewhere where you aren't in danger. Daddy and I can take care of ourselves, but we need you to be safe, too, until the danger goes away, okay? These nice Pokémon are going to lead you all the way to the city. You listen to them and do exactly what they tell you, okay? You're all going to be in big trouble if I hear you were disobedient!"

The children all gave a nod, some reluctantly.

"I don't know who you are or who you work for, but I can't thank you enough for this," the mother said, turning to Char. "I couldn't sleep at night because my children are in danger."

"Happy to be of service," Saura said again, smiling brightly. "I've been to Sitrus City more times than I can count. Don't worry, your kids will be home by this evening!"

_Saura's really optimistic today,_ Char noticed. _Maybe it's that reward he's after. Yeah, I sure hope it'll be a good one… especially if these kids turn out to spell trouble!_

_… … …_

And off they went. Sitrus City was far up north, far past the meadows and forests that bordered on Saura's old homeland. It had taken a few hours of walking to even reach the meadow in the first place, so now there at least was adequate sunlight to guide the way. The path was very straightforward, but it would take a bit of walking and patience to get there.

Yes, patience. Definitely patience.

"Mister frog!" one Buneary said. "Why is there a big plant stuck to your back?"

"That's just the way I am," Saura laughed. "This seed soaks up the sunlight and gives me strength when I need it most. It's almost like a big battery! Sometimes—"

"Why are you on fire?" another one asked of Char, interrupting Saura's explanation. "Doesn't that hurt?"

Char sighed. "It's because…"

"I'm tired! Can you carry me?"

"I'm hungry! Can I eat something?"

"How long until we get there?"

"_Silence!"_

The five Buneary kids stopped in their tracks and froze at the violent sound of the voice. Even Char and Saura were taken off guard, turning to Scythe in surprise.

"Has your mother not taught you to take turns?!" Scythe demanded of the children. "We can answer your questions, but not all at once!"

"Answer my questions first!"

"No, don't listen to him! Answer mine!"

"I'm still hungry!"

"_**Silence!**_" Scythe yelled again, louder this time. "You must _not_ make a racket. You must be quiet. Talk… quietly. Whisper. Like this."

"Why?" asked Meary, softening her voice as instructed.

"Because, if you don't…" Scythe said in a quiet whisper, "the Master could hear you. And if he hears you… he'll come and _**CUT OUT YOUR THROAT SO YOU NEVER SPEAK AGAIN!**_"

Scythe swung a blade inches from Beary's face as he suddenly screamed this, causing all five of the kids to gasp and jump in fright.

That did it. Since then, the kids huddled tight behind Saura's lead, trudging along in complete silence.

"Hey, thanks," Char said quietly to Scythe, glancing back at the kids and the fearful looks on their faces..

"Don't mention it," Scythe said with a smile. "It's what I'm here for."

Twenty minutes passed, and still, the kids followed faithfully behind, never bothering their guardians and never letting their voice rise above a dull murmur.

"Hey… Hey? Mister? Mister frog thing?" asked Teary, the littlest of the two girls, in a respectful voice. "I'm still hungry…"

"We could stop to eat," Char suggested. "I'm in the mood for breakfast, myself."

"We could," Saura said with a wink, "But… is this a safe place to eat? Will the Master catch us here?"

Scythe smiled again. "Hmm, I don't think so," he reported. "We're not safe out in the open here. We need to find a good place to hide before we can stop to rest."

"If the Master tears out your throat, I bet it can be really hard to eat," added Char, joining in the fun.

"Ah, yes, it is," Scythe agreed, shaking his head. "In fact, I once had a good friend… a Houndoom. He was a talkative one. He just would never sit still and be quiet. Then, one day, the Master heard him, got annoyed—ripped out his throat, plain and simple. I never heard the poor fellow speak ever again. And he had to be force-fed for the rest of his life."

"Whoa!" Meary exclaimed. "What happened to him? Did he make it?"

"He starved to death," Scythe said sadly. "Couldn't take the pain of eating. Poor guy, I tried to tell him to be quiet and respectful around his elders, but he just… he just didn't listen… Why, oh why, didn't he listen…?"

Scythe hung his head, pretending to reflect upon the memories of an old friend. Char almost giggled as he heard the Buneary kids give a collective gulp, some even feeling their necks to make sure they were still in place.

"Ah-ha!" Scythe exclaimed, motioning forward to the path ahead. "Look! A tree! The perfect shelter from the Master! We can stop to eat there!"

"Why does a tree shelter us from the Master?" Leary wondered.

"Because," Scythe said wisely, "nobody suspects a tree."

After a good half-hour's walk, the procession stopped at a sizable pear tree near the side of the barren road. Char dropped the bag onto the ground and dug around for some food as the little bunnies all gathered around.

"Dried plums," Char said, pulling out a small pouch. "Who wants them?

"_Ewww_, yuck!" Leary yelled. "I don't want that! I want a poffin! Do you have any poffins in there?"

"Yeah, do you?" Meary begged. "I want a spicy poffin! Please?"

"Spicy poffins are gross!" Leary proclaimed. "Give me a sweet one!"

"Sorry, I don't have any of those!" Char cried. "Look… you can have plums, or apricots, or apples, or Sunflora seeds. Or pears from this tree."

"Eat up, because we've got to keep moving," Scythe said, skewering a pear on the end of his blade. "If you don't eat, you won't gain energy. If you don't gain energy… you might get worn out along the way… and get left behind."

"Yeah, and then, _nobody_ will be able to save you from the Master!" Saura warned. "So eat whatever you can!"

Leary regretfully picked the sack of plums and tried to open it. "Auntie Genevieve makes the best poffins," he said. "Maybe she'll make some for us when we get there."

"The Master isn't really _that_ bad, is he?" Heary, the oldest of the children, asked. "Would he really… you know… tear out our throats? He wouldn't really do that… would he?"

"Yes," Scythe said plainly. "And worse. The Master… does whatever he feels like. If you annoy him, he may have you tortured and killed. If you _oppose_ him… there's no telling _what_ he'll do to you if he catches you. There are… far worse fates than pain and death."

Char noticed the change in Scythe's voice as he said this; he knew he wasn't just joking around anymore.

"What do we do if he finds us?" Meary asked, slowly munching on a slab of apricot.

"You run away as fast as you can, and never look back," Scythe said gravely. "If he still catches you… you can at least say you tried your best."

Scythe continued to entertain (and frighten) the kids with stories and warnings of the Master as they ate. Char found it hard to tell when he was joking and when he was being serious, but he ultimately realized that it didn't matter: he was trying to instill the children with a fear of the Master, something that could one day save their lives or their freedom… just like it had for Saura.

After everyone ate their fill, the group lounged around the tree for another hour, watching the world around them come alive as the sun rose higher into the sky. Char and Saura took the opportunity to chat with the children and get to know them a little better. As the Buneary kids became more energetic, they were eager to tell Char all about their life in the meadow.

"And then, this one time, this huge Starraptor flew right out of the sky and almost ATE me!" Beary described. "he was huge! Like THIS BIG! And so I dodged REAL FAST and curled up, and he missed me!"

"Nuh-uh!" Meary said. "You did not. You only got away because Daddy scared it off!"

"Daddy's so awesome," Leary said. "He can beat _anything_ in battle! He could even beat a big scary bug like you!"

"Oh, really?" Scythe chuckled.

"Yeah!" Leary insisted. "He protects us from stuff all the time! Someday, I'm going to be as strong as him!"

"No, no!" Beary insisted. "I beat the Starraptor up! With my _teeth!_ And I saved mommy, too!"

"In your dreams, Beary," Meary said. "You're just making this all up to impress people!"

"Nuh-uh!" Beary whined. "I could do it again right now! See that Pidgey up there? See it? HEY, PIDGEY!"

"Shut up, now you're just embarrassing us!" Meary screamed, running to tackle him.

…And so on.

Eventually, the group had to wrap up their little picnic and continue down the road. Having eaten a good breakfast, everyone was now wide awake as ever—especially the kids. It was apparent that Scythe's tricks wouldn't work for very much longer. Char could only hope things wouldn't get out of hand…


	21. Chapter 19: Grave Responsibility

**Chapter 19**

**Route 370**

"Route Three-seventy" Char reported, looking at the map as the long journey continued. "This curves to the northwest and goes right into Sitrus City. But… it's still a six-hour walk."

"Yeah, it's pretty far," Saura said. "But we should still make it, no problem. I'm just worried about the trip back home. Do you think we can make it back to base by evening?"

"If we keep a steady pace, we should be able to, yes," Scythe said. "But, if not… we could always stay overnight in the city. Worst that'll happen is Daemon will get worried about us."

As they left the golden meadow behind, Char looked ahead at the upcoming landscape. It was a pleasant-looking countryside, with a tree sprouting up here and there to provide shade from the sun. The dirt road which they traveled upon was faint and hard to see, overgrown in places with grass and shrubs. Char got the impression that this was a road less traveled.

"Why aren't we meeting anyone else?" Char wondered. "If this is such an important road… we haven't seen any other Pokémon at all."

"Pokémon don't travel much anymore," Saura explained. "They don't feel safe. There are too many thieves out, some work for the Master, some just getting whatever they can from the weak and defenseless."

"The Master also uses these roadways to transport his forces from place to place," Scythe said, "so Pokémon stay off the roads for fear of running into them."

"I remember when I was younger, lots of Pokémon traveled this road," Saura said. "I would go to visit Sitrus City every month. But then, the Master started increasing his forces in this area, and the thieves started breaking out, and everyone started getting scared. That's when I started battling against wild Pokémon and learning to defend myself."

"We haven't been to Auntie's in a long time," Heary said. "Mommy said all the roads got blocked, so we just stayed at home."

"I see," Char said simply, falling silent to ponder this information. _No wonder Pokémon would request an escort for themselves and their loved ones, _he determined. _The Master never stops getting worse every time I hear about him. He's really got the entire country afraid to do anything on their own for fear of crossing him… Well, that's why we're here! Nobody's going to stop us from getting these kids safely to the city! _

The children stayed manageable for a while, at least. Char and Saura lead them down the road in a single-file line, and Scythe brought up the rear so he could keep an eye on all five of them at once.

After another hour's worth of walking, the inevitable happened: the children started to realize they were bored. After a couple miles of the dull dirt road underfoot and the unchanging countryside, the Buneary kids were more restless than ever, starting to yell and jab at each other and sometimes run around off the side of the road. Scythe did his best to keep them in line from behind, but something else… something other than mere scare tactics… had to be done.

"How much farther?" Meary asked. "My feet are starting to hurt!"

"But we just took a rest an hour ago," Saura said, looking disappointed. "You can't be getting tired already!"

"Hey, how about we play a game?" Char suggested.

"Game?" Saura asked. "What kind of game?"

"Yeah, let's play a game!" Beary shouted. "What kind of game? Finders Seekers?"

"Oh, no you don't!" Saura said. "We're not getting anyone lost! Not here! Not with the Master out!"

"I'm not scared of the Master!" Beary said confidently. "I bet I could just bite him in the toes and make him cry!"

"Er… how about… I Spy?" Char suggested.

"What's that?" Leary asked. "I've never heard of that game before!"

"It's easy," Char said. "First, you try to spot something cool, but don't tell anyone else what it is. Then you say what color it is, and everyone else tries to guess it. Like this: I spy something… green. Can you guess what it is?"

"This is nature! Everything is green!" Beary proclaimed. "That's boring! Let's play battle!"

"I'm RAYQUAZA!"

"Not fair! You're always Rayquaza!"

"I'm Groudon!"

"I'm Groudon, too!"

"Hey, that's against the rules!"

"I don't care! EARTHQUAKE!"

"HYPER BEAM!"

"I'm DIALGA! I summon a BLIZZARD and knock Rayquaza out of the sky!"

"You can't do that! Rayquaza stops your blizzard!"

"I'm ARCEUS! I can beat all of you!"

"Hey, you can't be Arceus!"

"Can too! I sing the death song! La, la, la, la! Now you're all going to die in three days!"

"Dialga goes back in time and stops you from singing the song!"

"Arceus goes back in time and UN-MAKES DIALGA! Now you can't beat me!"

"Now you're frozen because there's NO TIME STREAM!"

"_Hey! Look!_"

Heary suddenly shouted over all the others, pointing to the side of the road. Sitting and staring at everyone was a small, pink Nidoran with its ears perked high. It didn't look happy.

"Whoa, it's a Nido!" Teary said. "Hey, Nido! Are you alright? You don't look too good!"

"I think it's a wild one!" Leary said.

"Aww, it looks scared stiff," Saura said, stepping forward to examine the Nidoran. "Hey there, little guy…"

Quivering in fear, the Nidoran took a step backwards. It hunched down, as if prepared to pounce and defend itself. It didn't look like it wanted to run away. Saura wanted to console it, but it only scowled and lowered its poison tip to strike.

"Whoa, what's its problem?" Heary said.

"I think we should leave it alone," Saura suggested. "It doesn't look like it wants—"

"Let's BATTLE IT!" Beary proclaimed, leaping forward. "Nobody can beat the mighty GROUDON!"

Before Char or Saura could do anything, Beary pounced on the Nidoran. The wild Pokémon hissed and dodged backwards.

"What the heck are you doing?" Saura cried in horror. "Stop that! Leave him alone!"

Beary pounced again, but this time, the Nidoran attacked! They collided, Beary just narrowly missing the poison horn, and they both fell to the ground in a scuffle, the Nidoran violently growling. Beary found an opportunity and nipped at its nose, causing it to squeal and jump away again.

Saura rushed forward to break up the fight, but it was too late. The rest of the kids had decided to help out their brother and were already jumping into the fray on all fours.

"I'll get it!"

"Take THIS, you dumb Nido!"

"HYPER BEAM!"

"Oww!"

"Hey, watch it!"

Saura lashed forward with vines and wrapped the closest bunny, trying to fish him away from the brawl.

Char quickly yanked his Pecha scarf from the bag and tied it around his neck. A numbing, tingling feeling spread across his skin as the antidotes diffused into his system. He rushed forward, although he had no idea what he was going to do to help the situation.

The Nidoran sprung itself up above the pile of bunnies, still refusing to back down and run away. Char cringed as he saw it come down with a violent headbutt upon one of the children, but the Buneary shifted away just barely in time. Another Buneary struck back, its ears laughably swinging like whips, and batted the Nidoran away.

"Guys, _stop!_ Someone's going to get really hurt!" Saura cried, each of his vines yanking on a different bunny as hard as he could. "Nidoran are _poisonous_, you know!"

Char rushed in and tried to detain a bunny, but it squirmed and fell out of his grasp.

"_Scythe!_" Char yelled. "Scythe, we could use some help here!"

"_Fine_," Scythe sighed.

_-Slash!-_

Once again, Scythe swooped in with blinding speed, slashing at the poor little Nidoran. It was tossed into the air from the impact, and fell to the ground some feet away from the Buneary kids. A deep, red slice was now visible across its face. It wormed around in the grass, trying to bear the pain. The kids instantly stopped their struggling, all amazed at the show of the Scyther's speed.

"But I thought for sure, between the seven of you, you could chase away a little Nidoran…" Scythe said, folding his wings. "Now, come on, everyone, let's _go_. We don't have time to—"

Then, even Scythe paused in surprise, joining Char, Saura, and all the children in a speechless stare. The injured Nidoran, after slowly and painfully climbing to its feet, stood once again with its legs locked, refusing to back down. Its entire body shook with weakness and blood dripped from its wound, but it scowled and stood its ground.

"It still wants to fight?" Char said, amazed.

"A tough one," Scythe said thoughtfully. "Though, it's probably just defending its family. We should go."

All of a sudden, the Nidoran's ears perked. It blinked. A genuine look of fear came over its face, even more so than before. With a yelp, it turned and bounded away into the wilderness.

"…Or not," Char commented. "I guess it figured out it couldn't take any more."

"We did it!" Beary yelled. "Bye-bye, Nido!"

"It didn't stand a chance," Leary said.

"Nidoran, Nidoran, run away home!" Teary sang.

"That was awfully weird," Saura said, frowning. "When it ran, it almost looked like…"

"_Quiet!_" Scythe hissed suddenly, staring intently at the ground. "Something's wrong…"

On command, the children silenced themselves and tensed up.

The group stood still for a few moments. All Char could hear were the distant songs of Pidgey, and the sound of the gentle wind… He looked over at Saura, who shared a shrug with him.

"We… weren't too loud, were we?" Heary said, shuddering. "Do you think… did the Master hear us?"

"Perhaps…" Scythe said, squinting into the distance. "Perhaps…"

Scythe's eyes widened.

"There!" he hissed. "Do you feel that? Feel how the ground shakes underfoot?"

"I don't feel anything," Char admitted, looking down at his feet.

As Char looked down at the ground… he noticed a little pebble shifting across the ground. Only then did he begin to feel the tremor. It was like an earthquake, except that it was not a constant vibration; it came in pulses, as if a giant were marching across the land.

_Rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble…_

"I feel it!" Saura said. "What is that?"

"The Master's army is upon us!" Scythe said, not moving his eyes.

The children once again gasped in horror, hugging each other for comfort.

"W-what do we do?" Saura cried. "Do we run?"

Scythe knew there was little time to waste, but he stood and thought for a moment. He looked around at the landscape, analyzing it…

"Char, Saura, take the kids and go that way," Scythe ordered quickly, pointing into the wilderness to the north. "I'll be right back. I want to see what's going on."

"Scythe, don't go!" Saura pleaded. "What—"

"_Go!_" Scythe ordered again. "I'll be back in five minutes or less. I _promise_. Now go!"

The earthquake steadily got heavier. Char looked to the road ahead, but didn't see anything. There was a shallow hill in the way, blocking his view of the horizon.

"Kids! You've got to come with us!" Saura barked. "We could be in danger. Let's go this way!"

Scythe darted away down the path, and the children unquestioningly followed Saura to safety. Char brought up the rear, carefully watching to make sure none of the children would get separated. They all scampered into the safety of the deeper wilderness, never daring to look back.

_Rumble, rumble rumble…_

After a quick search, Char and Saura found a concealed ditch, a good place to hide. But the rumbling was still getting louder…

"Mr. Saura, I'm scared," said Heary quietly.

"Me too," Teary said.

"We're all scared," Saura said. "But don't worry. Scythe is a really good fighter. He'll help us get through this. We're here to protect you."

… … …

_Rumble, rumble, rumble…_

They waited for what seemed like half an hour… until, finally, Scythe showed up, leaping down into the pit and scaring everyone half to death. He looked astonished.

"Good hiding place," Scythe said as he gasped for air. "I almost passed it right by."

"What's going on?" Saura demanded. "Did you see them?"

"_Hundreds_," Scythe gasped. "Rhyperior, Blastoise, and Tyranitar. All marching down the path. And bad news… I think they had scouts. Some of them are coming this way! I think they saw us!"

"Scythe, what do we _do_!?" Saura cried.

"There's only one thing we can do," Scythe said, dropping his bag. "We've got to make a break up north. Char! Isn't there a dungeon up north? Get out the map!"

Char fumbled around in the bag, pulling out the map. He unrolled it as fast as he could.

"We are here, approximately," Scythe said, pointing to a brown patch on the map near Route 370. "The Sitrus Orchard is only a mile north of here. It's your only chance to hide. From there, you can lose the army and possibly still make it through to the city."

"A mile is too far!" Char said. "We can't run that fast!"

"You'll have to," Scythe said. "If you go now, they won't see you. But you have to hurry!"

"_Us?!_" Char gasped, noticing Scythe's choice of words. "Aren't you coming with us?"

The rumbling never ceased. Scythe glanced up at the sky. He looked extremely worried, as if torn in a decision.

"I really should come with you, yes," Scythe said, slicing the dirt in frustration, "but… I can't understand why the Master has his forces here… and I don't have the slightest idea where they're going…"

"I thought you said the Master uses the roads for his troops," Char said. "What's so different about this?"

"Never this many at once!" Scythe said. "It just doesn't make sense! Char, Saura, I'm sorry. I need to go follow them. It's my responsibility. For the good of my team and the whole division, I need to know what the Master is doing with all these Pokémon! I want you to go on without me. Take these children to the Orchard and get them to safety!"

"No, Scythe!" Saura pleaded again. "Please! Don't leave us alone! Not now!"

"Saura," Scythe said sternly. "This is not an easy situation for either of us, but we are a resistance team, and we must function as one. Besides, I have confidence in you. Gather your courage, use what I've taught you so far, and save these kids!"

Saura gulped.

"I'll meet up with you later," Scythe said. "I promise. Now, go! Wait any longer, and they'll see you! **Go**!"

Without another complaint, they went. Char and Saura ushered the Buneary children out of the ditch and hurried as fast as they could toward the orchard up north.

* * *

**Sitrus Orchard S1**

Everyone was out of breath when they finally reached the boundary to the orchard, but it wasn't nearly the end of the road. Char and Saura hurried the kids inside as fast as they could, gaining the protection and shelter of the dungeon's curse from the Master's army. The fact that the shaking of the ground had stopped was a relief, the sight of the thick and confusing woods ahead of them was not.

"Children!" Saura barked, trying his best to sound like a leader. "Listen up! We have escaped from the Master, but now we're in a very dangerous place. This is a Mystery Dungeon. If you meet any wild Pokémon, they will attack without hesitation. If you take a wrong turn and get separated from the group, you _will_ get lost for a very long time. If you don't pace yourself, we _will _run out of food and get very hungry. I want you to stay _very _close to Char and I. Does everyone understand?"

"Yes, Mr. Saura," some of the Children replied.

"Good," Saura said. "If your belly starts to hurt, tell us, and we'll feed you. Now come on. We've still got a long way to go if we want to make it to your auntie's. Char, you lead the way. I'll bring up the end of the line."

The Buneary children huddled close to their guides as Char and Saura as they began their expedition.

The Sitrus Orchard looked anything like an orchard. It looked like a thick, overgrown forest, and there wasn't even a single fruit tree in sight. Green and brown vines ran across the leaf-padded ground, running up tree trunks and strangling dead logs. Char couldn't take a step without his claws or toes getting snagged on the vines, and it made him wish Scythe was there to slice through all the overgrowth for him. The smell was fresh and humid, as if it had just rained. The incessant sound of insects buzzing and birds chirping filled the air; it made Char really wonder if there were other animals besides Pokémon in this strange world.

Char was more nervous than he'd ever been. He knew that the day would come when he and Saura would have to brave a dungeon without Scythe, but he never pictured having a whole handful of kids in his care!

_What an overwhelming responsibility,_ Char said to himself, glancing back at the party following him. _I can't believe I'm even doing this!_

"It's okay, Char," Saura said. "I've got us covered in the rear. Just keep going."

Char turned back to the path at hand, doing his best to push and forage his way through all the shrubs. He tried to keep an eye out for anything that could pose a threat to the team; it wasn't easy, since animal sounds came from all directions and visibility was often limited to a foot in front of his face.

After a few more minutes of walking, Char stubbed his toe on something. He looked down to see a small grey rock. A small green vine ran over it, sprouting green eye-like flowers as it went.

"Guys, poisonous flowers," Char reported. "Watch out."

"Uh oh," Saura said. "Kids, Look out for the green flowers. They'll poison you."

"We know that," Leary said. "What was that song mommy taught us?"

"Ruby flower will give you power. Sapphire berry will make you wary. Emerald eye will make you cry," Heary recited. "The Rageflower, Chesto Berry, and Dragon's Eye."

Char had a thought. He curiously inspected the green flower, then plucked it right from the vine. Immediately, his fingers tingled violently as the antidote from the Pecha scarf neutralized the poison.

"Mr. Char!" cried Heary.

"It's alright," Char said. "I can't be poisoned right now, I have a..."

"Mr. Char, LOOK OUT!"

Char spun in all directions, looking for danger. When he didn't see anything, he turned to Heary, who was pointing into the air…

"CHAR! ABOVE YOU!" Saura cried.

Char felt a horrible stinging sensation as he was knocked aside by something very large. Immediately his back flared with the tingling feeling, warding off a new shot of poison. A horrible buzzing sound filled the air, and the kids all shrieked.

Char turned around to see a Beedrill harassing the group. Not just that, but a second one popped from behind of the tree leaves and joined it.

The first Beedrill circled in the air, coming for another attack at Char, but Saura skillfully extended his vines and swatted it out of the way. As it wobbled through the air and tried to re-orient itself, Saura followed up with a barrage of tiny seeds from his bulb. This time, the attack hit; several holes immediately appeared across the bug's body. It fell to the ground, where it hopelessly buzzed and thrashed in place.

The second Beedril hung in the air far above Char's reach, as if waiting for a moment to strike. Char concentrated, fueled his inner fire, and a long stream of flames exploded from his mouth. They engulfed the bee before it could even react, lighting it ablaze with flames and knocking it right of the air.

Char panted heavily as his fire subsided. He surveyed the damage.

"Good job, Char," Saura said. "We did good."

"Yeah, we did," Char said, watching as the Beedrills both slowly ceased moving. "Maybe we can get through this on our own after all."

* * *

**Sitrus Orchard S3**

As they went farther into the dungeon, the trees thankfully started to space themselves out and give the group some breathing room. Still, Char didn't really know what to think about the place.

"Why is this place even called an 'orchard', anyway?" Char wondered as he helped the kids carefully descend a small drop-off.

"Well, it's a long story," Saura said. "A few years ago, this place was a beautiful orchard where Sitrus berries grew. There were at least a hundred trees here, and they were all in orderly rows… It was really beautiful. Wow, it really brings back some memories… That's what made Sitrus City so popular. Everyone would always go there for the Sitrus berry medicines, or just to pick them from the orchard… the city was filthy rich, and it was a great tourist place, too. But when the Mystery Dungeons started cropping up, one of them consumed the entire orchard and turned it into a dungeon… and because of the temporal anomaly, it got all weedy and overgrown in no time."

"Wow," Char said, unable to believe the messy forest he now walked through was once a lush garden. "Are there… any Sitrus trees still here?"

"There should be, yeah," Saura said. "But because of the spatial distortion, you never know where they are, and just searching for them is pretty dangerous. That's why Sitrus berries are so rare. Nobody likes coming in here and searching for them."

"What are Sitrus berries, anyway?" Char asked. "What makes them so special?"

"You're kidding, right?" Teary said. "You've never had a Sitrus berry?"

"Sitrus berries are one of the best medicines known to all Pokémon!" Saura explained. "Eating just one feels invigorating, and it takes all your pain away. They speed up your body's own regeneration if you're injured, and they can even keep you alive if you're on the verge of dying."

"Wow, that must be a pretty powerful fruit," Char said.

"Yeah," Saura said. "And they even say that if you eat Sitrus berries when you're perfectly healthy, you'll add years to the end of your life."

"Maybe we can find some," Char said, still unable to see any fruit trees around him. "I think I'd like to try one."

"Hey, Mr. Saura," Meary said, "I'm getting hungry now."

"Really hungry, or just sorta hungry?" Saura asked.

"Just starting to get hungry," Meary said.

"Me, too," Leary said. "Can we have a snack?"

"Not quite yet, but we will soon," Saura said. "If we don't pace ourselves, we'll run out of food. You can waste food if you eat too fast, you know. Eating a lot of food really fast doesn't always mean it'll take you longer to get hungry."

"We'll take a rest soon," Char promised. "But for now, we've got to keep pushing on. This trip isn't going to get any easier."

"Uh oh," Saura said, glancing up. "More enemies on their way. A Beedrill, and a Butterfree. Get ready!"

Char and Saura took out the intruders before they even had a chance to pose a threat. Char found it easier than ever to control his fire, and he was getting really good at aiming with his flamethrower technique.

_Saura's gotten good with his bullet technique, too,_ Char noticed. _We're actually getting fairly powerful. Just a few more miles left! We can do this!_

* * *

**Sitrus Orchard S5**

An hour later, there was no doubt about it: it was about time for a break.

After having singed at least ten feral bugs to a crisp, and gotten into a rather heated battle with a Roselia, Char was getting pretty winded. Still in the lead, he limped along and looked for a good place to stop and eat.

"My tummy hurts a lot," Heary reported. "Can we eat now?"

"Yeah, my belly's getting pretty empty, too," Saura said. "I think it's time to stop. Char, see anywhere to take a break?"

"Not here," Char said. "Maybe this way…"

The ground was littered with nothing but thorny shrubs and Dragon's Eye, so Char pushed through some more foliage, hoping to find something more fortunate on the other side…

…and tripped over the anchor-thread of a large Spinarak web.

The Spinarak leapt down to subdue the potential prey, but Char rolled onto his back and spat fire upward, burning the web and snapping the spider up into its own string. Saura quickly jumped in, wrapping up the spider with his vines and tossing it away.

"Guess not," Saura said disappointedly. "But we can't keep this up for much longer. I really don't want to pass out. Not in this place!"

"I know, I know," Char said, pushing on. "I'm starting to get dizzy… Here."

Char reached into the bag and produced a small apricot. He passed it back to the children.

"This'll tide you over until we can find a stopping place," Char said, grabbing another apricot to pass back.

"Char, watch it," Saura warned. "Willow trees up ahead. There might be Weepinbell."

Char kept a wary eye overhead, wondering if the dungeon would ever let him take a rest.

* * *

**Sitrus Orchard S6**

"Char… I can barely see straight…" Saura moaned. "Please… Let's just stop right here… I don't care…"

"We can't," Char said. "Not… safe…"

"Oh, not again," Saura grumbled. "You're right. Char, watch out. Get ready…"

Some bushes rustled, and an annoyed Ledyba emerged. Char sighed, taking aim at the bug, then reached for his fire.

…But his fire was not there. His inner Ember felt like a smoldering, flameless chunk of coal…

"I… _-cough-_ I think… I'm… out of fire," Char moaned, backing away from the wild Pokémon.

"Char, your tail," Saura said. "It's…"

Char turned to glance at his tail, and was horrified at the sight. It was almost out, reduced to just a tiny, flickering candle flame. It made him feel even weaker knowing how close to the limit his body was…

"And I'm out of bullet seeds," Saura said. "Here… I'll take care of it…"

Saura stepped forward to confront the little ladybug. Grunting in weariness, Saura dispelled a small flurry of leaves at the enemy. Most of them missed, and the ones that hit only helped to disorient it. Saura panted, disappointed at his effort.

Char jumped at the enemy, but its wings buzzed and it flew out of the way. It circled around and tried to dive-bomb Leary, but the bunny whipped its long ears at the bug and bumped it away.

"Char, maybe we should just run," Saura suggested. "We're… not doing so well."

"I can't run," Char gasped. "I'm…"

"Char, just go," Saura said again. "If we go, it can't catch up with us. The trees are too thick for it to fly."

Too tired to argue, Char picked himself up from a slump and ran forward as fast as his numb legs could carry him. His entire body stung as he pushed himself through the wall of shrubs, twigs and rough leaves scraping all over him…

And then…

When the shrubs cleared, they _cleared_. Char was awestruck at the sight before him: the forest ended, and a small clearing opened up. The messy ground became a gorgeous, rolling plain covered in short, soft, lush grass. Sprouting up in the clearing were no less than twelve large, fruit-bearing trees aligned in perfect rows. It was like a well-tended garden. An orchard.

_Is this… a mirage…?_ Char wondered, his vision so very blurry…

"Char, this is a miracle!" Saura cried, pushing his way into the open area. "Sitrus trees! We found Sitrus trees! We did it! It all paid off!"

"No way!" Teary cried upon seeing the small fragment of the once glorious orchard.

Nobody even had to be asked. Char, Saura, and all of the bunnies rushed forward to the nearest tree as fast as they could. Char pounced on a low-hanging branch, grabbing a whole handful of the golden berries. He stuffed them into his mouth, and was immediately overcome with the sweetest, most wonderful taste he'd ever felt. He grabbed the branch again, viciously tearing off another handful of berries and stuffing his face with them. He felt the thick, sappy juice smeared all over his muzzle, but he didn't care.

"_Heavenly_," Saura moaned, his mouth full of fruit. "The gift of Arceus…"

Char collapsed against the tree truck, still munching. A total, absolute comfort flooded him; he felt life pumping back into his stagnant limbs, his sight shifting and sharpening, returning to normal, and his inner fire sparked back to life, bringing warmth back to his belly.

Char wanted to just fall asleep in contented bliss, but strangely, the berries would not let him. They had an invigorating effect, rather than a suppressive one. In just a few minutes, he knew his belly would be satisfied, his fire would be re-fueled, and he'd be ready to stand back up and lead the team on a strong final leg of the journey.

"Char, here," Saura said, holding a branch of berries with his vine. "Put as many of these as you can in the bag! If we just take some of these with us, we'll be undefeatable!"

Char smiled, and completely emptied the bag onto the ground. He sorted through the contents, replacing only the most important items like the orbs, and filled the rest with the magnificent berries. Twenty-three berries fit into the bag before the thread wouldn't close anymore, and even while it was stuffed, the contents were unbelievably light.

"Ahh," Saura sighed, enjoying another berry. "I thought we were done for, but we did it. We pulled through again."

"I hope Scythe's doing alright," Char said, lounging on his back. "He said he'd meet us later. I wonder if he's waiting for us on the other side of the orchard."

"Wow... I never thought our first mission alone would be so stressful," Saura said. "But it's actually pretty satisfying, knowing we're actually doing—"

"Mr. Saura?"

Heary approached the two, his fur tangled and stained with both dirt and Sitrus fruit. He still looked scared.

"What's wrong, Heary?" Saura asked. "What do you need?"

"Where's Beary?"

"What do you mean, where's Beary?" Saura repeated, looking around the orchard at the rest of the bunnies. "He's… wait…"

Even Char could see it… there were only four bunnies in sight. The fifth… the little rebellious one… was nowhere to be seen.

"Beary!" Saura gasped. "He's… he's not here…? W… where is he? How… how… how long… was he missing?"

"I don't know," Heary said, almost ready to cry. "I was so hungry, and dizzy, I didn't see him… I don't think he came into the orchard with us…"

Char and Saura realized the same was true of them. They'd been so disoriented and tired, they both failed to notice that one of the children had not been with them for a while.

"No… By Arceus, no…" Saura whispered, trying to grasp the horror of having left a child behind in the brutal depths of the dungeon. "Char… We have to find him. I don't care what it takes. I'll spend the rest of my life in this dungeon if I have to. We're going to find Beary!"


	22. Chapter 20: To Safety

**Chapter 20**

**Sitrus Orchard S6… still**

Team Ember had made a solemn promise to the Lopunny mother to keep her children safe. Now that the youngest of the children had gone missing somewhere in the cursed orchard, there was no question in Char's mind that the kid had to be found at all costs. But how does one rescue someone amidst a spatial anomaly, where "back" and "forth" are meaningless, and you can never count on the terrain to look the same? It was quite an understatement to say that Beary could be _anywhere_.

"This isn't the way we came!" Saura cried, already on the verge of panic. "This looks nothing like the place we just were! How do we find our way back?"

"I don't think we can," Char said. "This place is cursed, remember? It tricks you into going the wrong way. We'll just have to keep wandering around until we find him."

"Char, you take two of the kids and go that way," Saura ordered. "I'll go this way."

"Are you kidding? You want us to lose _each other_, too?" Char responded. "We've got to stick together or we'll be just as lost as Beary. We just need to stay in this section of the forest and keep our eyes open."

"I'm sorry, you're right," Saura said. "I guess I'm not thinking straight right now… But… I just hope he's okay… I still can't believe I wasn't paying attention!"

"We'll find him," Char said, hoping to convince even himself. "We can do this. Just keep going."

The search through the overgrown, enemy-infested forest continued for at least half an hour. The children were sure to stay extra close, and helped out by calling to their missing brother.

"Be_aaaaaaaaaa_ry!" Teary yelled at the top of her lungs.

"Beary, answer us if you can hear us!"

"You dumb bunny! You're going to get yourself killed!"

Of course, the sound of their calling only served to attract more enemies. A wild Venonat, a Rattata, and a Beedrill all heeded the voices and came quickly to purge the intruders. Despite some bumps and scratches in the battle, the enemies were dispatched quickly whenever they came.

Even though the group stayed in the same sector of the forest for a very long time, the wild Pokémon just kept coming, no matter how many of them were punctured and burned down by their attacks. It was almost as if the enemies appeared out of nowhere when their backs were turned. Char was starting to wonder how long it would take before they'd see any signs of progress…

"Hey, Char," Saura finally said with a distraught face, "This is the third time we've passed this tree. I'm getting really worried."

"Are we lost, too?" Teary asked. "Can we still find Beary?"

"Hey, Saura, I just thought of something," Char said. "Maybe the spatial distortion doesn't work the way we're thinking. Maybe he could be farther into the dungeon. Remember how we only saw part of the old orchard? The other part might be in a completely different place. So we might have a chance of finding Beary if we continue on to the next section of the forest."

"But what if you're wrong?" Saura said. "I don't want to leave Beary behind!"

"Saura, you even said it yourself. We've been going in circles for the past—I don't know how long. He's not here. Maybe we can find him if we move on."

"I can't do that! I'm not going to risk leaving him behind!" Saura growled, digging his paws into the ground in frustration. "I'm… sorry! We're not going anywhere until he's found."

* * *

**Sitrus Orchard S7**

"I hope to the ancients you're right," Saura mumbled sadly after facing the fact that there was nothing he could do but continue forward. "It doesn't make sense, but… Oh, please… I just wish he's here somewhere… Please…"

_I do, too,_ Char thought to himself. _Dialga, if you're watching out for me now… You've put us through so much… is it too much to ask for you to lead us to the missing child?_

"Where are we going?" Heary asked, looking sad and confused. "We're not leaving Beary alone, are we?"

"Mystery Dungeons are strange places," Char explained. "We think if we go forward, and leave behind the place where we lost him, we'll find him."

"Oh…" Heary replied, clearly not understanding.

"What if he's dead?" Teary wondered out loud. "He's been missing for an awful long time! What if he got killed by a bee?"

"Teary! Don't say that!" Saura yelped. "Please! Don't even think about that! Just… help me look for him! Keep looking!"

"But what if he _is_ dead?" Teary said again. "What will Mommy say…?"

Saura turned to the four kids who followed him, continuing to unquestioningly persist through the forest at his command. He could tell it by the looks on their faces: they all wanted to ask the same question.

"Listen!" Char said firmly. "I don't care if Beary's dead. We're going to find him, alive or otherwise, and that's final! We're just going to search every last inch of this forest until we do. Do you understand?"

The kids all solemnly nodded.

"I don't want to hear any more talking about 'is he dead' or 'what will we do if we don't find him', okay?" Char told them. "Save it for when we know for sure. Until then… we just keep going."

* * *

**Sitrus Orchard S11**

For six more grueling hours, they searched that forest, inspecting every tree, digging through every leaf pile, diving into every ditch, and fighting the endless stream of wild bug Pokémon as they went. Still, there was not even a single sign—not even a footprint—of the missing child. Worry mounted in Char's heart as the end of the forest drew close—only one more mile remained.

Saura no longer showed signs of panic, anxiety, or weariness. He was beyond it all. He marched through the forest, emotionlessly following Char's lead, scanning everywhere the light touched with his unblinking eyes and rustling through everywhere it didn't with his vines.

The children had changed a bit, too. Char noticed that they were beginning to act a little differently: after only the first half hour of searching, they no longer complained about hunger or weary muscles. Silently, unquestioningly, they followed the commands given to them by their leaders and trudged along beside them. Whenever Char noticed a child starting to get teary-eyed from strain, or starting to limp from fatigue, he'd administer a Sitrus berry and hope it would be enough to help.

The forest was not merciful. The enemies never stopped coming, especially the Beedrills. Every time a Buneary's little voice echoed through the woods, calling out for the missing brother, an angry Beedrill seemed to respond with wings buzzing and poison stingers at the ready. And there were countless more Spinarak webs to walk into, Weepinbell traps to avoid, and Rattatas to fend off… Char even once fell into another pitfall trap, only to have Saura act quickly and catch him in mid-plummet, saving him and all the items in the bag.

There were poison spikes at the bottom of that one.

Eventually, the sunlight started to deepen in color, signaling the beginning of evening. In just three more hours, the light by which they walked would be gone, and in one hour after that, the Watchers would be out. But the search continued on, the group unwavering in their efforts…

…Until Heary, after a very long time of the group not speaking to one another, spoke up.

"Mr. Saura?"

"What is it, Heary?" Saura spoke flatly, but trying not to sound unfriendly.

"You said that Beary might have gone forward in the forest, right? That's why we left behind the orchard and kept going forward?"

"Yes," Char answered.

"Well… What if he went backwards?"

Silence rose from the group.

"What if we couldn't find him because he went backwards, instead of forwards?"

Char and Saura turned to stare at one another, pondering if it could be true. It was, after all, the most likely possibility yet to be offered.

"But you can't go backwards in a Mystery Dungeon," Saura said. "…Or can you?"

"…if you somehow get trapped in the spatial anomaly, maybe you can," Char considered.

"What if… we left him behind before we found the orchard?" Heary wondered. "We looked everywhere for him back there, but maybe we were too late!"

Again, silence. Saura's eyes faded to a faraway gaze.

Was it true? Had they left the child miles behind? It seemed to make perfect sense. Maybe they'd left Beary farther back than originally thought, and that's why their most thorough searches all came up empty. But even then, it was a horrible thought to behold. How would they rescue him now?

"Here's what we'll do," he finally decided after a few minutes of thought. "We finish this search. Then, when we leave the dungeon, one of us goes on to the city with you Buneary, and the other explores the dungeon from the very beginning."

Char knew the idea was absolutely crazy. There was simply not enough time left in the day to scour the dungeon from the beginning. But, he knew that, between Beary and himself (since it was obvious he'd be the one staying to search, since he was the only one with a light), he was the one more deserving to be left as prey for the sinister ghosts. He was the one who screwed up and let his attention slip long enough to lose the child. He was the one who would face the dark of the night to find him—or die trying.

"Sounds good to me," Char said, knowing that he didn't have any other choice. "Onward it is, then…"

Just as Char was ready to continue forward, Meary gasped.

"Wait! I heard something!"

"What is it, another Beedrill?" Char asked, looking up to the treetops.

"No. It sounded like Beary!"

"Where? Which way?" Saura demanded. "You sure it was him?"

"I… I'm not sure, it might have been," she said. "That way!"

Without a second thought, the group rushed forward as fast as they could in the direction Meary indicated.

"I heard it again!" Meary said. "It was louder!"

"I didn't hear anything," Saura said. "What did it sound like?"

"It sounds like Beary crying!" she insisted. "It's getting louder!"

"You heard her," Char said. "Keep going!"

"BEAARY!" Teary cried. "We're here! We're going to find you!"

After traveling just a few more yards, Char thought he started to hear something strange, too… but it wasn't the sound of a child crying. It was like a low humming sound, sometimes escalating in pitch to sound like a shriek. He couldn't quite tell what it was…

"That's not Beary," Saura said, disappointedly. "But… what _is_ that…?"

The noise kept fluctuating, making it hard to follow or identify. Char moved in the direction of the sound, even though he didn't see anything quite out of the ordinary…

But then, Char pushed aside a leafy branch, and he saw it. Everyone froze in horror; it was the _last_ thing they wanted to see.

A small alcove opened in the forest. In the center of the forest, there was a tree. You couldn't tell it was a tree, though; it was covered, completely swarming with Beedrillls. It was a hive. The sound of buzzing wings faded together to form the terrible humming noise.

For a few moments, Char couldn't tear his eyes from the sight. Many cocoons and paper nests stuffed with larvae hung from the branches…

"Oh, _no!_" Saura whispered upon seeing the invested alcove. "Everyone, _run!_"

But it was too late to run. Some Beedrills spotted the intruders and quickly called upon their kin to help defend the hive… soon, almost a hundred of the angry bees began to swarm towards Char…

Almost without thinking, Char prepared to blast his fire, then held it back at the last second to release a thick cloud of smoke at the swarm of insects. The cloud spread quickly, reducing visibility…

Trying to resist a coughing fit, Char turned to flee with his companions…

Although some of the Beedrils had become confused as they entered the smoke screen, throwing off their course and directing them into tree trunks, most of them shot straight through and kept coming. They closed in on Char at an incredible speed…

"We're not going to make it!" Heary yelled as he glanced back. "AHH! Mr. Char, LOOK OUT!"

And with that, the swarm was upon them. Nothing could save them now.

Char ducked, narrowly avoiding the poison tip of a Beedrill as it passed by. Saura tried to give him cover by sending out a flurry of razor-sharp leaves, but to his surprise, most of the leaves were stopped by tree branches and foliage—obstacles which the Beedrills so agilely zoomed around as they closed in and surrounded the group…

"CHAR! We're not going to make it this time!" Saura cried, batting at the bees with his vines as best as he could. "CHAR! USE THE ESCAPE ORB!"

The escape orb! Char had completely forgotten about that!

"But... we're not to the end of the forest yet!" Char cried, leaping to shield a terrified bunny from an attack. "What if the Master's forces are still out there? They'll see us!"

"Char, we don't have a choice!" Saura cried desperately. "These kids are all going to die! Char, use the orb!"

It was true. Saura was succeeding in defending the group from the swarm as they hurried for whatever kind of cover they could find, but he couldn't keep it up. The number of bees on their tail kept growing.

"Also, maybe this is our last chance to find Beary!" Saura yelled. "Remove the curse, and the forest might become easier to search!"

Char quickly ducked behind a tree, throwing the bag onto the ground and plunging his claw down into it. Sitrus juice burst from the berries and stained his hand as he dug down for the orb…

When he found it, he held it hesitantly in his hand…

"If the Master's soldiers are still out there…"

"Char, we have to take the chance," Saura said again. "Please, Char! They're starting to… OW! OW!"

At once, Char grasped the shiny, opaque orb with both of his claws. A telepathic voice entered his head.

_This is an escape orb,_ the voice said. _Activate?_

_Yes, activate!_ Char answered.

The orb emitted a powerful pulse, a strange ripple that spread through the air in all directions. As it passed, the buzzing of the bees and the frantic screaming of the bunnies all seemed to cease for a moment…

_Activation successful,_ the orb said. _The curse has been broken. Your party may now leave the dungeon at will._

With that, the orb's color faded, becoming glassy and transparent. It soon collapsed into thin shards which fell to the ground and dissolved away…

And then there was silence.

Char looked around. The bees had… simply disappeared. With the breaking of the curse, they had either given up on their attack and flown away, or vanished into thin air, trapped in a sort of alternate dimension. The forest and the sky looked a lot different, too… it almost felt like they were standing in the true Sitrus Orchard, the one that had been shrouded by the Mystery Dungeon curse for so long. Most of the overgrowth had vanished, and Sitrus trees blossomed with flowers and berries all around…

Char saw Saura still cringing, wrapping all four of the Buneary at once with his vines to protect them... he saw as they opened their eyes, one by one, seeing that the danger was gone…

Saura's eyes snapped open, surprised.

"It… worked," he said. "They're gone… We're safe…"

It was true. There were no more enemies to be seen, and the forest seemed… much more peaceful than it used to be.

"Okay, quick," Saura said. "Now that the dungeon is gone, everyone split up and search for Beary. It should be much easier to find him now that the place isn't all distorted."

So they did. And Saura was right: it was much easier to find Beary. In less than ten minutes, the search was over.

As Char wandered through the forest calling Beary's name, a muffled sound answered him back.

-_Hic!-_

Char looked up.

"Uhhhhhh…" _-hic!-_

Sure enough, it was him. Char spotted the little Buneary laying in the branch of a nearby Sitrus tree. His fur was hopelessly stained with Sitrus juice, and his belly was absolutely stuffed. He moaned in pain, half-asleep...

"Beary!" Char exclaimed, rushing to his aid. "Beary! Oh, I'm so glad to see you!"

"Mr. Char…" the bunny moaned vaguely, his eyes half-open.

"What happened?" Char asked, trying to pick him up and take him off the branch. "We searched everywhere for you!"

"I got tired… I couldn't keep up…" the bunny muttered. "I… think I'm sick… I ate lots of berries to help me feel better…"

When Char succeeded in picking up and carrying the child, he noticed the problem: there was a gaping, messy wound in the child's side. Scabs had already started cover it, thanks to all the Sitrus berries he'd eaten, but they were having some trouble doing so: the skin underneath the child's brown fur had turned a bright green, bubbling up into large boils around the opening. He was poisoned.

"Oh, Beary!" Char cried upon seeing the wound. "You were stung by a Beedrill, weren't you?"

"No… it was…" the child tried to say. "I think… the Nido got me… I thought it was just a scratch… but it got bad and it started making me tired… so I couldn't keep up…"

Char gently set the child onto the ground to look over the wound. It was infected pretty bad.

"I hid in the tree, because you said that nobody suspects a tree, right?"

"Here, take this," Char said, quickly slipping off his scarf and tying it around the gaping injury. "This should make you feel a lot better. It won't cure the poison, but it should help until we get you some medicine."

"I want mommy," the child moaned sadly as Char picked him up and carried him away.

"How about your Auntie?" Char said gently. "We'll be there soon. Don't worry. You'll be okay."

* * *

**Route 370**

Saura, and the rest of the children, were absolutely overjoyed at the missing brother was found. Once re-united, they all pushed their way out of the forest as quickly as they could, leaving the vicious, unforgiving dungeon behind.

"About time," Scythe called to them as they emerged from the orchard. "What took you so long? It's almost evening!"

Leary answered him. "Sorry, Mr. Bug," he said, "but Beary got lost!"

Char and Saura both bit their tongues as Scythe cast a worried glance toward them.

"You _lost_ a child?" he said with surprise. "Really? You _lost_ him? In the middle of a _dungeon_?"

"…Yes," Saura answered regretfully.

"But it looks like everyone's all here," Scythe said with a smile. "You found him again. Good for you! You could have been a little faster, but you two did good. I'm very proud of you. Children! How was the Orchard? How'd it go?"

"It was scary!" Leary said. "There were Beedrills and Spinaraks everywhere!"

"I wasn't scared," Beary said, limping along with one hand on the scarf that covered his would like a bandage.

"Mr. Saura helped keep us safe," Teary said. "Mr. Char helped, too."

"I almost cried when Beary was missing, but Mr. Saura said we'd find him," Heary added. "It took a long time, and we got really tired, and hungry. But he promised!"

"Mr. Char is the best at fighting!" Meary said. "But I still think daddy could beat him!"

"I don't know about that! Mr. Char has FIRE!"

"I bet Mr. Saura could beat Mr. Char! Mr. Saura saved us from a whole swarm of Beedrills at once!"

As Scythe led the group back to Route 370, Char and Saura both released a great big sigh. Even though they weren't exactly proud of themselves for everything that had happened, they were relieved that it was all over. The five kids were all alive as promised, and Sitrus City was just over the horizon.

There was a problem, however… nightfall was coming a bit too fast. Noticing this, Scythe ordered everyone back off the path and into the grasslands.

"Where are we going?" Saura asked. "Don't we have to head for the city? We're almost out of sunlight!"

"Exactly," Scythe said. "There just isn't enough sunlight left. We'll never make it to the city at this rate. Here. Dig!"

Scythe slashed at the ground, flinging dirt into to the air.

"Dig?" Saura repeated.

"Yes, dig," Scythe said, putting another long slice into the dirt. "The Watchers never attack a shelter, no matter how it's made. Now, help me! It's our only chance to escape them!"

The team spent the rest of the evening digging a hole for shelter from the looming darkness of night. Thankfully, the Buneary children seemed quite skilled at this activity, and with a little effort, they now had a musty, narrow trench to crawl into. Once they'd hit the layer of clay, they dug the rest of the hole at a slant until the sky could no longer be seen from the very bottom.

There, the Buneary snuggled around Char and Saura, and everyone had a well-earned rest after such a very tiring, stressful day.

The Buneary took turns with Char and Saura retelling all the events of the day to Scythe. He listened amusedly and proudly as they told stories of Weepinbells, pitfall traps, Beedrills, and Beary getting lost. The only time he stopped to reprimand them was the part where Saura explained his plan to take the children back to the city while one of them stayed behind to search.

"I admire your courage," Scythe told them sternly, "but never, ever forget the most important rule of all. Never, ever, _ever_ travel alone."

"Oh, you mean like how _you_ ran off on your own to go spy on the soldiers?" Saura retorted sarcastically. "Sure. We'll remember not to do _that_. Thanks for setting a good example for us."

"Okay, you got me," Scythe said with a grin. "But still. I was not _traveling_. I practically stayed in the same place, even as I followed the soldiers down the road. _You_ were the ones who had to traverse the dungeon. _That_ is not wise to do alone, no matter how experienced, or desperate, you may think you are. At the very least, had you carried out that plan, you should have kept the most able-bodied child with you."

Char ignored his excuses. He knew Scythe didn't have to explain himself; that he, not them, was more than able to venture off on his own whenever he wanted. He and Saura agreed never to even consider breaking the buddy rule in the future.

Char got to the part where they broke into a Beedrill hive, saved their lives with the escape orb, and rescued Beary. The children agreed that, by far, it was the most frightening thing they'd ever been though. Beary, though, seemed to be a little disappointed that he missed the event.

"That was the part I didn't understand," Char said, holding his tail close to his chest so as to not accidently burn anyone. "How come the land just changed like that when we used the escape orb?"

"From what we know of Mystery Dungeons, they are simply alternate dimensions that overlay certain areas of the terrain, absorbing their features and arranging them in random shapes," he explained. "If you use an escape orb, it actually transports you from the Mystery Dungeon dimension back into the real dimension which still exists underneath. The result is that you become visible to those around you, and you are able to simply leave whenever you want. Although, if you stay unveiled too long without fleeing the dungeon, you will just get sucked back into the curse. You were lucky you found Beary as fast as you did. In the future, remember to always get out as fast as you can once you activate an escape orb."

"Noted," Saura said. "There's no way we're going to waste something that useful."

"Oh, and another thing," Scythe said. "It is very likely that you could not find Beary because he was dispelled from the dungeon."

"Dispelled?" Saura asked. "I never knew about that part. How's that work?"

"If you lose consciousness in a dungeon, and nobody revives you for more than about a minute, the dungeon will expel you," Scythe explained. "Usually, that means you will be separated from the rest of your team who remain in the dungeon, and unable to join them again until they leave."

"No wonder," Char said, remembering Beary's predicament. "So that's why we couldn't find him anywhere!"

"But he's here now," Teary said. "That's why I'm glad."

"Heh, us too," Saura said.

Char passed out a snack of dried apples that had somehow survived at the bottom of the bag all day, and the weary children started to drift off to sleep.

"So, Scythe," Char said, long after the kids had all passed out for the night. "Did you find out what happened with all those soldiers?"

Scythe closed his eyes for a moment, deep in concentration. Char knew that the day hadn't gone too well for him, either.

"Maybe," Scythe grumbled, staring at the ground. "I can't be sure. They looked as though they were heading to the southwest…"

"Well, at least that means my family is safe for the time being," Saura sighed.

"One thing's for sure, though," Scythe muttered. "The settlement at Basin Canyon will have to be postponed. We shouldn't risk it while the Master has such a strong hold on the nearby area. The team's not going to like this one bit. Especially Daemon. I already know I'm going to have a hard time explaining it to him."

"Why's that?" Char wondered. "It looks to me like your team trusts you unconditionally. Even Daemon."

Scythe forced out a laugh. "Ah, ha ha ha," he grunted. "Sure, but just watch how they respond when I tell them we'll have to work overtime for an entire month. Maybe even two or three, just to keep an eye on the place. I've got to put it to Adiel… he has a way of accidentally executing plans that are more effective than he can imagine. Just by appearing to us, he's forced us to act and put strain on our entire operation."

_Adiel_, Char remembered. _Oh wow, I almost forgot. When he appeared… he said that Saura only had three days left of freedom… and that was two and a half days ago. That means… he only has one day left! After tomorrow, he might come looking for Saura… I sure hope we're safely back in the base when tomorrow night rolls around!_

"Say, Scythe," Saura said after yawning. "I've been wondering. What's up with Basin Canyon, anyway? What are you doing there, exactly? Well, I mean, if you're even allowed to tell us."

"It's a very long story," Scythe muttered. "But, I see we've got nothing better to do at the moment. Hmm… Where to begin…? Basin Canyon is a colony. A good number of years ago, a tribe of Sandshrew and Sandslash lived there. They had a whole network of tunnels and chambers in the walls of the canyon… and that was their home. They cherished it and defended it for generations. So, naturally, when the Master moved into the area, they… they stood their ground. Even when the Master demanded they clear out… they refused. They defended their home with their lives, and a war broke out. Many lives were lost. Sadly, most of those lives were the Sandslash that tried to put up a fight."

"But why would the Master do that to them?" Saura asked. "Even for him, that seems kind of low. Why would he force them out of the canyon? He had to have had a reason of some sort, right?"

"Because, the Sandslash were hiding a secret," Scythe told them. "Down, beneath the depths of the canyon… there was a mine. A mine of feral-shards. And when the Master found out this secret, he wanted all the feral-shards for himself, so he went to go take them by force. Even back then feral-shards were very rare, so you can imagine how wealthy the Sandslash made themselves by selling the stones to the markets. But the Master was determined to be the only one in control of the stones, to prevent Pokémon from becoming too powerful for him."

_So, they're fighting for the feral-shards!_ Char realized. _I remember when we found one in the thieves' den… no wonder Scythe got all excited when he saw that. I bet they're really valuable!_

"Well, the battle over Basin Canyon raged on," Scythe continued. "When this battle was almost at its breaking point, my team decided to go in and help them. So, Team Remorse gathered their strength and fought for the Sandslash. But we soon found that even we were not strong enough. We had underestimated the Master's efforts… and we knew that the battle would be lost. So, we did what we could to evacuate the Sandslash safely. But, during our very final battle in those caves, a very… unfortunate thing happened. It was something I thought I could have avoided, but in hindsight, I know now there was no way for me to prevent it. The soldiers attacked us… and they killed Jahzara, the leader of the tribe."

As he said this, he hung his head as if in respect for the memory of a fallen hero. Char also saw a little resent in his eyes. He could tell that the story was very important to the old warrior; it was a memory he lived in the shadow of, wishing he could change.

"And when the dust settled, and it was all over, Jahzara's tribe was defeated and demoralized. They had lost everything they ever held dear—their home, their precious stones, and even their leader. So, we did the only thing we could do: we led them somewhere safe, somewhere they would thrive and stay hidden for as long as they could. And, that day… I gave a solemn vow to them. I promised them that one day, I would lead them back to their homeland."

"And that's what you're doing now, isn't it?" Saura said. "That's what this 'settlement' is you keep talking about. You're going to take the Sandslash back so they can settle at the canyon again."

"Indeed," Scythe said. "Even after all these years, I kept it in the back of my mind. I never forgot my promise. Well, it was hard to, anyway; it turns out that I had taken a little reminder with me. You see, when Team Remorse turned and left the Sandslash in their new home that day, a little Sandshrew, the second-youngest of Jahzara's seven sons, followed us and wanted to join us. His name… was Shander."

Char smiled. He finally understood why Scythe and Shander were such great friends. Scythe also smiled warmly at the memory, but his smile soon faded as he continued his story.

"Now, when the Master took control of the canyon, he found something he did not expect. The feral-shards which he so zealously sought after were buried at the very bottom of the Basin's deepest chambers… which had, at some point in time, become blocked by one of the longest, most difficult Mystery Dungeons known to this day. After trying unsuccessfully to send forces through the dungeon and claim the stones, he gave up. And now, finally, we have a chance to fulfill our promise to Jahzara's tribe. It wasn't easy to get this far, but we're almost ready to lead them back home and give them adequate protection while they settle in."

"Wow, do you think the Master will fight back?" Saura wondered. "That sounds like a difficult task, defying him openly like that."

"Oh, we already know he will fight back," Scythe said. "But we can fend him off this time. If we can just fend off the Master's first counterattack, and show him that the Sandslash intend to stay, he'll back off and leave them alone; after all, he doesn't even care about the canyon anymore. And believe me, to say that we've put a lot of thought and planning into this effort would be the understatement of the decade. Our master plan is _flawless_. We _will_ win. Not even Adiel will stand in our way."

"So, seeing those soldiers today threw another whole kink into things, didn't it?" Char asked. "Now you have to postpone the settlement."

"Yes," Scythe said. "One of the most important things our plan hinges on is the size of the Master's forces in the surrounding area. This year, it's been at an all-time low, the perfect opportunity to execute our plan. But now… we will have to wait until we know for sure what the Master is doing with these soldiers. But, rain or shine, we're going to get this done."

"Well," Saura said, now with his eyes closed, "if there's one Pokémon in the whole division that can pull this off, it's you."

After that, the team drifted off to sleep to the sound of wild Kricketot and Noctowl from the surface above, and, of course, the ever-present gentle roar of Char's flame…

… … …

In the middle of the night, Char found himself awake.

Letting his curiosity get the better of him, he made the mistake of craning his neck against the dirt wall to take a quick glance at the world above…

…And what he saw horrified him. A cluster of hundreds of dark shadows, like a giant black cloud, floated slowly through the sky.

Watching.

It took him a while before he was able to calm himself enough to return to sleep.


	23. Chapter 21: The Greatest Treasure

**Chapter 21**

The next morning, Char awoke to the sound of Scythe's call, as usual. This time, he finally felt like his body was getting used to it… until he looked up and saw the sky past the roof of the ditch. It was nearly noon! They'd slept in for a long time!

"Well, I couldn't wake up the kids too early," Scythe said with a smile after Char had mentioned this. "Especially not after yesterday. That would just be irresponsible!"

So, when everyone was wide awake and ready to go, the team headed off on the final leg to Sitrus City. The kids were more eager than ever to see their auntie, and Char and Saura were more eager to know that another successful mission had come and gone.

* * *

**Sitrus City**

"Well, here we are!" Saura exclaimed as they entered the lively Pokémon community. "Sitrus City! What do you think?"

Char didn't really know what to think. For some reason, he'd expected something a lot different; something like a great big cluster of skyscrapers, streets, and vehicles. A human city. This, though, looked more like a giant garden or a city park. There were buildings, but in shapes he never thought were possible, and almost none of them were more than one floor tall. Decorative trees, plants, and flowers lined the sides of the wide, stone-paved pathways.

"It's pretty," Char answered. "Not what I pictured, but it's very pretty."

"It's a nice place to live," Saura said. "A lot of my brothers lived here at some point in time, and I stayed here a lot, too. It's so relaxing…"

As they walked through the town, they passed many Pokémon. A Ponyta tugged a cart full of stones somewhere. A Delcatty and two Skitty lapped water from a pond. A Pelipper flew down the street, stopping at mailboxes to deliver mail.

"It's almost like the Division," Char noticed.

"It is," Scythe said. "Pokémon who live in cities help one another out, just like the division. For most of us, it's vital to our survival to live in a community."

While Char could certainly appreciate the colorful and inviting sight of the city, he couldn't imagine living there. He knew he much rather preferred to be back in the Division base, surrounded by rocks and fire rather than plants…

They didn't stop to enjoy the scenery, although Char did his best to take in the strange and interesting sights. A lot of the houses were things like tents and teepees, but there were also a number of structures made of brick, stone, or metal. The architecture of some of these buildings was so odd, Char really had to wonder about the different Pokémon that lived in them and what kind of reasons they would have for, say, a house shaped like the head of a Totodile, or a house which stood upon two pillars with the entrance several feet up in the air, or a house shaped like a giant pyramid with slits down the sides, or one that resembled a giant, vertical arch with one window.

_I know that Pokémon got the idea of building houses from humans,_ Char laughed to himself, _but maybe something got lost in translation! This place is ridiculous! Or… maybe it's just… I don't know… fun._

Saura led the team quickly through the city he knew well and to the place known as the Pearl Dome. At first, it appeared to Char like a big, pink igloo made of polished rock. As he saw more of it, he noticed that it had several entrances around the circumference, which probably housed different Pokémon.

"That one!" Meary shouted, pointing at one of the dome's doors. "That's where Auntie lives!"

As soon as Teary rapped on the door, the Nidoqueen burst out. With a cry of joy, she gathered all the bunnies up in one big armful and gave them a big hug. Most of the children didn't look too thrilled.

"Ohh…. Children!" she gasped. "You all had me so worried! Your momma sent me a message that you were supposed to be here yesterday! I stayed up all night… oh… I'm so glad to see you're all safe! Oh, you're all so filthy! We'll have to get you cleaned up! Oh, Beary! You went and hurt yourself again, didn't you? We'll have to get you a good slice of Pecha fruit right away!"

When the eager Nidoqueen was done squeezing the living daylights out of the kids, she turned to their traveling companions.

"Sirs, I must thank you for all your trouble," she said amiably. "We can't tell you how much this means to us!"

"It was our pleasure," Saura said proudly.

"Well, well, I suppose I owe you something for your babysitting," she rambled, disappearing back into her house for a moment. "Here, wait just a moment…"

_This is it,_ Char realized. _The reward! I wonder what it will be?_

Char and Saura were all smiles as the old Nidoqueen returned, holding something in her claw. Char preemptively stretched out his own claws to accept the gift…

"Here you go," she said kindly. "It's not much, but consider it our way of saying thanks."

Two little round coins, amounting to twenty Poké, fell into Char's grasp.

Words could not express the disbelief on Saura's face. Scythe even looked a little bit surprised.

"Hey, if you want, you can stick around for a while," the Nidoqueen said invitingly. "I'm sure the kids would be happy to have you around! I even made some poffins for them. You're welcome to share!"

"Uh… no thanks," Char said, clenching his claw around the money. "We've… got to get going. We've… got more work to do."

"Oh, too bad," the Nidoqueen said. "Well, thanks again for everything! Kids, why not say goodbye to your kind guides?"

After a barrage of adoring goodbyes from the five little kids, the adventurers turned and left. Their mission was finally complete… but it all felt somehow unsatisfying.

"Say, you two," Scythe inquired to the still-speechless Team Ember, "you didn't by chance take a mission with an unmarked reward… did you?"

"We did," Saura admitted. "Is that why…?"

"Well, when you see one of those, it means that the Division won't reimburse you for the mission, so the only reward you're going to get is whatever the client decides to give you."

"…Oh," Saura grumbled. "I wish I would have known that before. Oh, well, I guess the greatest reward was knowing the kids are safe and sound, right?"

Char opened his claw and stared at the two tarnished coins in his palm. _Yeah,_ Char determined. _That must be it._

* * *

**Division Base**

"_**Thirteen **__Sitrus berries?_" Kecleon cried, examining the contents of Char's bag. "THIRTEEN whole Sitrus berries? Wow! Where on _earth_ did you find these?"

"Uh… the Sitrus Orchard?" Char said awkwardly.

"Well, my young friends, you've certainly hit the jackpot!" he shouted, patting Char on the back. "These things are so rare, and even when Pokémon around here _do_ get their hands on them, they're _never_ willing to let me have them!"

Remembering Shander's advice, Char decided to try to sell his spoils to Kecleon to see if he could produce just a little bit more profit from the trip than he'd received from the Nidoqueen. To his surprise, Kecleon went completely mad at the sight of a couple pieces of fruit.

"I'll take them!" Kecleon proclaimed. "Seventy thousand for the whole bag."

"Wow, really?" Saura cried. "They're that valuable? That's amazing! I guess this was a profitable trip after all!"

Char smirked. "Seventy thousand for the whole bag, except one," he said. "We want to keep one. And that's our final offer."

"Well, you, my good sirs, have got yourselves a deal!" Kecleon exclaimed, bowing his head to Char and eagerly snatching the bag away. "Absolutely fantastic! Just wait until my brother hears about this! You two, my good sirs, may you have the best day in the history of Poké-kind. Incredible! Sitrus berries! Incredible!"

And so, Team Ember's perfect record continued with their third successful mission. It was the hardest one yet, but they persevered, defied the odds, and came through! As they did so, Char and Saura learned more about their world, the mysterious dungeons, and their lives as a resistance team.

After the victory had been reported to the registry, Team Ember happily stocked up on supplies. After all, they would just be getting up tomorrow and doing it all over again; a resistance team needs to serve the division each and every day. Making sure to steer clear of the unmarked bounties, they decided on their next day's endeavor and were all prepared before the torches even turned red.

Scythe was given a good talking to by Daemon for staying out longer than planned as well as dropping Team Absolution in his lap without coming back to give them the promised explanation. Then, at the evening's meeting, he described all the latest developments and broke the bad news that the Basin Canyon campaign would have to continue a lot longer than previously planned. Surprisingly, the team took it very well; they all seemed full of morale and ready to give their all, even though it would probably turn out to be their most difficult endeavor yet.

After a satisfying dinner and a glance at the evening news report, the torches changed colors and Team Ember retired to Scythe's room for the night.

… … …

"_Hey! Wake up!"_

Char stirred at the sound of Scythe's voice. He felt _horrible_. How early was he getting up this time? Was it because he slept in so long the night before?

That's when he glanced back at his tail flame—it was red. Red, as in, it was still late in the _evening_.

"What do you want, Scythe?" Char asked.

"Get Saura up," Scythe hissed. "You've been summoned."

"Summoned by who?" Char wondered. "High Intelligence?'

"No, Team Stripes!"

"What!?"

"Team Stripes has requested your presence down in their quarters," Scythe said. "Now, come on, we don't want to keep them waiting!"

So, Char woke up a very annoyed and grumpy Saura, and Scythe dragged them both down more stairs than they cared to count. Char could only wonder what in the world Team Stripes wanted with them…

Down they went, all the way down to the eighteenth floor of the base…

Through the dull, dimly-lit hallways of the training teams…

All the way to Team Stripes' headquarters…

And when they got there, they were in for quite a surprise.

… … …

"_**THREE…!**_"

Team Stripes had welcomed them at the door, then hurriedly ushered them inside…

"_**TWO…!**_"

Inside, they found the last thing they'd ever expect to see—a party.

"_**ONE…!**_"

The room was filled with Pokémon. All twenty-seven members of Team Stripes were there, cheering for Saura. There was even a huge cake, prepared by the kitchen masters for this very occasion…

And at the very moment the torches turned blue, the room erupted in one great cheer…

"_**HAPPY FREEDOM, SAURA!"**_

The last day before Saura was to be captured by the Master's forces and forced into servitude had just finished passing by. By the Scizor's promise, tonight was the night Saura was supposed to be lead away in captivity… but instead, he was at the very, very bottom of an underground cave, surrounded by friends, and with no intention of ever giving into the Master's demands. It was official: he'd escaped. He was free.

Saura cried tears of joy, thanking everyone for the wonderful surprise and friendship, as the whole of Team Stripes tackled him and gave him a big hug.

Scythe admitted that he'd planned the whole event ever since he learned when Saura was scheduled to be taken. Having served many terms in the Master's army himself, Scythe knew how precious freedom was, and felt it needed to be celebrated.

They spent hours into the night stuffing themselves with cake, telling stories, and conversing about all of their endeavors with the division. Nobody cared that they'd be dead tired the next morning, as the training teams were still restricted.

At one point, a Weavile came down and visited the party, requesting to see Saura.

"I'm Vazidor, of Team Dread," the Weavile said to him. "I heard a rumor that you were in the market for one of these."

He grinned, presenting Saura with nothing other than a mobile scarf. Already drained of all the tears he had, Saura managed to weakly choke out a "thank you" as he speechlessly accepted the gift.

"Happy freedom," the Weavile said just before leaving. "It's the greatest treasure you will ever have. Never let anyone take it away."

At last, the party ended, and it was time for everyone to sleep. Saura's head reeled from everything, and Char couldn't help but be happy for him.

As they gathered themselves and prepared to leave, one of the members of Team Stripes came to them. It was Ray.

"So, did you like it?" Ray asked. "We worked really hard on this! How was the cake?"

"It was all amazing," Saura said, his bright smile never leaving his face. "Thank you so much for everything. I can't tell you what this means to me."

"We knew it all had to be perfect," Ray said. "I'm really glad you liked it."

… … …

After they said their goodnights, Char and Saura headed for the door, but Ray stopped them again.

"Uh… listen, you guys," he said, a little bit nervously. "Since you're here… do you think… we could talk? There's something I've been meaning to say… and I thought now would be a good time for it…"

"Eh, why not?" Char shrugged. "What's the matter, Ray?"

As the rest of the team scrambled and clamored, cleaning up their room in the wake of the celebration, Char and Saura stepped out into the quiet hallway with Ray.

"I've been trying to work up the courage to ask you this," Ray said, fretting with his tail. "Could you… I mean, could I… Would it be okay if… you let me… … … join Team Ember?"

Char blinked. The question really took him by surprise.

"Y-you don't have to answer right away!" Ray said quickly. "If you… if you want to think about it for a while, that's fine!"

"Really?" Saura said in surprise. "You want to join our team? Are we… even allowed to do that?"

"Well, usually, the new recruits like me stay on the training teams until they either form their own team, which they almost never let you do… or until one of the other teams lets you join. And I was wondering… if you'd let me join. It's… up to you, really."

Char and Saura looked at one another, unsure of what to say.

"Listen," Ray said. "It's just that… Ever since I started working here, I've only had one dream: I wanted more than anything to be on Scythe's team. The heroic exploits of Team Remorse have always been an inspiration to me, and I've just… always wanted to be a part of it. I give my all every day, hoping that someday, somehow, they'd accept me. I even evolved as fast as I could so I could get stronger. I know that day is still a long way off, but… now you're here, and you're a team of your own, and it's… really a dream come true for me if I could be on your team! The thought of personally training with Scythe every day… just like you two do… it would make me really happy."

When Char saw the eagerness and hope in the Raichu's eyes as he awaited an answer, he knew he couldn't let his dreams down.

"We'll have to see if Scythe approves of it," Saura said. "But… we'd love to have an extra hand! What do you think, Char? You're the leader, the decision is up to you."

Char didn't wait a single moment to answer.

"Ray, we'd be honored to have you on our team," Char said gleefully, holding out his claw for a handshake.

Once again, no handshake was returned. Instead, the Raichu leapt joyfully into the air, sparks of static electricity buzzing across his fur.

"Sweet!" he cried. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! You won't regret it! I'll never slack off, and I'll give ten hundred percent effort to your team! Thank you! I can't wait! _Yes!_ I'm on _Team Ember!_"

It was really, _really_ late as Char and Saura finally got around to sleeping that night. After talking to Scythe about letting in a new member—which he had no problem with, especially after he heard who the candidate was—they spent another hour wide awake, just talking about all the crazy events of the day.

"You know, we made a lot of Pokémon very happy today," Saura said. "The Buneary, and their mom and dad, and that Nidoqueen, and Ray, and even Kecleon!"

"Yeah, and you, too!" Char added. "Who would have guess they'd throw a party for us? I couldn't believe my eyes! I thought those kinds of parties were only a human thing!"

"Oh, Char, I can't tell you how much that meant to me," Saura said happily. "Last week, when I ran away from home, I was on the verge of despair. I thought it was all over. And now, look at me. I found you, and we found this place, and everything's… okay."

_Maybe that's the real reason we fight the Master,_ Char thought. _We spread happiness while the Master wants to take it away._

After everything was said and done, Char finally settled down and closed his eyes…

… … …

_It's… it's happening again!_

Char felt himself in the midst of another vivid memory. He floated in a realm of blinding whiteness…

_It… feels so real!_

The great blue dragon, Dialga, stood before him, its eternal eyes glowing brightly with power. Radiant beams of light reflected from its scales and blades…

_This… is the clearest memory I've ever had!_

Char tried to move, to turn his head, to cry out with his voice, but it was all futile. It was only a memory recorded in the recesses of his mind, unable to be changed…

The great Dialga began to speak. This time, Char heard its voice… although he could not understand it. It was too quiet, too distorted… or perhaps it was in a different language…

_No! Dialga, what are you saying to me? I… can't understand!_

But he saw the Dragon's face much more clearly than before. He saw how the great lord of time stared down at him, its eyes full of sadness, but at the same time, full of pride. It spoke as if it were about to do something reluctantly, yet reverently…

Suddenly, Char felt his vision change. Something else entered his line of sight. It was…

A bipedal dragon, equally as mighty as the first, lined with dark red stripes and adorned with great wings and pearls…

_P-Palkia!_ Char realized, his heart erupting uncontrollably. _Palkia is here, too! What… what does this mean? What's happening?_

The great master of space bowed its head as well, its many jewels shining like stars…

And, holding out its hands, it presented Char with an object.

The little round floated before Char, shining brightly with the same supernatural light. It was the object of grave importance.

Except, this time, Char could see it so much clearer than last time…

It was such a strange little thing… so small, yet so powerful… so simple, yet so dangerous… it was something… something that shouldn't have even existed in this world…

And then he recognized it. He knew exactly what it was.

The realization made him jump awake. He gave a loud gasp for air as he sprung to his senses in the middle of Scythe's chamber.

"Char, are you okay?" Saura asked weakly, stirring from his sleep. "Nightmare?"

"Saura!" Char gasped, still in disbelief. "I saw it! I saw the thing in my vision!"

"What? What is it?" Saura asked, now wide awake.

"It was… a Pokéball!"

* * *

**Elsewhere...**

"Faster! Faster!" Dusknoir shouted to his servants as they wearily pushed themselves across the land, under the shadow of the Watchers.

"Erk… can't we just take a rest?" Croagunk pleaded, dragging the heavy bag full of salvaged valuables with them. "I think we've gone far enough for one night…"

"We're not safe until we reach the fortress," Dusknoir said softly. "Until then, danger could come out of any—"

"You're awfully late."

Dusknoir froze at the sound of the voice. A Scizor stood before him, watching the travelers from atop a rock.

"Adiel," the Dusknoir addressed reverently in surprise. "I swear, we were going as fast as—"

"I gave you your orders," Adiel said. "I expected you at the rendezvous point yesterday."

"Yes, I know," the Dusknoir replied confidently. "We are sorry. We will be there by morning!"

"Listen, Dusknoir," the Scizor said, leaping off the rock and approaching the ghost. "I intend, for once, to outwit Scythe. I only have once chance at it. I need your assistance to do it. You are _not_ going to blow my one and only plan apart because you're too lazy to keep your servants under control. Do I make myself clear?"

"Perfectly," the Dusknoir said. "You know I wouldn't miss the opportunity to help with his undoing."

Satisfied, the Scizor nodded at his answer. He was about to give his final comments and leave, but suddenly noticed what the Dusknoir held in its hands…

It was a small, round object the color of violet. The ghost had been fiddling obsessively with it ever since they left the cave.

A Master Ball.

"You know, we could just end the Scyther's efforts once and for all most easily with this," he said. "I would be more than happy to perform the deed for you, Adiel…"

"Dusknoir," the Scizor said, a dark anger seething behind his voice. "You know very well that ball was meant for one Pokémon, and one Pokémon alone. Do _not_ do anything foolish."

The Dusknoir looked disappointedly at the Pokéball.

"Yes, Adiel," he said shamefully. "You are right. I would not want to displease the Master in that way."

"Good," the Scizor said simply. "Now, move yourselves faster. I expect to see you there by morning. Right now, I'm off on a little mission of my own. Unless I'm mistaken, there's a little Bulbasaur whose time is up…"

The Scizor dashed away into the darkness.

**End of Season I**


	24. Special Episode: Betrayal

_Special thanks to EkaSwede and nightdragon0, whose comments led to the inspiration for this chapter._

* * *

**Betrayal**

When the young Scyther set out that night, he knew he was about to attempt the riskiest, most insane mission of his life. But he knew what had to be done, and there wasn't the slightest doubt in his mind that he would pull it off; after all, he was used to attempting the impossible. It was what he was trained for. It was what he was known for.

In perfect silence, he perched in the branch of a tree, hiding in its shadows. Watching the ground below. Waiting for the perfect opportunity.

Since the day of his hatching, he'd endured the harshest of training by his clan, and in time, the elite ways of the warrior had become second nature to him. He learned that it wasn't enough to see, hear, and sense, but also to understand and to predict. He learned that everything, _everything_, meant something—the rustle of the leaves in the wind, the scent of the air, the angle of the moonlight as it filtered through the branches—and he learned to interpret and understand the meaning of every slightest signal received by his senses.

The rustle of the leaves, and the pattern in which they stirred, told him that he was safely downwind from his unsuspecting predators. The scent of the air told him that the night-guards were nearby, and would soon be returning on their patrol. The angle of the moonlight as it hit the forest floor below told him that he would have the first chance to see his opponents before he would be spotted himself. He knew that understanding one's own limits and perceptions was not nearly enough; the truly skilled must also understand the limits and perceptions of the enemy. That was the true secret to formulating superior strategy.

Of course, there was a time when the Scyther could recite word-for-word the eighteen rules of duel tactics, the four greatest mistakes when deceiving the enemy, and the most efficient ways to disable an opponent without killing them, just the way his sensei had taught. But theory was entirely lost to him now; all those words had simply melted away into a sort of all-encompassing instinct that dictated his every move in any given situation.

In fact, he was constantly surprised at the omniscience of the instinct which lived in him, hidden beneath the surface of his consciousness. He couldn't even begin to understand how it worked or how it had developed to such a high level, all he knew is that he could command his body to take action, and it would simply comply with such impressive responsiveness and precision that he wondered if a foreign spirit were actually taking over his body and making his moves and decisions for him.

At first, the Scyther considered this instinct as a foreign beast; an alien. But it grew to be his best friend, a friend who never let him down in any situation, a friend he could always trust. As he grew, the instinct enveloped his entire being. It _became_ him. It _defined_ him.

Down below, two Mightyena came into view. He knew the window of opportunity was upon him.

With the agility of a Grovyle, the Scyther nimbly leaped forward through the trees, leaving behind a sound no greater than that of the wind.

Although the natural gifts of speed and cunning were always intrinsic to the Scyther's race, his had somehow developed to a level far above and beyond all his brethren. His skills among his clan were unmatched, and he proved them time and time again in battle against his enemies. He had garnered a powerful respect even from the oldest and wisest of his elders. When the clan leader had chosen him as a successor, it was no surprise to anyone.

But it was never meant to be. Fate, it seemed, other plans for him. He was indeed bound to a destiny as great leader, but not nearly the kind of leader he or his brothers had expected…

The Scyther leaped and flew from tree to tree, careful not to emerge above the treetops lest the night-watchers of the sky catch sight of him. As the end of the forest drew closer, the Scyther found it harder to jump as the trees grew farther apart. He stopped once again to catch his breath and to wait for his chance to evade the next round of guards.

As he glared forward, letting his subconscious churn the information and determine the best route to continue, his consciousness had to ward off a few stinging thoughts.

_I can't believe I'm doing this. After the years I spent escaping this place, I turn around and return in a week? Am I mad?_

No, his instinct told him. This was not madness. He was doing the right thing, and he was the only Scyther among his clan who would even have a chance. He knew these grounds. He knew every tree and rock in this forest. He knew every stone in the castle's wall. He knew every hallway, path, and secret chamber in the castle. After all, he'd lived there for fourteen whole years under the service of the Master. During those years, he'd gained an intimidate knowledge of the stronghold's layout, and for only one purpose: so that one day, he'd be able to lay it all on the line and execute his masterfully-crafted escape plan.

And it worked. After three long, patient years of manipulating his surroundings into a window of opportunity, he fled the master. His escape was clean and flawless, just as he had planned, and he soon found himself miles away from the horrible place which had held him captive.

But when he escaped, he became faced with this difficult mission. He knew how the Master's forces worked, what halls they walked and what patterns they patrolled. He knew what kinds of Pokémon were stationed there, and how powerful they were. Only he had the skill and the knowledge of the Master's forces, and he had to do it alone.

When the Master's dark castle came into sight, the Scyther's mind was filled with awful memories of the things that he'd done while in the Master's command. He forced them back, trying to assure that his instincts had enough room to do their work, but they burned like torn scabs…

He remembered his youth. His foolish, ignorant youth, when he didn't understand who the Master was and what he stood for.

With his talents, the Scyther was a prime pick for the Master's servants. When he was chosen out of all his brothers to be one of the Master's high leaders, to be the commander of his troops, he considered it an honor and eagerly accepted. He was taken to the Master's castle, where he was presented to the generals and branded as one of the Master's own. From that point forth, he lead legions of Pokémon under the Master's orders with the same cunning precision and efficiency that had his clan had known him for. He was, indeed, one of the greatest of the leaders the Ambera region had ever known. His name became known to all; enemies would shudder and allies would bow down at its sound.

The Scyther was very proud of his work. He ruled over entire portions of Ambera, staving off anarchy and enforcing the Master's law. Day by day, he became more satisfied with the respect he received from his fellow commanders. As he gained more of the Master's trust, he felt his life gaining fulfillment. He was happy.

But then…

The Scyther gritted his teeth, feeling the most painful of memories ready to rush in and pounce from the shadows. He tried to focus all his concentration onto the task at hand, but the memories could not be held back. Like his powerful instincts, they, too, had become part of who he was. They, too, defined him.

As the Scyther grew older and more mature, he started to see the world with a new perspective. He began to open his eyes, recovering from the rush of power that had brainwashed him. He realized that some of the commands bestowed upon him by the Master didn't seem… right, somehow. The cities of Ambera were not being treated with respect. The thought occurred to him that the way the Master ruled over Ambera was not that of a wise, compassionate leader, but a sadistic, apathetic child. The Master appeared to bark out orders, not because he had a grand purpose behind them, but just because he could. It was not unlike how the Scyther reveled in his own command over the Master's army, gleefully ordering them around. He started to suspect the Master's true motives; maybe he was, at the very core, drunken by his own power…

So, the Scyther, even in his seat of authority, began to grow suspicious of his Master. Utilizing his powers of intuition and his manipulative nature, he determined that he would somehow, some way, learn the Master's motives for himself.

But he did not have to wait for long before the truth was revealed to him. Once again, he found that his instincts had been doing all the work for him all along, and he only had to wait and reap the rewards; for not long after the Scyther started his campaign to unravel the Master, his superiors approached him. They told him how the Master was very, very pleased with his work, and the Master had chosen him to become one of his closest, most-trusted Pokémon. They tempted him, telling him that he would share all of the Master's deepest secrets, that he would be counted as among the most elite and powerful Pokémon in the country. That he would rule from the Master's side as one of his second-in-command, as a privileged member of his council.

Naturally, he accepted…

And that's when he began to learn the horrifying truth.

The Scyther had traveled a long way in such a short amount of time. It was the only way to infiltrate the castle without being seen. Soon, he found himself standing before the great black brick wall that formed the circumference around the fortress. It was nearly twenty feet high, ensuring that no pesky ground-dwelling Pokémon would be able to get in. But with the power of flight, and the knowledge of which areas of the wall were watched more closely than others, it was barely an obstacle to him. He crept along the wall, hiding deep in the shadow cast by the moon, and found his entry point…

His sharpened instincts rendering him immune to fear and nervousness, he took a deep breath, opened his wings, and leapt up and over the wall in the blink of an eye as a cloud floated across the moon.

…And once again, he found himself in the place he knew so well, yet the last place on the face of the earth he ever wanted to be.

His entry had gone off without a hitch. He had not been spotted, and he had not triggered any of the traps. However, it was only the first of the challenges. He knew he was likely to meet some resistance along the way. Wasting no time on bitter memories, he dashed forward to the Master's castle.

As promised, all the Master's greatest secrets had been entrusted to him that day. Even the Master's nature and true identity, something that remained unknown to everyone but the closest of his followers, was revealed to him. It was something that not even his instincts had been able to predict…

And then he realized… not once had the Master made a move to help the people of Ambera.

Beneath it all, the Master was leaving Ambera to wither. To die.

All along, the Scyther hadn't been helping to rebuild Ambera. He'd been helping to destroy it.

"_Anyone who opposes the Master or his great plan… will perish."_

The words echoed through his mind as he crept through the castle's corridors.

"_Anyone who questions the Master… will be slain."_

The words… even his instincts, which always kept his mind at the peak of alertness and sanity, abhorred them…

"_This… is your duty."_

That was when the Scyther realized it. He was not hired as a servant. He was a slave. All of Ambera… were slaves.

"_Every morning, you will get up…"_

The Master saw his mind. His inexplicably brilliant mind, the mind that could analyze and understand and accomplish the impossible. The Master _needed_ that mind to further his ends. It was the only way for him to be unstoppable.

"_And you will watch over the country with your unblinking gaze…"_

The Master, all along, was using him for his talent. He was not even a slave, but a tool. A mere tool.

"_And you will find those who seek to defy the master…"_

The Scyther grunted, trying desperately to cut off the awful memory…

"_And eliminate them."_

At that moment he heard those words, he knew it in his heart: he would escape the Master.

But he knew, deep within the bowls of the Master's ranks, it would be near impossible to escape him. He could not simply run. He would have to cover his tracks. He would have to evade and confuse those who would follow him. He needed to leave without betraying himself, without leaving the slightest hint of a trail or any other clues that could betray his plan.

It was a long three years, but his brilliant mind did not once let him down. One by one, every piece of his plan fell into place. Every deception was planted flawlessly into his surroundings…

But, for every inch closer he came to freedom, he had to carry out another one of the Master's horrible orders… under penalty of death. After all, failing to obey the Master meant that he was only becoming one of the very Pokémon he had been ordered to eliminate.

A rebel.

The Scyther's silence threatened to fail him as he crept through the dark halls of the castle. The memories were overpowering… And the remorse… It was stronger than he'd ever felt it before. He'd already spent many days beneath the sun, shedding all his tears for what he'd done, learning to harden himself to his past… But it all seemed null and void as he once again traversed through the Master's fortress.

He caused so much death…

So much blood had stained his silver blades…

So many innocent lives had been destroyed at his command…

And every night, he had to make the same decision.

Either he could defy the Master and die, never to take another innocent life…

…or he could keep going, in hopes that one day he could escape from the Master's grasp and cause more good than he had caused evil. To perhaps even bring the Master down by his own blades.

He knew he was probably making the wrong choice. He knew that the remorse might overpower him. But, every day, he made the same decision: he chose life. It was what his instincts told him to do.

And the day finally came when he escaped. On that day, as he fled, he no longer felt satisfied with himself. He did not cry out in joy. Instead, his flight was silent, solemn…

The Scyther who had been inducted into the Master's service so many years ago was different. Changed. Changed by violence, by oppression, by death…

When he returned to his clan, he was met with another horrifying discovery: upon noticing his absence, the Master's forces had come for a replacement. A fellow Scyther, the one who would have been the heir to the clan's head in his absence, had been kidnapped against his will and taken to serve the Master.

So, he told the clan to disperse, to flee from Ambera. It was the only way they for them be safe. Meanwhile, he knew it was time to start undoing all the evil he had caused. He knew what he had to do as his first mission.

"By Arceus, it's him!" a voice gasped.

The Scyther froze, noticing a Houndour who had been traversing the same hallway and snuck up on him from the shadows. It was frozen in shock.

"Mawile!" it cried. "Mawile! Send for he—"

_-Slash!-_

Without a second thought, the Scyther attacked, and the Houndour fell with a pained squeal. Behind him was the Mawile, already running away, its huge jaw-like protrusion gnashing at him.

_-Slash!-_

And the Mawile's body fell as well, its huge jaws hitting the floor a couple feet away. It writhed on the floor in agony, clutching at the stump atop its head.

The Scyther knew that the attack had not been a silent one, and could already hear several crying voices down the hall and the sound of footsteps scuffling in indistinguishable directions. It would not be long before his presence was made known to the entire fortress. He knew that it was impossible to remain hidden the entire way, but now, he had to hurry to put his plan into motion.

He dashed forward as fast as his legs could carry him, opening his wings to propel at an even greater speed. Fast as he was, though, he could not outrun some of the Pokémon that attacked. A Kadabra, hearing the cries, attempted to block the hallway. The Scyther tackled it, slashing against its psychic barriers until they were pierced and he could knock it away. A Quilava latched onto the Scyther's shoulder, and he spun to throw it off moments before it could singe his head with a burst of fire. A Cubone swung its weapon and hit him squarely in the forehead, but he slashed back, unfazed, and put a bloody gash across its chest.

Once past the group of Pokémon in his way, the Scyther fled on down the hall. He could hear them screaming curses to the legendary dragons about his re-appearance as they hurried after him and barked orders to put the fortress on high alert.

_All according to plan so far…_

With the Pokémon hot on his tail, especially the quadrupedal creatures, he ducked around a corner, down a flight of stairs, through a doorway. Slamming the wooden door behind him and nudging the lock into place, he took a moment to catch his breath.

The room was a small, cramped one, like an empty closet…

_-Boom-_

The Pokémon pounded at the door.

"He's in here!"

"PUSH!"

"We've got him!"

"Nobody will believe this!"

"HARDER!"

_-BOOM_-

The door's hinges creaked. It wobbled weakly on its lock..

"EVERYONE AT ONCE! THREE! TWO! ONE!"

-_SLAM!-_

The door fell down, and several Pokémon poured into the room, all on guard to take down the famed hero-turned-fugitive that had inexplicably returned.

But the Scyther was no longer in the room.

"Of COURSE!" the Kadabra said. "Look! The hole in the ceiling! He took the secret passage. Quickly! Cut him off on the other side!"

_So far, so good,_ the Scyther told himself as he dropped into a completely deserted room.

Indeed, his grand entrance had gone just as could be expected. Everyone and their brothers knew about the secret passage in the old water closet, but nobody seemed to know about the secret passage _within_ the secret passage that lead all the way to the training room on the opposite side of the complex. So, while the entire base went on high alert and legions upon legions of Pokémon were most likely crowding around in the armory waiting for him to emerge, he found himself completely alone. It was a perfect distraction.

With just enough luck, it would give him all the time he needed to get down to the holding cells…

_Almost there,_ he told himself, looking back up at the trapdoor in the ceiling to see if he could hear if anyone had followed him. _Just… a little further, and this madness… will be over…_

Mustering his energy one more time, the Scyther prepared to leave the room…

… but there, standing at the door of the room, was the silhouette of a creature he didn't expect to see.

"Adron…?"

The Scyther winced at the sound of his name. Worry mounted in his heart as the creature took a few steps forward, revealing itself in the torchlight of the training chamber. Its body was about the same size as his, but covered in a shining, red carapace…

It was a Scizor.

"Adiel?" gasped Adron, trying to calm his surprised heart. "Is that… you?"

The Scizor calmly took a few steps forward, squinting in the poor light of the room.

"Adiel… You… sacrificed your blades!" Adron growled in disappointment. "You have forsaken the code of the Adrellos… is this what it has come to?"

"I have become stronger," Adiel said simply. "I've always wondered what it would be like to be as strong as you. Now, I finally know. But… I… I cannot bring myself to believe that you're here. Why are you here? After such a spectacular vanishing act, you've returned?"

"Adiel," the Scyther said, shaking its head to orient itself. "I expected you to be in the holding cells. I don't know what you're doing here, but… If I am to rescue you, we've got to act quickly and flawlessly. There cannot afford to be a single mistake. I have it all planned-"

The Scyther found himself interrupted by the sound of an amused laugh. The Scizor stepped closer to him, their gazes burning into one another.

"Is this why you came back?" Adiel chuckled. "To 'rescue' me? Why do you think I need rescuing?"

"Adiel, you don't understand," Adron growled, growing uncomfortable. "The Master… he's… a monster. To serve him is the greatest curse in all the world… I do not want to doom a clanmate to that fate, no matter how dangerous it may be."

Looking oddly at the Scyther, Adiel stepped to his side, inspecting him from a different angle. The Scyther kept his gaze locked the Scizor's.

"Listen, we've got to get out of here," Adron said again. "My diversion won't last long enough for chatter. We can talk later."

"It looks to me like you're the one who needs to get out of here," Adiel said oddly. "I'm a servant of the Master now. I have accepted my fate. I don't intend to leave. And besides, that wasn't a very good diversion. They told me you were climbing through the secret passage. By _secret_, I assumed they meant the one that wasn't known to everybody and their brother."

Adron's heart beat a lot faster now. He felt his fight-or-flight instincts rousing within him, but he wasn't done yet.

"Honestly, I don't understand why you gave up when you did," Adiel said. "This is a glorious position of power. I spent my entire childhood thinking that my training would never amount to anything useful. I thought that my future was to command the clan… but now, here, I have an entire army to command… Just like you…"

"They… replaced me… with you?" Adron asked, surprised.

"They knew how powerful you were," Adiel said. "You left a pretty gaping job opening when you left, you know that? They needed someone of equal skill to fill the void. Of equal upbringing and credentials. Yes, they took me against my will, they held me down when I struggled, but then… they imbued me with this power… they made me a Scizor…"

The Scyther seethed. He couldn't believe it. His own clanmate was following the very same path he had. He was becoming drunk with power.

"Adron…" the Scizor said, "I renounce my status among the Adrellos. I'm happy where I stand. This is my true purpose in life. If you want to live, you should leave."

"_**No**__!_" Adron screeched at the top of his lungs and whirled around, causing the Scizor to jump back. "I am **not** leaving you here to suffer! You do **not** understand, Adiel! The Master isn't… he isn't… what he seems! He's… a devil! A monster! Nothing matters to him. He will just use you for his own… amusement. He only wants to use you like a tool! Like a… scythe to cut down his grass. Is that the life you want, Adiel?"

"I still don't understand. Why should the scythe be unhappy that it is fulfilling its one true purpose?"

Adron pounced at the Scizor with blinding speed, slamming him against the nearest wall and looking straight into his eyes. The Scizor's eyes were indifferent. Complacent.

"Adiel, they told me things," the Scyther said with a raspy, desperate voice. "They made me one of their most trusted. They told me _things!_ They told me of the Master's greatest plan... They told me all his secrets… If they tell you, Adiel, they will not set you free. They will bind you! They will bind you to slavery and misery and pain for the rest of your days! The Master… is not what he seems!"

The Scizor forced him off, but he stood still against the wall. Through it all, the Scizor continued to remain calm and collected, much to Adron's dismay.

"I know his secrets," Adiel said. "They already told me."

Adron reeled back, as if hit with a powerful blow to the chest.

"They… already told you."

"Yes," Adiel said. "I became part of the council the day I became a Scizor. I made my vow. They revealed everything to me."

"But… how…" The Scyther gasped. "It took them years to trust me… why you…?"

"The Master was desperate. He needed a replacement for you as fast as possible. I simply gave my word to remain loyal… and I was in."

"So… you… you know?" Adron said, now having to strain the words from his throat.

"I know _everything_," Adiel said. "And I still don't understand what your whole uproar is about. I'm happy to comply with the Master."

"You are happy with tearing Ambera down by its threads?! You are happy being a weapon of slaughter?!" Adron demanded.

"I am happy building the Master's kingdom," he replied simply. "Those with power are the ones who can choose the fate of the world."

The Scyther still could not believe his ears. His clanmate was truly betraying him. And, it was not by a strong sense of determination that he spoke, but only because he did not know any better. He was like a child. He was like an indoctrinated little child, like a trained little animal, raised by the way of the warrior and taught that power is meant to be used.

There was no changing his mind.

And if he tried further, there was no guarantee he would escape from this castle a second time.

"You want to know why I resisted?" The Scyther growled bitterly. "Because my instincts told me to. They wouldn't let me further my horrible purpose."

"Really? Is that it?" Adiel said. "Knowing you, I was expecting something more… complex. But… are you really so weak-willed, my brother, that you cannot resist the simple cries of your instincts?"

"_WHO_ among us is the _weak-willed?!_" The Scyther snapped violently. "_You_ are the one who can't resist the weight of your power. _I_ was the one who resisted my fate! _I_ was the one who fought and changed my future. And tonight, I was willing to do the same for you. I didn't want to see you fall prey to the Master's schemes. As a friend, I couldn't bear to let that happen."

"You are making less and less sense every minute," Adiel said. "I am no prey. I am the predator. You are the one who chose to become the prey."

Adron's instincts were unbearable now. _Go,_ they said. _Your window is closing! You will be trapped! GO!_

The Scyther looked reluctantly at the door, then at the Scizor.

"Besides, _you_ were the one who betrayed the Master," Adiel accused, his calm, gentle voice gradually gaining a sharp edge. "He trusted you with his secrets, and you walked out on him. You now must live with what you have done. How can you tell me that you do not want me to suffer the same fate as you? Are you not here, trying to convince me to betray the Master as well? No, Adron. I will **not **suffer the same fate as you. I will stay here and serve."

Adron did not reply. His mind was screaming at him so loudly now…

"But now, look at you," Adiel said. "Will you be able to keep the Master's secret within you for the rest of your days? Or will it burn you alive from the inside?"

"I will keep the secret," Adron growled. "I have to. There's no other choice."

"You can say that now, but ten years from now?" Adiel said pointedly. "You, who can hardly fight his own instincts… how can you live with something so powerful tugging at you from the inside? But you understand that if you were to let it out, you, and the rest of Ambera, would perish…"

"Yes," Adron responded quietly. "And so would you."

Adron felt the subtle shake of the ground as forces moved about the base. He took a step towards the door.

"They will order me to slay you," Adiel warned. "You are a traitor. If you value your life, you should leave Ambera. I will stop at nothing to hunt you and cut you down."

"Never," Adron solemnly proclaimed. "Not until I have seen the Master fall from this throne that we have all elevated him onto. I will oppose."

"So be it," Adiel said. "But, you know what this means. The next time we meet… you will be the prey."

"No," Adron said powerfully. "I will be the fellow predator who protects your prey. From now on, Ambera is _my_ garden. I will take it from the Master and sow the seeds of a new age. I will be the one to protect it and watch it grow, untouched by the Master's evil hands."

Adron heard voices now. The guards were coming to inspect this part of the castle. Shamefully, regretfully, angrily, he stepped to the door.

Taking one last glance at his old companion, he uttered his final words…

"And if you try to harm it, I will be the scythe that will cut you down."

In the blink of an eye, the Scyther was gone.

Adiel had been right. The secret had burned. It burned a hole straight through his heart, and it did not stop there. It burned his entire being until it left him numb.

Like the memories, the secret had become an inseparable part of him. It defined him.

So much had changed since then. The Scyther had discovered the great resistance, something that changed him and gave him a brand new beginning. Adron was dead, replaced with a new Scyther that sought only to keep his promises and to undo the horrible deeds that the mighty Adron had once committed. A Scyther that played the role of wise leader to his faithful team of friends. A Scyther that kept no secrets from anyone.

…except for one, a secret he even wished he could keep from himself.

But, as he sat awake in his own personal chamber deep beneath the surface of the earth, hidden away in a place that not even the Master saw…

As he glanced at the Charmander, the Bulbasaur, and now the Raichu that slept peacefully in the far corner…

He knew the time was coming when the great, burning secret might finally be unleashed onto the world.

The Charmander…

…the human…

…had changed everything.


	25. Chapter 22: Storms Brewing

**Season II: Emerald  
**

* * *

**Chapter 22**

"Well? Are we ready?"

"I don't think it's possible to be any _more_ ready if we tried. I know, because we _did_ try."

"Are you sure we didn't forget anything?"

"We went through the bag at least four times last night. We're fine!"

"Plenty of food?"

"We got enough food to last us _two_ days."

"I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't be worried… I'm just a bit nervous…"

"I know. I am, too."

Not two minutes after the all-clear had been sounded signaling that the world above was safe to travel, Char, Saura, and Ray stood at the southeastern doorway of the Division base. The hall was dead silent save for only a couple other early-bird teams who insisted on seizing the day the moment it became available. But, unlike Team Rattata or Team Firebolt, who were still blinking the flakes from their eyes and trying to walk straight, Team Ember was as alert and energized as if they'd already been awake for two hours prior. Actually, they had; it was a bit difficult for any of them to get a good night's sleep with nervous anticipation tugging at their minds…

Team Ember was ready to embark on their very first mission… alone.

"C'mon, guys, we'll be fine!" Ray said comfortingly, hefting the bag over his shoulder. "We're experienced enough. Scythe knows we're ready for this! Just think… months from now, after we've done hundreds of missions and become a famous high-ranking team, we'll be standing at this same door, and we'll look back, and think 'Wow, remember how scared we were the first time?'"

"Scared? Hah!" Saura laughed heartily. "I'm not scared! I just want to make sure we're not going to make some stupid mistake, like forgetting to pack our orbs, or... okay, fine. I'm scared. But that doesn't mean I'm not excited!"

"I'm scared just as much as you," Ray admitted. "This'll be the first time ever I've gone into a Mystery Dungeon without a trainer. You two at least have that Sitrus Orchard mission to look back on. Me? Nothing. Team Stripes had always supervised their dungeon explorations. But c'mon, we can't just dwell on everything that could go wrong! This is our day to show everyone how bright we can shine! Just think of how proud Scythe will be of us!"

"Yeah," Char chimed in. "We're a fully capable team, and this mission will be easy! As long as we give it half an effort, it'll be over before we know it." Then, under his breath, he added, "…And if I keep saying that, maybe I'll start actually believing it."

The team took a deep breath, trying to muster up the last bit of courage needed to begin the day's journey…

"Hey, you three," a Rattata yawned from behind. "Gonna move, or what?"

"Oh, sorry!" Char yelped, stepping aside. "We're just… getting ourselves ready…"

"Scythe's kids, right?" The Rattata said, eyeing them oddly as he and his team walked by. "First day on your own? Bah, you guys probably got nothin' to worry about. Just get it over with."

"He's right," Saura said with a surge of confidence. "Guys… it's time to go. Whatever happens, we can at least say we tried, right?"

With gritted teeth and heads held high, the team headed out.

It had been five whole weeks since the addition of Ray to Team Ember.

The day following Saura's freedom party, Scythe helped to complete the paperwork that would officially make Ray a member of the team. Scythe seemed very thrilled with the idea; he'd long since known about Ray's desire to eventually join Team Remorse, and agreed that letting him join Team Ember would be the perfect opportunity to bring him closer to his dream. Saura admitted he was a bit surprised at how willing Scythe was to allow the new addition to his group of personal apprentices, but Scythe shrugged and said that it was part of the learning experience.

"You _are_ a full-fledged team, after all," he'd said, "so why shouldn't you be able to recruit new members from the training teams, just like all the rest? Deciding on new members is one of the most important decisions a team needs to make. A new member requires a heavy investment in companionship, understanding, and trust, not to mention resources. If you've chosen a poor teammate, you'll find that life can become very difficult, very fast. But, frankly, I don't think I could have picked a better choice myself for your new teammate. I think we'll all get along very well."

And he was right. Char and Saura soon found that it was very hard not to get along with Ray. The Raichu was constantly beaming with energy, and never once made even a tiny effort to contain his happiness. As he joined the team on their missions, he eagerly soaked in every lesson and piece of advice Scythe would give, and proved to be quite a formidable opponent against the wild Pokémon with his powerful electric attacks. Sometimes, it even seemed that Ray was giving more effort than Char and Saura put together, and the two were constantly surprised at how he never seemed to tire out, even after the longest and hardest of missions. In fact, Char was secretly beginning to think that Ray would make a better team leader than he ever could. But Ray never once complained about the team's leadership; he always had the highest level of respect for his teammates and especially his mentor, and it seemed that he wanted nothing more than just to wake up another day and face the world alongside his friends.

It wasn't long before Char and Saura started to experience the repercussions of having a new teammate. Even though Ray obviously never wanted to be unfriendly or bothersome, his overeager nature made him intrusive at times. Seeing that it was something that simply could not be changed, Char and Saura knew that they'd just have to get used to it. Ray had a very unique personality and always saw things in ways that Char and Saura could not, and his input on potential missions and strategies could be quite unexpected. His preferences for missions and even for items to fill the bag with were different than Char had been used to, and it often took a bit of compromising among the three to arrive at a final decision. The team's nightly planning sessions had never been the same.

But the negative was easily outweighed by the positive. Having an extra set of hands meant that shopping, packing supplies, and running errands were many times easier. Having a larger group meant that bigger and tougher challenges could be taken on, and having an electricity-wielding Pokémon on the team meant that they would be better suited to take a wider variety of tasks. But, most of all, having another close friend made the harsh life of a resistance team seem so much more comfortable and bearable. A feeling of fellowship quickly formed among the three, and it made everything seem worth it.

Even after just four days of having Ray on the team, Char and Saura began to understand what Scythe had meant. Even with just one new member, Team Ember was now a completely different team than it had been before. Char saw that accepting a new member was not a small matter, and one that he knew he couldn't take so lightly again in the future.

For the following five weeks, Team Ember fell into the daily routine of a resistance team. Each day presented a brand new opportunity to score another victory, to build upon the team's reputation (as well as their bank account), and to help make the world a better place beneath the shadowy reign of the mysterious one whom they all opposed.

Despite his overloaded schedule, Scythe somehow found the time to accompany the fledgling team on their missions, taking every opportunity to teach them what he could about all the different types of challenges and environments they met. Under his watchful eye, the team grew in knowledge, experience, and confidence…

…But, in what seemed like no time at all, a certain fateful day fell upon them.

"Listen," Scythe had said to the team as they planned out the next day's events. "I need to accompany my team to Basin Canyon tomorrow. They need me over there, I can't get out of it this time. So… you'll be on your own."

Although Char was able to smile and nod in reply, he felt a surge of panic erupt inside of him when he had heard those words. If there was one thing his adventures had taught him, it was that there was no such thing as a simple or easy mission. Many things could go wrong, and commonly did go wrong, and Scythe had always been there to get them out of their worst binds. Knowing they'd be on their first independent mission suddenly brought back horrible memories of that fateful day in the Sitrus Orchard; he could practically taste that feeling of despair and anguish he'd felt when he'd realized how badly they'd screwed up…

"Let's make this a test," Scythe had said. "If you succeed on the mission without me, I'll let you start taking real missions instead of using the training teams' agendas. And _maybe_, if I am so inclined, I'll stop taking half your earnings."

"Don't worry about us!" Ray had said. "We'll do it! We'll pass your test!"

Of course, it was always like Ray to be overly optimistic. This time, though, it didn't seem to make Char feel any more confident.

So, after the longest and most intensive preparation session yet, and after a rather restless night's sleep, Team Ember found themselves heading out on their very first unsupervised mission.

It was a rescue mission, much like a couple others the team had done. One of the Division's messengers reported the disappearance of a Pokémon, a Furret, outside of Iron Town. It hadn't come back before dusk, so it was safe to assume it had taken refuge from the Watchers in the caves outside of town and gotten stuck in the Iron Crevice Mystery Dungeon. The dungeon wasn't a difficult one, but being fifteen floors and filled with rock- and steel-type Pokémon, it would not exactly be a walk in the park, either. But with a handful of tactical advantages, a bagful of supplies, and weeks of training from a true master, they knew they were up to the challenge… even though it didn't really feel like it.

* * *

**Cliffside Academy**

The southeastern entry to the Division base was the most interesting of them all. Being the "main" door to the entire base, it needed protection from the most innovative and convoluted security system Metagross could come up with. And that's exactly what it had: the entire entrance was disguised as a business establishment on the outskirts of Iron Town, built into the edge of the great plateau that housed the underground base. It was a training academy, to be exact. The academy—and it actually succeeded in functioning as one, to maintain the most believable guise possible—stood in for the elite and prestigious establishment that once made its home in the very caves of the Division base. So, whenever legends spoke of this academy, Pokémon assumed it referred to Cliffside Academy, having no earthly idea of its true identity, or its fate. It was the perfect cover-up for the underground resistance force in nearly every way, and a very profitable one at that; tuition fees were a close match for the income earned by the Division's everyday efforts like missions, taxes, and piracy from the Master's trade routes.

After ascending a very lengthy staircase, Team Ember met with a Slaking who served as the keeper of the southeastern gate. After bidding them a good day (between heavy yawns, being so early in the morning), they proceeded through a fake dormitory building and out the front door.

Taking a deep breath of the chilly morning air, Char shuddered in anticipation of the day's events. He was thankful that it was Ray's turn to carry the bag, but he knew he'd have to be the navigator in exchange. Unrolling the map and trying awkwardly to hold it in the light of his tail, he struggled to see the path the team had marked in what could practically be the dead middle of the night.

"You know," Char commented, flipping the map around when he realized he was holding it upside-down, "one of these days, maybe we could sleep in and do our missions like everyone else, you know, in the middle of the day."

"We could, but then… well… wouldn't we just be like everyone else?" Ray said with a smirk. "Scythe is trying to train us above the standards of the other teams. I don't think he'd be too thrilled about seeing us break the sleep schedule he's been molding us into for the past weeks."

"Yeah, plus, this is a rescue mission," Saura added. "That Furret spent all night in that dungeon. We have to get him out as fast as possible! But I agree with you, Char. It would be nice to take a break and sleep in once and a while, especially if we're becoming independent from Scythe… but if we do, I think we have to consider how it would affect the missions we plan."

"I don't know about you two, but I wouldn't be able to sleep in if I tried!" Ray exclaimed. "Training is just too exciting. But maybe if we get a fourth team member someday, you two could take the day off from time to time…"

"Ray, that's not what I'm saying at all," Char laughed. "I'm not a wuss! I'm just saying… some sunlight wouldn't hurt for some of our missions."

"Luminous orbs are five hundred Poké a piece at Kecleon's," Ray winked. "Maybe next time, we could pack one."

Char grumbled. He could never win against Ray. With the Raichu around, Char and Saura found it much harder to even ithink/i about being lazy; they quickly learned that they could count on their new companion to push them hard and rebuke even the slightest suggestion of slacking. Beneath it all, though, he and Saura were thankful for every bit of it.

* * *

**Route 325**

"Okay, here we are," Char announced, squinting at the map as they approached the outer boundary of the campus. "We follow the cliff down south. But we should stick to the path if we don't want to wander into the wild Onix and Graveler. Six and a half miles, and there it is: the Iron Crevice."

As always, the crack of dawn always felt like the dead of night, and the homogenous landscape didn't help with the visibility. Devoid of any grass or trees, the badlands south of the academy were comprised of flat, barren stretches of clay-saturated dirt, riddled only with the occasional standing boulder or rock pile. Route 325 was the only true spectacle to be seen amidst the dull scenery: a wide, bright white walkway paved with fine gravel that wound its way down to the south. The small rocks that made up the road seemed to be cemented in place; they never shifted underfoot.

Char glanced at the eastern horizon, but wasn't surprised to see that there was still no sign of the sun. If it had started to peek over the horizon, there were too many distant hills in the way to see it.

"Walking is always so fun," Saura said, rolling his eyes. "It feels… weird, though… Scythe is always here to lecture us while we walk. But now…"

Letting the statement hang, Saura cast the group into the very thing he feared: a nervous, uncomfortable silence…

Ray started whistling a little tune. Char immediately recognized it as a children's nursery rhyme he often heard among the Division. He'd first heard it sung by Leo the Shinx on a long-ago mission, where it had gotten stuck in his head and stayed there permanently, much like the Resistance Creed. He started to sing along. _What a great big world, a sight to behold..._

It was a children's song, but it did the trick. Char always felt his spirit lift whenever he heard it.

Char had long since started disregarding how weird it felt to have Pokémon instincts and emotions, and even started to completely forget how he would have expected himself, as a human, to feel. It scared him a little, but he was honestly starting to feel comfortable as a Charmander, and starting to feel like he'd been a Charmander for his whole life. It'd been a whole month since his last vision of the legendary dragons, which was all but forgotten in Char's mind as he went about his day-to-day life…

"Something wrong?" Saura said quietly, as if to keep Ray, who was still whistling, from hearing. "Are you okay?"

Char cringed. He knew that reflecting upon his humanity had caused a change in his demeanor, which Saura instantly noticed. Char sighed, displaying a small, broken smile on his face. Saura was such a good friend. He was always so sensitive.

"Nothing, it's just…" Char mumbled back, reluctant to answer. "I… think I'm slowly forgetting that I'm a human."

"Oh…" Saura said, his tone changing, becoming more empathic. "That's right. You… haven't seen Dialga and Palkia for a while, have you?"

"No…" Char said.

"Well, I'll always be here to remind you," Saura said comfortingly. "Someday, we'll figure out your past. I'll never forget that it's our main purpose for being together. I did make you a promise, you know."

Char's smile brightened. Not only was Saura sensitive, he was compassionate. He always knew just to say to make him feel better.

As Ray started into another verse of the song, Saura looked back to Char.

"Hey, Char," Saura said, a bit awkwardly. "Have you… considered… you know… whether or not we should tell Ray about… you know… everything?"

Char was actually rather shocked at the question. No, he hadn't thought very much of the idea. Ever since Ray had become a team member, Char had started to consider himself a Charmander through and through. It never occurred to him to extend the intimate details of his identity and his fellowship with Saura to a third member. For the first time, he tossed the idea around in his head a little bit, trying to judge it. Ray probably already knew that he had the Call. In fact, he was sure of it; Scythe had since referred to his ability many times in casual conversation with both Team Ember and Team Remorse, and Ray never found it odd. But Saura, and probably Scythe, were the only ones who knew his deepest secret. How would Ray handle the truth? How would he react when he learned that Team Ember was something a little more than just a Resistance Team?

"Hey, what's going on?" Ray suddenly called forward. "You're not telling secrets, are you? I'm part of the team, too! I don't want to be left out!"

Although Ray was obviously just concerned and not trying to be rude, Char had to bite his tongue before he said something he'd regret.

"Ray, Char and I have a history together," Saura said politely. "Sometimes we just like to comment to one another. Can you blame us for that? We don't mean any harm."

Char sighed again, happy that Saura had found a good response. Yes, he realized, among the three of them, Saura was definitely the one who had a way with words.

Ray didn't respond, but a hint of disappointment flickered through his eyes. Again, Char considered the question of whether or not to let Ray in on the secret. Surely, he couldn't bear to hurt the Raichu, friendly and loyal as he was, by making him feel rejected or distrusted… but did he actually trust him enough? He'd trusted Saura on the very first day they met, but that was out of necessity. Yet, after knowing Ray for as long as he had, he was still reluctant.

_I'll think about it,_ Char determined. _This is a really big deal. On one hand, we're a team. We really shouldn't be keeping secrets from each other. But on the other hand… Ugh, I just don't know if he's ready to know. _

Saying nothing more to Saura about the matter, Char simply fell silent as he and his team continued hiking down the path.

_Rumble…_

About half an hour later, an ominous sound from the sky above brought Char back to his senses from his thoughts and daydreams. Thunder? Just the suggestion of getting caught in the middle of a rainstorm made him start to tremble. He looked up and tried to scan the sky for clouds. Even though the sky had now turned from pitch-black to dark gray, it was still too dark to tell.

"Uh-oh," Saura said, also noticing the noise. "Think it's going to rain?"

"For Char's sake, I hope not," Ray said.

They kept going, hoping that it had just been a far-off roar or perhaps a Pokémon's electric attack. Unfortunately, it wasn't.

_Rumble…_

About one minute later, the sound once again echoed down from the invisible clouds. Char's throat started to tighten. He knew that Charmander were perfectly capable of braving a rainstorm—the tiny drops of water would all evaporate on contact with his tail—it wasn't a pleasant experience. At all. Having been on a few missions during some scattered showers, he liked to compare the experience to getting caught in a hailstorm and getting constantly pelted with painful chunks of ice. He would live through it, but the pain and pressure would impede his ability to produce powerful fire attacks, reducing him to a weary deadweight in the upcoming mission…

"Hmm," Ray said, a little disappointed. "I did check the weather report last night, and there wasn't any mention of a thunderstorm…"

"Well, as they say, I guess Kyogre goes where it wants," Saura said. "If it starts coming down too hard, we packed an Airlock Orb, didn't we?"

"We packed one," Ray said, "but it was supposed to be for the dungeon…"

There was a tiny sizzling sound as the first little raindrop struck Char's flame. Char winced, the sensation not unlike a pinprick to the skin.

"On the other hand," Ray said, noticing that the rain had begun falling, "I guess we see how heavy it gets. If it gets too bad, we'll use the orb. But, in the meantime… maybe we should pick up the pace a little bit?"

In unanimous agreement, the team's steady hiking soon became a jog.

To everyone's dismay, the rain never let up. Fifteen minutes and about one mile later, the rain was still falling at a steady pace, accompanied by the occasional lightless thunder that would erupt from the sky. It wasn't bad enough to warrant blocking the weather with the power of the orb, but it was easy to tell that the rain was—ever so gradually—getting heavier. Char remembered the law of storms, perhaps from his humanity: _storms leave exactly as fast as they come in._ Judging by that, he knew this storm would probably be hanging in the air for the remainder of the morning…

Having long since packed the map into the bag, Char resorted to dashing on all fours down the road as fast as he could. Ray and Saura had followed suit and did their best to keep up, Ray trying to balance the bag over his back as he ran. But, it was ultimately futile; with a rush of the wind, the falling rain soon turned from a drizzle to a moderate downpour, and they were still a few miles shy of their destination.

Trying to bear the stabbing feeling in his tail, Char glanced back at his teammates. Both of them seemed to be enjoying the rain, especially Saura, as it provided his seed with a fresh drink of water to absorb. He knew their concern was solely directed at him.

"This is getting heavier," Saura called. "If you want, we could try to move closer to the cliff and get some shelter."

"Not now!" Char answered. "We can't risk getting beaten up by wild Rhydon!"

"If this gets any worse, we'll risk having you pass out!" Saura cried. "Please, I don't want to see you faint before we even get to the dungeon!"

"I'll be fine," Char called back. "It's just an annoyance. It's not serious."

"Char, don't try to be courageous now," Ray warned. "The moment I see your tail start to flicker, we're heading for shelter, no questions! Got it?"

* * *

**Iron Outskirts**

Char's tail didn't last for ten minutes. It soon began to waver, sometimes appearing to go out for a split second before re-lighting itself like a gas-powered lamp, as it always would when Char experienced relentless suffering. There was no arguing with Ray, and soon, the team left the path and it was off to the shelter of the cliff-side. Thanks to a light breeze, the rain fell at an angle; getting close enough to the cliff would protect them from most of the downpour, but it would require treading on the territory of the local wild Pokémon. Although they weren't in a Mystery Dungeon and thus the wild creatures would not be constantly driven to attack them, the team knew from experience that many of the Pokémon would probably not like being disturbed at such an hour…

Char was the first to rush up the incline and to the cliff wall, hugging it for dear relief. He stopped to catch his breath and let his fire recover. Char gathered the end of his tail in his claws and held it against his belly, trying to protect it from the stray raindrops blown by the shifting wind. Saura cast a consoling glance of pity at him.

"Okay, now is the hard part," Ray said. "The dungeon is still two miles away. I guess we should stick to the wall and keep going. Just be prepared for anything."

Navigating the base of the cliff was difficult. The ground was nothing but a big, uneven pile of rocks, making it very difficult to keep one's footing. The team found that hurrying forward was no longer an option if they wanted to stay dry.

After twenty more minutes, as the sun was just starting to hint at granting some useful visibility, Char noticed why he couldn't see the sky before: it was completely, utterly covered in a dark blanket of clouds for miles around. The menacing thunderhead crawled across the sky, plunging them into the endless depths of a severe storm. The wind was picking up, the rain was worsening, and the lightning was starting to seethe within the clouds…

"Wow, I wouldn't be surprised if Kyorge actually _was_ around here somewhere," Char commented in awe of the weather. "This is a pretty bad storm! You can't tell me that nobody saw this coming!"

_**CRASH!**_

Lightning struck somewhere over the top of the cliff, and Char jumped three feet into the air. It was so close by, there wasn't even a delay between the flash and the big bang. Char felt his ears starting to ring.

"How much farther?!" Char cried. "This is getting ridiculous!"

"A little more than a mile," Ray reported. "C'mon, if we keep moving, we'll get there."

_**Rumble…**_

Another alarming noise crashed through the air, this one even closer. As Char was starting to wonder just how it would feel to be struck by a bolt of lightning, he noticed Ray stopping dead in his tracks.

_**Rumble…**_

"What?! What is it?" Saura demanded, trying to yell over the noisy storm.

_**Rumble…**_

Fear flickered through his eyes. "I don't think that last one was thunder…"

Just then, the endless pile of rocks underfoot shifted, like something was crawling around underneath. Char and Saura both went pale for a moment when they realized it…

And then, the pile of rocks simply erupted in all directions, knocking the three off their feet. From underneath the rocks emerged a rather small-sized Onix—but a very angry one. The stones that made up its body had blended in perfectly with gravel pile it slept underneath, which it angrily tried to shove out of the way to confront the intruders who had the audacity to _step on him _during his rest.

"Ahh…" Saura cried, startled, trying to fill his lungs with air after the fall. "Well? Ray? Do we fight? Do we run? We were prepared for anything, but what do we do?"

"Hold on," Ray said, quickly standing upright and charging electricity in his cheeks. "I think I might be able to take care of this…"

"Ray, you know it's just going to ground your attack if you try to shock it, right?" Saura told him. "I don't think that's a good idea! You'll only make it more angry!"

"He can't ground it completely," Ray responded. "Onix is a rock creature. He can still take some damage! Now… stand back if you don't want to get shocked!"

As the giant rock beast shifted and glared crossly at the little orange rodent, Ray sidled away from his friends, focusing on his target…

Soon, an impressive positive charge had built up across his whole body. Bright white Static rippled across his fur and jumped from the tips of his ears to the end of his tail, some of it discharging into the rocks around his feet…

"Oh, and you might want to cover your ears," he warned with an evil smile.

Just as the Onix reared back to attack, Ray threw his arms up into the air, summoning a bolt of lightning from the storm clouds above! The air flashed brighter than day, and a soul-shattering _KABOOM_ shook the ground…

Ray opened his eyes, ready to accept the raw energy of the lightning into his body and to discharge a mighty Thunder attack at the opponent, when he realized something was wrong.

"…_Huh?"_

As Char and Saura were uncovering their ears and opening their eyes, Ray saw that the scene had not changed. The lightning had not actually struck him or his opponent, and while the Onix was a bit fazed from the strike, it remained unharmed.

"W…what happened?" Ray wondered, his eyes darting around for any sort of explanation. "I thought I did a perfect thunder-attack..."

"Ray, what happened?" Saura cried. "I think that lightning bolt struck behind us!"

"What?! How's that possible?" Ray cried back. "I _missed_? That's… that doesn't make any sense! Lightning doesn't work that way! Besides, this is a thunderstorm! How did I _miss_ during a thunderstorm?! What's going on?!"

Baffled, Ray turned his attention to the Onix once again. It was no use complaining about a failed attack when the Onix had almost recovered from the jarring surprise and was about ready to retaliate…

Focusing once more on his charged electricity, and this time relying on his own power, Ray's body started to shine with a bright yellow aura. With an angry cry, Ray discharged his Thunderbolt point-blank at the Onix's face.

To his horror, it missed.

Ray couldn't believe his eyes. As soon as the bright, zigzagging bolt of electricity left his body, it turned a sharp corner, flew right over the heads of Char and Saura, and into to the darkness.

"_WHAT?!_" Ray yelled in frustration. "What in the name of Zapdos am I doing wrong?! I can't be…"

It was then that he noticed that his friends were no longer paying attention to him. Their gazes were turned in the direction the thunderbolt had gone…

From out of the shadows emerged a truly massive beast, even more intimidating than the Onix. Its body appeared to be made completely of rock, adorned with orange plates of armor. A long, pointed horn protruded from its forehead.

A lightning rod.

Truly infuriated, the Rhyperior barreled forward, swiping its long, blunt arms at the trio of friends. Gawking at the sight of the incredible Pokémon, It took Char a second to realize he had to actually move his legs if he wanted to escape alive.

"_RUN!"_ Char ordered, dropping to all fours and dashing back out into the pouring rain. Saura and Ray unquestioningly followed. They knew there was no way they were going to defeat two powerful Pokémon at once. Char barely even felt the agonizing pain on his tail as he ran for his life.

* * *

**Route 325**

So, it was back to the road.

The rain had become worse. Much worse. It was coming down in torrents, easily enough to reduce visibility. The wind had grown so strong, it sometimes made it difficult to stand upright.

_I'm strong, I'm strong, I'm strong,_ Char kept telling himself, trying to hold his own in the merciless weather… _I can do this. It's only a little tingling. It's only a little pain. Any respectable Charmander could make it through the rain... I just... I just have to take my mind off it and keep pressing forward... Oh, what a great big world... a sight to behold... what a perfect place... to..._

Suddenly, Saura felt something snag him from behind. He turned to see that Char had completely thrown himself onto his back, and was hugging him tightly. Tears streamed down his already soaked face, his front teeth biting down hard on his quivering lower lip. With just one look into his eyes, Saura knew that he'd been reduced to a whimpering fool.

"Ray," Saura said flatly, "use the orb."

"Yes, sir," Ray said, looking sorrowfully at his broken friend.

It only took a minute for Ray to dig through the bag and find the proper item. He quickly produced it and held into the air, telepathically ordering it to activate…

Not even thirty seconds later, the last raindrop hit the ground. While the clouds still hung in the sky, exchanging bolts of lightning amongst each other, the rain had been sealed away by the spell of the Airlock Orb. It was an item that attempted to copy Rayqaza's legendary power of stopping any and all harmful effects of the weather, leaving them with a sky that neither rained nor shined. Unfortunately, using up the orb meant that one of their planned strategies for battling through the Mystery Dungeon would be a lot more difficult to pull off, but it was a price Char was happy to pay for getting there with his sanity intact.

"Thank you," Char whispered, dropping limply to the ground.

Char's friends waited patiently for him to recuperate, nurturing him whenever they could. Char used all the techniques he knew of to help re-light his Ember, to breathe deeply and hold his breath often, and soon, he was starting to feel much better. About twelve minutes and several Oran berries later, Char made a full comeback, and from then on it was smooth sailing all the way to the dungeon entrance.

But the day's troubles had still only just begun.

As the resistance team rushed down the road in hopes of making it to the Iron Crevice before the orb's effect would wear off, a pair of eyes watched them from behind one of the faraway boulders that lined the ground…

"Heh, there they are," Croagunk muttered, peeking around the side of the boulder. "Just like we planned…"

"Very good," said the Seviper, smiling with satisfaction at the remaining shards of the rain-orb they had just activated. "Now, it's about time we finally put this plan into motion."

"I still say it won't work," Croagunk groaned. "It's not like we can count on those kids to be stupid after they've been trained by that Scyther…"

"We've got to make it work," the Seviper hissed. "Boss is counting on us to do this. We can't let him down this time! Besides, we're not trying to make them agree to something stupid… it's something smart!"

"Heh heh, you're right, you're right," the Croagunk chuckled.

At that, Team X fled from behind the rock, closely trailing Team Ember all the way to the dungeon…


	26. Chapter 23: The Hard Way

**Chapter 23**

**Iron Crevice B1F **

The Iron Crevice was a relatively uninteresting place; it was just one of the many cracks in the wall of the great plateau. Unfortunately for explorers, it was expansive enough to provide a home for a good deal of dangerous Pokémon, and complicated enough to easily get lost in. The walls of the cave contained many heavy metals and minerals, giving the place its name, and making it an ideal habitat for the wild Pokémon who relied upon such things for food—namely, those of the rock- and steel-type. Civilized Pokémon races in the past had once tried to mine resources from the cave, only to get chased out when the local inhabitants violently expressed their disapproval of the disturbance. Eventually, the Mystery Dungeon curse had struck the cave, and ever since then it had been nothing but a dark maze of moderately powerful Pokémon and remnants of the failed mining operations. It branching corridors extended deep into the plateau and fifteen floors beneath the surface of the earth.

And somewhere down there was a poor, terrified Furret… It would be up to Team Ember, as a test of their skill, to find and rescue it.

"If Scythe were here, he'd be telling us to watch for the wild Pokémon," Char mentioned, leading the way by the light of his tail as he would normally do. It was something that Scythe made a point of reminding them about at the beginning of every dungeon exploration. Even though it was a painfully obvious point that there were wild Pokémon inside of dungeons, he'd been trying to show them how vital it was to learn to spot their habitats, recognize their cries, and expect them coming.

"He'd also be telling us to think about our formation," Ray noted. "We already know which Pokémon live here. In the upper level, there are Geodude, Graveler, Aron, Skorupi, and Paras. And if we go deeper, we might see some Onix, Bronzor, Rhyhorn, Rhydon…"

When a faint squeaking noise filled the air, the group instinctively halted to survey their surroundings. Not a second later, a fireball, a bolt of static, and a razor-sharp leaf converged on a poor Zubat that had been hanging from the ceiling nearby. It dropped to the ground, completely destroyed.

"Wow!" Saura laughed nervously, staring at the dead bat. "I guess we're a little tense at the moment, huh?"

"You didn't say anything about Zubat being in this cave," Char said dryly, also surprised at his own sudden attack.

"This is a cave. Zubat is a given!" Ray responded. "You know that! And Rattata, too, probably. Those things are _everywhere_. But we've grown so strong, they're practically not an issue. But, yeah… as I was saying… formation. We can't be wasting all our energy attacking at once. Saura, you should probably be the one leading the way, you're the best we have against Rock Pokémon. That, or at least be ready to back Char up if he needs it. Char, if we run into any Steel Pokémon, you're going to be our biggest hope, so you should follow Saura."

Char almost laughed. Ray was starting to sound like Scythe! But it was a sensible plan, so he complied.

"And what about you?" Char asked with a smirk, falling back to Saura's side. "I guess you get to stay back and watch us fight?"

"Well, we knew all along that I'd be a little bit out of my element here," Ray said with a shrug. "I'll just keep an eye out in the rear. And remember, we've got that Rain Orb. If you need me to use it, just holler. I won't even hesitate."

_Right_, Char remembered. _The Rain Orb_. Char had forgotten about that particular tactic, and probably on purpose, too. They'd brought one along as a backup plan to help support Ray's electric attacks in a pinch, but since they ended up prematurely using the Airlock Orb before they even reached the cave, they'd have no way to dispel the rain once it would start… leaving both Char and Saura at a disadvantage. It was definitely not something Char was looking forward to—he'd already gotten wet enough for one day.

The group commenced with systematic exploration of the first basement floor. Char let Saura lead the way, but stayed at his side just in case any of the potentially dangerous Aron or Bronzor would show up. Ray kept a watchful eye on the group from behind.

The ceiling, walls, and floor of the Iron Crevice were composed of shiny brown rock, somewhat resembling petrified mud. The path through the cave itself was unpredictable and difficult to follow, with a floor that never stayed flat and many sudden corners to turn. While Char had seen his share of caves during his time serving the division, he'd frequently find himself surprised at the effect the Mystery Dungeon curse could have on a cave. Some, like the Gravelrock Tunnel, had spacious and easy-to-travel corridors, and others, like the Fossil Pit, were hard to even call "caves" due to their _perfectly_ _flat_ floors and walls, and passageways that appeared to have been meticulously carved out by human hands. Not this time, though—the Iron Crevice was very deserving of being called a "crevice", and was quickly proving to be a true spelunking mission.

Scattered within the walls of the cave were shards and chunks of metal which formed odd protrusions as they jutted out from the surrounding rocks. Char saw how some of the formations sparkled like opaque crystals in the light of his tail flame, while others were as dull and gray as tarnished silver. A few times, he even caught sight of Pokémon-made steel beams sticking out of the wall, reminding him that the spatial anomaly was in full effect and sending a shiver up his spine. He started to wonder what the _true_ Iron Crevice looked like, the one which existed underneath the curse…

As the team explored the floor, they started to unwind. Although the place was a little hard to navigate, things were going well. They encountered a few more Zubat, none of which posed any threat whatsoever, and quickly located the room with the staircase. In it, they were met with a new opponent: a Geodude, who'd been snacking on a pile of gravel that had avalanched from a nearby wall. A well-aimed Bullet Seed knocked it senseless before it had the chance to cause any harm.

_So far, so good,_ Char told himself as he followed Saura down the stairs.

* * *

**Iron Crevice B2F**

At the beginning of the first hall on the second floor. Char thanked himself for not being particularly claustrophobic. The walls of this path were closer together than they had been before, and the deposits of metal jutting from the walls sometimes blocked the path enough that Char and Ray both had to duck or sidle up against the wall to progress. Still, it was scary to reflect upon how deep they were already under the surface of the earth in this forsaken place, and how deep they still had to go.

Midway through the hall, Char started to see something he feared he'd see: bite marks in the metallic deposits. Some of them very _large_ bite marks, completely mutilating the surface of the rocks.

Char couldn't help but gulp.

"Hey, if all we meet are Zubat and Geodude, this will be simple," Saura joked. "Think we'll be so easy? Scythe says that sometimes, he's gone for dozens of floors in dungeons without meeting even one Pokémon…"

"I wouldn't be so sure," Ray said. "I think I hear something."

Stopping for a second to listen closely, Char noticed it too: there was a deep, raspy noise coming from the next chamber. Breathing.

"Okay, there's definitely something over here," Saura agreed. "We should get ready to fight…"

"What is that?" Char wondered. "What kind of Pokémon breathes like that?"

"Hmm… I can't tell," Ray admitted, listening closely. "It can't be a rock Pokémon. Most rock Pokémon don't even have lungs. Well, I guess we'll have to find out the hard way. We should be able to take it, whatever it is!"

Slowly and warily, Saura stepped through the archway to the next chamber. Char followed close behind with his light source, ready for anything…

But after a few more steps, the breathing stopped.

"Whatever it is, I think it saw us," Saura muttered. "But for a second there, It sounded like it was coming from the ceiling…"

Suddenly, a hoarse cry filled the air. The team froze.

-_SLAM!-_

Before anyone could tell what was going on, A large creature dropped from the darkness and slammed into Saura, sending him tumbling backward. It disappeared just as quickly.

"Waaah!" Saura cried, scrambling to get up. "I still didn't see it! What was it?!"

As Ray quickly leapt in front of Saura to shield him from another attack, Char stepped farther into the room to confront the creature. His fire had already swelled to a moderate size just trying to guess at the foe's identity, but seeing Saura get attacked sent his instincts into a state of elation. He was ready to battle.

Again, the roar filled the air. Char quickly turned in the direction the noise had betrayed, and could clearly see the creature hovering in the air before him in the now-brilliant light of his tail. Flapping its wings frantically and hovering in place was a Golbat.

"Yes! I see it!" Char announced, preparing to attack.

Char wasted no time in unleashing a wave of flames at the creature. It dodged, but the fire nicked the side of its wing and sent it careening wildly through the air.

Then, something very odd happened.

"Whoa!" the creature cried. "Hey! Easy, there! Watch where you're firing!"

_Did… that Golbat just talk?_ Char wondered. _Eh… I must be hearing things! I've got to take this thing out!_

Char launched himself into the air at the Golbat. His attack struck, knocking the bat to the ground.

"Ow!" the bat cried as it struck the floor. "Cut it out!"

While Char thought it was weird that the bat was pleading for mercy, he wrote it off as some trick of the mind since the bat was still acting incredibly hostile. Char tried to pin it down, but it struggled and broke free, tumbling wildly around on the floor and gnashing at him with its pointed teeth.

Obeying his battle instincts, Char pounced onto the bat again. The bat performed an unnaturally swift maneuver and leapt backward, evading Char's claws. He pursued it, unleashing a stream of fire which hit the beast dead-on, stunning it. Closing in quickly, Char spun and broadsided the bat with his tail, slamming it against the wall.

"What are you doing?!" the bat cried. "STOP! I'm serious! This really hurts!"

"You started it!" Char yelled back, following up with another assault. With no second thought, he rushed to the wounded bat and started slashing at it furiously, leaving big red slices across its leathery skin…

"What are you TALKING ABOUT?!" the bat cried. "I'm… OW! OW! Stop! Please! Ow! Stop!"

That's when Char realized that something was very wrong. He halted his assault, taking a moment to realize the horrible truth…

_Do I… recognize that voice?_

"Char, I'm sorry for doing this," the Golbat said, rearing back…

_-POW!-_

Char saw stars. Pain rippled across his forehead. He backpedaled for a few steps, struggling to stay standing…

When the stars cleared, Char saw the truth. In the corner, exactly where the Golbat had been laying… was Ray. He was severely wounded, his orange fur covered in dark scorch marks and dripping with bright red blood. He glared up at Char, his fist still clenched from the punch he delivered.

"Ray!" Char gasped, rushing up to him. "I… I didn't… do this, did I? I thought… I was attacking the Golbat!"

Ray nodded. "It must have hit you with a Confusion Ray," he grunted, letting Char help him up. "You just went crazy on us all of a sudden. We didn't know what to do."

"Ray, I'm really sorry!" Char blurted. "I didn't mean any of this! I'm serious! I don't know what to say!"

"It's… okay," Ray sighed, his face clenching in pain as he moved. "You were confused… you couldn't help it…"

"Is Saura okay?" Char asked frantically. "I didn't hurt him too, did I?"

"I'm right here," Saura said, approaching Ray. Char saw that he was unharmed, but still a little shaken from the incident. "I'm fine. You gave me a good headbutt once, but I had to run and hide in case you attacked me with fire."

Char almost wanted to cry. Starting to feel weak from pure shame, he leaned against Saura and hung his head low, working to catch his breath.

"I… I think I need a minute," Char gasped. "I still can't believe I lost it like that. One minute, I saw the Golbat, and then it started talking! But… I couldn't stop attacking… and… Hey, wait. Where's the Golbat now? What happened to it?"

When his friends didn't answer his question, Char turned to Ray, wondering what the matter was. The Raichu returned an odd gaze, as if he couldn't quite think of a response.

"What? What is it?" Char begged.

"Char, it's… on you."

Char turned his head to find that the Golbat was still alive and well, and was, in fact, latched firmly onto his back with its teeth. Sucking his blood.

Char felt another wave of weariness wash over him, and realized that it had very little to do with his shame. He tried to lift his tail to burn the bat, but the flame was flickering, and he found it difficult to bring his muscles to obey…

"Hold still," Ray commanded, walking around to Char's back. "I don't know how much this'll hurt…"

The moment when Ray first touched the Golbat, Char felt it. Its teeth were really hooked under his flesh, sending a stinging sensation through his back at the slightest movement. His whole body cringed.

"Oh, man," Char uttered at the pain, squeezing his eyes shut. He almost felt like letting the thing stay on his back as long as it wanted.

"Wow, I barely touched it," Ray said. "Okay, so this could hurt a bit. But we've got to get this thing out, or you'll pass out from blood loss. We have to do this."

"But if you _do_ it, I might pass out from shock!" Char gasped.

"Easy, Char," Saura said, sprouting vines and tying Char's hands to his own body to keep him steady. "We've got plenty of Oran berries in the bag, you can have as many as you want, okay?"

"B-but we've barely… even… We're only on the second floor!" Char stammered. "We can't waste them -_YOWWWWWWWWWWW!_"

Hoping to act while Char was distracted, Ray yanked on the Golbat as hard as he could. Char saw red streaks of lightning before his eyes, and his body uncontrollably convulsed from the horrible pain. Saura held on tight, keeping him from thrashing about.

"…It didn't even budge," Ray said regretfully. "Wait, wait! I know what to do. Char, sorry if this feels a little funny…"

"As long as it doesn't involve pulling harder," Char grunted, his body tensed. "Just…"

Char was suddenly cut off when a sharp buzz of electricity filled his body. A chilly feeling engulfed him, like he'd just been plunged into a sea of ice-cold sand. Char tried to comment on the sensation, but found that his mouth was not working. In fact, his entire body had become unresponsive. Unable to keep standing, he slumped down onto Saura's back like a ragdoll.

"Sorry," Ray said again. "I paralyzed you, and the bat too. Now, you shouldn't feel anything when I…"

-_Schlork!-_

Having gone limp from paralysis and not able to keep its mouth locked on Char's back, the Golbat easily slid out of place. Char felt nothing, only hearing the sickening sound of Ray separating the creature from him.

"Ooh, that went deep," Ray commented. "And it looks like he poisoned you, too…"

"Paralyzed _and_ poisoned?" Saura said, setting Char gently onto the floor. "I think it's time to get out a Heal Seed…"

Char recovered from the incident in no time, as was expected with the multitude of medicinal supplies they'd brought along. Ray force-fed him a Heal Seed, then shared a handful of Oran Berries with him to help dull the pain and heal the wounds.

It was unfortunate that a Heal Seed had to be used so early in their mission. They were rare and valuable items, difficult to get from Kecleon's at a decent price and impossible to find in the wild. They were the result of science; to create one, a botanist had to graft together the twigs of several plants, including the Pecha tree, the Cheri tree, and the Rawst tree. These hybrid plants took incredible dedication to stabilize and cultivate, and if one actually succeeded in surviving, would produce a vile-tasting fruit which contained seeds that, although infertile, could be ingested by Pokémon to cure a variety of illnesses and harmful effects. It was a major convenience for doctors and Resistance Teams alike to carry around these tiny, all-purpose seeds rather than different kinds of medicine for particular illnesses, but they were so pricy that Team Ember had only ever gotten their hands on two of them, and hadn't dared to use one up until now.

When Char ate the seed, the paralysis faded away quickly, allowing him to move and feel. This wasn't necessarily a good thing, though; there was a terrible stabbing pain in his back where the Golbat's fangs had penetrated. He made a break for the supply bag where he proceeded to jam Oran Berries into his mouth until he started to feel better. Ray, who had also suffered his share of injuries from the fight, joined him.

"Practically not an issue, huh?" Char joked, biting into a berry.

"Um… yeah," Ray said, a little ashamed of himself. "I… guess I forgot that Zubat don't stay small forever. Well, that's the last time we make that mistake, huh?"

"You can say that again," Char said, wiping juice from his muzzle. "Maybe we should bring one of those Persim Bands next time…"

"Hey, Ray, what gave you the idea to use paralysis?" Saura asked. "That was brilliant! I don't think I would have even thought of that."

"Well, this sort of thing has happened before," Ray said, starting to smile again. "A while back when I was still a Pikachu, I was on a mission with my old team, and we… had a little incident with a Totodile. It latched onto my teammate, Shur, who was a very panicky Psyduck… Ha ha, I remember, it took us five whole minutes to get him to stop flailing around and calm down… But when we finally did, the Totodile would _not_ come off, no matter what we tried. So… I paralyzed them both, and it worked like a charm."

"Well, we're glad to have you around," Saura said. "You're invaluable to this team, you know that, right? When you first joined, I don't think we realized what we were getting into. Now, we rely on you so much, I can't imagine how we'd get along without your help."

"Hey, what are friends for?" Ray said with a shrug.

After they felt ready enough, the team finished combing the floor. When they were certain that the Furret was not there, they proceeded.

* * *

**Iron Crevice B4F**

As they continued on their search for the lost Pokémon, they started to meet with more opposition as they got deeper into the crevice. Geodude were getting numerous, as were Paras. Zubat continued to be common, and the team met no less than four more Golbat along the way. Once, Char was even hit with another Confuse Ray, but this time knew better than to attack when he wasn't thinking straight, and learned how not to hurt his teammates. Ray had defeated it easily with a thunderbolt, and the team continued onward without incident.

When they reached the fourth floor, Char's eyes started to sting. He realized that the cave was a little stranger than he thought: while most caves he'd seen were cold and wet inside, this one was strangely dry and filled with clouds of what had to be rock-dust, making it a little difficult to breathe. When he started to see how some of the rock and metal formations had been sanded down smooth and flat, he didn't doubt it.

Soon, the team was fending off enemies left and right, and was getting used to doing so. Char found that the Paras would fall easily to a simple Ember attack, while Saura found that most Geodude couldn't recover from being whipped silly with his vines. Ray had a tough time since most of the rock creatures could ground out his electric attacks, but he could sometimes paralyze them to help out, and he was easily able to defeat the Golbat and Zubat that bothered them.

Soon, though, the team was met with their toughest challenge yet: a Graveler.

"Oh, boy," Saura said upon seeing the foe. "I think I'm going to need some help with this one…"

Char studied the Graveler as it stood its ground before them. The creature resembled a large, living boulder, complete with arms and legs. It was at least three times his own size. Even in comparison to some of the other rock Pokémon such as Onix, it was a strange sight to behold.

The Graveler stared back, waiting for the intruders to make the first move.

"Think you could pull off an Energy Ball?" Char suggested.

"Maybe," Saura answered. "But we don't want to overwhelm it with energy. It could self-destruct on us, couldn't it?"

"Right…" Char muttered. "Um… could you try a Sun-beam? That would probably knock it out in one hit!"

"Where's the sun?" Saura said. "I could try using my own energy, but without the sun here to help, I don't think it would work in one hit."

"Uh... how about you try wrapping it, so we can all attack?"

Saura bit his lip. "That's really risky," he said. "I can't always detain things on the first try, especially if they're… you know… that big!"

Char frowned. "Ray, do you have any ideas, besides just attacking it head-on?"

Instead of answering, Ray set his own idea into motion. Withdrawing from the bag, he chucked a seed at the Graveler. The boulder-beast winced as it saw the item coming, but didn't think to dodge. When it struck, a bright white flash illuminated the cave for a split second, and the beast fell onto its back, motionless. Ray had used a Sleep Seed.

"Ha-ha! It worked!" Ray shouted. "Problem solved. It's asleep!"

"Hmm, are you sure that was a good idea?" Char wondered. "We should save those things for when we really need them. We could have at least tried to battle it and learn how they act, right? That's what Scythe would have told us."

"You're right," Ray said. "Sorry, I should have asked you about it first…"

"It's fine," Saura said. "We have more of those seeds. It's asleep now, so let's get going…"

The group carefully slipped past the sleeping monster and into the next narrow hallway…

…and were immediately faced with a second Graveler.

This one was a little bit bigger than the last one, and didn't look nearly as patient. It emitted a strange growl at the team which almost sounded like an evil purr, and looked as though it was about to charge at any second. To make matters even worse, the ground had become rocky and uneven in the new area, and metallic structures which spurted from the walls started to resemble sharp-tipped deathtraps…

"Oh, great," Saura muttered. "Now what? What do we do?!"

"Just attack it!" Char ordered, his tail flame already bright enough to light the entire room. "We'll figure something out!"

The group complied; they'd let their battle instincts take over, and hope for the best.

Saura, being the most effective fighter against rock Pokémon, rushed forward to initiate the battle. He leapt into the air, extended his vines, and brought them down hard upon the beast. The Graveler staggered from the strike, taking a few steps backward. Saura followed by releasing a stream of seeds, all of which struck the beast's hide at incredible speeds and chipped away at the outer layer of its rocky skin.

The Graveler became _furious._ It roared loudly, barreling forward at Saura. Acting quickly, Char delivered the best pillar of flames he could muster straight into the Graveler's face, causing it to stop dead in its tracks and blindly swipe at the air.

Not to be outdone, the Graveler formed a mighty fist and slammed it into the ground, sending rocky shards and pebbles flying everywhere and creating a shockwave that could have shaken the entire cave. The earthquake took both Char and Ray completely by surprise, sending them off their feet. Char brutally struck the ground, feeling the light tickle of stray gravel falling on him as he moaned and took a moment to rest. When he tried to get back up, he found that he couldn't quite do it at first; the effect had left him too shaken and disoriented, and had also induced a serious headache.

Growling in determination, Saura once again launched a barrage of seeds at the enemy, but the Graveler avoided every single one.

"Aww… if only there was a way to make that attack more accurate," Saura muttered to himself.

As Saura stood at the base of the beast and tried to quickly contemplate his next move, a voice rang out from behind him.

"Look out, Saura!" Ray yelled out. "Coming through!"

Saura obeyed. He jumped to the side, giving Ray room to rush toward the beast. Saura noticed how the tip of his tail was glowing brightly, as Ray had focused enough energy within it to give it the strength of iron. He leapt and performed a very impressive somersault in midair, striking the rock monster with his gleaming tail and actually slicing into the beast, leaving a huge crack beside its face. He then discharged a surge of electricity into it, hoping to paralyze it, but it failed. He landed on his feet and quickly surveyed the effect of the attack: it had connected, but the beast didn't even seem bothered.

"Wow!" Ray cried. "This thing is impossible!"

Roaring like never before, the Graveler pounded the ground again, causing another earthquake and tossing Ray into the air. Char also lost his balance a second time and tumbled onto his side.

"Ugh! Stop _doing that!_" Char pleaded, curling up on the floor for a moment and holding his throbbing forehead in his claws.

Saura couldn't stand the sight of his friends suffering at the mercy of the earthquakes. "I'm going to end this!" he declared. "Just give me time to build up a good energy ball. Cover me!"

"I'm not sure if we can!" Char cried, climbing back to his feet but staggering as he tried to walk. He decided to drop to all fours.

"Char! Can you make a good smoke screen?" Ray asked as he charged his tail again for another iron attack. "If you could, it should give Saura all the time he needs!"

Char faced the Graveler, measuring the odds that a smoke screen would be effective. The beast seemed so much larger than before, now that he was down close to the ground… But he knew his skull would probably break in half if the thing caused even one more earthquake. He had to give it a try while he still had the chance. The Graveler seemed more focused most on Ray at the moment, who was dancing around just outside of its reach.

"I'll try," Char determined, preparing his fire.

Char bounded forward as fast as he could, hoping to get right in the Graveler's face and spew the cloud of smoke to confuse it… Unfortunately, he didn't catch the moment when the thing had started an attack of his own.

As he charged forward, he realized too late that the Graveler was coming straight at him. It had tucked in its arms and legs and started a forward roll.

For a moment, Char simply watched in horror as the giant boulder came upon him. It was too late. There was nothing he could do.

Char emitted a soundless cry as his entire body was crushed beneath the Graveler's weight. It rattled his entire sense of being, seeming for a moment to shut off every sense he had from pure overload. Even his sight seemed to flash white beneath his closed eyelids as the attack struck.

It was over in a split second, but when it ended, Char felt numb and senseless. He was sure that something in his body had broken. His leg seemed to hurt the most, having been resting on a misshapen rock when the Graveler had rolled across it. He tried to stir, but found that the muscle in his lower leg had been disconnected from the limb. He was crippled.

…And then…

A sudden flash of light filled the cave.

The Graveler no longer moved. In fact, it was out cold, settled in a little sloped ditch in the ground near the far wall. Ray stood near the bag, where he had produced and used another Sleep Seed… albeit a second too late.

Char could barely even see his friends as they came to his aid. It was too dark; his tail flame was barely even burning.

"That thing… crushed you!" Saura whimpered, rushing up to him. "That thing _crushed_ you! We couldn't stop it in time… Can you… talk? Can you move? Please tell me you're okay! Say something!"

"I'll be fine…" Char managed to gasp, letting himself lie limply on the ground. "It just rolled over me. It wasn't big enough to crush anything, I think… Just… get me some more Oran Berries, please?"

… … …

Having found a nearby crack in the wall to hide from the monsters, and having helped Char to crawl there, the team once again sat down to recuperate. Char downed even more berries from the bag, thankful for the wonderful pain relief they brought and for the way they gradually started to make him feel alive and well again. He was thankful now that the team made a point of bringing enough food—especially the wonderful blue berries—to last for days. The temporal anomaly, too, helped him to recover even faster; his worst pain, the fracture in his leg, eventually started to fade as his body mended the broken bone he'd suffered.

"Wow… those Gravelers!," Ray said, eating some dried fruit from the bag. "I… don't know if we're strong enough to take them down."

"If Scythe were here, he'd tell us how to beat them," Saura said sadly. "But it looks like we can't figure it out on our own. Maybe… you're right. If every battle with a Graveler is going to end up like… like that…"

"Maybe we just need to learn some more techniques," Ray offered. "I'll tell you something, when I learned the Iron Tail trick, it made battling rock Pokémon so much easier. Before that, I was completely powerless against them. I'm sure there are a lot of other ways to take these things down. We just have to learn them. We all memorized the weakness web of Pokémon… but maybe that's not enough. We should go to Domo and learn more battle techniques."

A moment of silence. Char could feel that spirits were pretty low. Despite all they'd been through, they were starting to see that they were still a relatively weak and inadequate team.

"So…" Saura muttered, staring at the floor. "Do we… use the Escape Orb now?"

"No way!" Char answered, accidentally spewing an Oran pit from his mouth. "We're already four floors down! This isn't over until all three of us pass out! And the way it looks now, it's still a long ways away before that happens. We've still got plenty of supplies and berries… we're going keep going until we can't go any farther!"

"Agreed!" Ray replied. "This is a learning experience. If we've got to learn the hard way… that's fine. But there's no way we're giving up now! As long as we keep supporting each other, we've got a chance."

Saura smiled. "Yeah, you're right," he said. "We can't quit now. I was just… you know… making sure that… we all agreed."

As Char prepared to bite into what he convinced himself would be his last berry this time, something unusual caught his eye.

"Hey," Char interrupted, turning his attention to the deepest part of the crack in which they sat. "Is that… ours?"

"Is what ours?" Saura asked, trying to see what he was indicating.

"That," Char said, pointing into the corner. "There's an orb over there."

Not waiting for a response, Char stood up and approached the stray orb. It was half-wedged between a rock and the wall, making it difficult to spot except for the way it gleamed in Char's light. Char clutched it, easily pulling it out from its position.

_This is an Evasion Orb,_ the orb said. _Activate?_

_Uh… not now,_ Char replied. The orb said nothing else.

"Wow, that _isn't_ ours, is it?" Saura said with surprise. "Was it just laying there?"

"What kind of orb is that?" Ray asked curiously. "Is it useful?"

"I don't know," Char admitted. "It's an Evasion Orb. I have no idea what those do."

"Hmm, I've never used one of those, either," Ray said. "Ask it what it does!"

"What?"

"Most new orbs are encoded with data," Ray said. "Ask it how it works, and it should tell you."

Char tried to telepathically communicate with the orb once again. Admittedly, it always made him feel a little silly trying to talk to an inanimate object.

_Um… Evasion Orb,_ Char asked silently, _what do you do?_

_Evasion Orbs stimulate the battle instincts of the user,_ the orb explained. _After activation, the user will temporarily become more adept at dodging enemy attacks. Depending on the user, the effect lasts from ten minutes to forty minutes._

He repeated the data aloud.

"Sounds useful," Ray said. "Put it in the bag! I bet it'll come in handy later. Although… it makes me wonder how it got in here, though…"

The team's smiles suddenly disappeared, and a dark silence followed.

There was, after all, only one reason an item would be laying around inside of a Mystery Dungeon such as this one. It was a very important lesson that Scythe had taught them from weeks before…

When you fail a mission in a Mystery Dungeon, there's a chance… a very likely chance, at that… that a lot of your items will not be expelled from the dungeon with you. They will be gobbled up by the spatial anomaly, scattered among the dungeon for future teams to find.

…And sometimes, if Arceus was especially angry at you, you could even lose the entire bag. All your supplies… a week's worth of income… would be completely lost.

It was a sudden and brutal reminder that there _was_ a price for learning the hard way.

* * *

**Iron Crevice Rest Area**

With a greater resolve than ever before, the team searched even deeper into the dungeon. Afraid for their lives and also for the security of their item bag, they opted to play games of stealth rather than attacking every Pokémon they came across. But with a flaming tail amongst the complete darkness, it wasn't too easy for Char to stay hidden, even when he tried to dim the light by holding it in his hands. Twice, the team found themselves having to run away from the more powerful Pokémon to get them off their tail, and it was _always_ a challenge to keep their footing among the gravel and not to get separated in the narrow passageways.

For some reason, the wild Pokémon would never chase them down the stairs to the next floor.

After evading a young Onix, the group emerged onto the eighth basement floor. The rock snake roared at them one last time as it sat at the top of the stairs and watched them escape.

Char stopped to catch his breath. "Everyone okay?"

"We're okay," Saura reported. "What is this, the ninth floor now? We've come a long way."

"And we barely used any items on the past four floors," Ray added. "We're doing really well. Also… wait. What's this? Whoa! Look over here!"

Expecting yet another system of tangled corridors and vicious monsters, the team was discovered to find something completely different before them. A lone room, shaped like a peaceful little dome, opened up. The walls were completely smooth, and the floor was flat, unlike _any_ of the surrounding terrain. There was something like a large crystal embedded in the ceiling of the room which acted as a light source, illuminating the chamber with an eerie orange glow.

But the most prominent and interesting feature of this room was the very large iron statue, depicting a Kangaskhan, positioned in the center. It seemed to watch the group with a warm and tender smile as they entered…

"Wow!" Ray shouted, running up to the Kangaskhan statue and inspecting it. "Do you know what this is?"

"A… Kangaskhan?" Char guessed.

"I remember hearing about these back in Team Stripes, but wow, I've never seen one myself!" Ray continued. "This room must be a rest area! It's a room in the middle of a Mystery Dungeon that's somehow not affected by the curse. We can stay here as long as we want, and nothing will come disturb us! Wow, I hear these rooms only exist near the end of the longer dungeons that have been extensively explored, never in any I've been in!"

"Interesting," Saura said. "I was getting a bit hungry, myself. How about if we stop to eat?"

The team wasted no time in settling down at the base of the statue and getting out the food.

"Hmm… but why a Kangaskhan statue?" Char wondered, fishing out a pear from the food stash. "How'd that get in here, anyway?"

"Oh, I think it's just something explorers used to mark the safe zones they've found," Ray speculated. "It has some symbolic meaning, I guess, like the love and protection of a mother or something."

"How'd they get in here?" Saura wondered. "You can't just carry a statue through a dungeon like this and drop it off!"

"You know, I have no idea," Ray laughed. "Teleportation, maybe? Maybe a skilled psychic pulled it off. I don't know… let's eat."

Saura was just about to bite into a big apple, when something caught his attention…

"Ray, are you sure we won't be bothered here?" Saura whispered.

"Uh… yeah," Ray said, munching on his food. "Why?"

"Because… I think something's coming."

The group went silent. Yes, there were noises coming from the room's entrance. Voices, even. Pokémon voices.

_Wow! Who could this be?_ Char wondered. _A different team? Why would another team be here? Did we screw up the registration or something? Or maybe it's Team Remorse coming to check on us?_

But, of all the things in the world Char was expecting to see walk into the room, he would have never guessed which two Pokémon were now approaching them.

Both Char and Saura felt their breath catch when they recognized the visitors who'd suddenly invaded the rest area. A Croagunk, followed closely by a Seviper, meandered into the room. Something clicked in Char's mind, and he instantly recognized them as the two thieves he'd met on his very first mission ever as a Resistance Team.

_What… in the name of… _Char wondered, forgetting the name on which he was supposed to swear by. _These two... Why would they be here?_

"We found you!" The Seviper hissed triumphantly. "_That_ was not a pleasant dungeon to chase you through. You're getting pretty strong if you can handle this place."

"Heh heh, nonsense," the Croagunk added. "It was easy. Unpleasant, but easy. But we knew we'd catch up to you in the safe zone if we hurried."

Char dropped his food and stood up to the intruders. He really didn't know what to expect from them, but, at any rate, he prepared for a battle.

"Team X," Char growled at them, remembering the name they called themselves back at the hideout at the Empirical Falls. "What are you doing here?!"

"Char, do you recognize these guys?" Ray asked in surprise.

"Yeah," Char answered rudely. "These guys are thieves. We busted open one of their hideouts once, and now they're out for revenge!"

"Heh heh, is that all?" the Croagunk said bemusedly, taking a few more steps toward the team. "Is that who you think we are?"

"What's wrong with being thieves?" the Seviper said coolly. "Resistance teams have got to make a living somehow!"

That line took Char completely off-guard.

"What?!" he and Saura spat at nearly the same time.

"Listen," the Croagunk said. "We followed you here because we need to talk with you in private, somewhere… but without that Scyther around, you see? We waited for you, but he always went with you on missions, so we could never get near. But now, you're alone, and it's time we had a little talk."

Saura frowned, clearly not following what they were saying. "Well, spit it out!" he snapped. "You have us where you want us. What do you want?!"

"Listen, and listen carefully, you three," the Seviper hissed slyly. "I know we didn't get off to the greatest start back there at the waterfall. That Scyther misjudged us, you see. But we're not bad guys. Actually… we're your allies!"

"Yeah," the Croagunk continued. "This is Seviper, and I'm just Croagunk. We don't bother with the whole nicknames thing, you see. Together, we're Team X, an independent Resistance Team. Now, we've seen you traveling around, and we know that you have connections to a large network of resistance forces in this area…"

Char and Saura both tensed up as Croagunk stepped closer to them, a confident and evil expression spread across his face.

"…and we want in."

Char gulped. Were they serious?

"We have information that could help you make severe blows against the Master," Seviper said. "We need to entrust this information to someone. Someone… who has the power to do something about it. That's why we need you to take us into your base with you, and let us join you."

They couldn't be.

"And we can't take no for an answer," Croagunk croaked, "so if you're even thinking about rejecting us, forget it. Operating independently without the safety of your base is getting dangerous, especially with all the forces in this area nowadays. We need a place to stay!"

"Hmm," Ray said suddenly. "…What's in it for us?"

Char felt his jaw drop when he heard Ray's question. How could Ray be trusting these… these sinister villains? He tried to respond, but part of him wanted to hear the answer. Saura was suffering a similar conflict.

"Well, as your friends probably saw when they visited our humble abode, we're… quite rich," Seviper said with a grin. "Take us in, and we'll give you a handsome… load of money."

"Hmm, well, we _are_ a little low on funds at the moment," Ray said, rubbing his chin. "How _much_ money?"

"Four million Poké," Seviper proclaimed. "Four million Poké, yours for free, if you let us into your base."

"Hmm… will we get the money first?" Ray asked. "Or… after we've finished our end of the bargain?"

"If you prefer, we will gladly give you a small down payment," Seviper said. "So… do you accept, or not?"

"Hmm, I like your offer," Ray said. "But… mind if I have a quick talk with my team in private? We need to discuss some of the… terms… of this agreement."

Croagunk batted a hand, and the three quickly retreated to the opposite side of the Kangaskhan statue.

"What do we do?!" Ray blurted in a whisper. "These guys are crazy! They're just trying to trick us, and they're not even _trying_ to be believable!"

"You had me worried for a second," Char admitted. "I thought you were being serious!"

"No, just trying to get them to think we would comply," Ray said. "Otherwise… I don't know what they'd be doing to us right now."

"Okay, I got a plan," Saura said. "Ray, you talk to them again. Char will go grab the bag. As soon as he has it, we run for it. They can't find us if we go deeper into the dungeon."

"Sounds good to me," Char said, shaking his head. "Wow… Team X? Here? And now? I knew they would be back for us someday, but… not like this!"

"Well…" Ray said, wandering back around the statue and speaking to Team X, "We thought about it, and we made a decision."

"I hope for your sake it's the right one, heh heh," Croagunk said. "Spill it."

"We accept your proposal," Ray said. "On one condition."

Croagunk croaked, raising an eyebrow. "Which is?"

"We get to _run_!" Ray shouted.

Not skipping a beat, Ray pivoted and dashed away from the poisonous team with surprising agility. The rest of his team were a few steps in front of him, heading for the archway that would lead deeper into the dungeon.

"Oh, is _that_ how it is?!" Croagunk roared in rage, dashing after him to deliver a Poison Jab. "You cheap little brats! If that's the case, we'll have to do things the _hard way!_"

"Croagunk, enough," Seviper said quickly, stopping him. "They've already crossed the point of no return, we can't get them now."

It was true. All three of them had escaped. Croagunk watched with hopelessness as they disappeared down the next tunnel. If he wanted to follow, he'd have to brave the second half of the dungeon.

"Well, that was a miserable failure," Croagunk grumbled. "I told you before that this wasn't work!"

"We can't just give up and call it a failure," Seviper said, shaking its head. "We must try again."

"Try again?! I'm not going in there!" Croagunk snorted. "We had enough trouble as it was getting this far. Do you know what _lives_ down there?! We can't fight Steelix! Not by ourselves!"

"True, true," Seviper said. "In this case, we leave, and we try again later. Next time, we'll get them. Next time."

Team X turned and started their trek out of the dungeon.


	27. Chapter 24: Victorious Defeat

**Chapter 24**

**Iron Crevice B8F**

Having their rest period cut short, the group started to feel a little weary and hungry as they continued into the catacombs. The hostile Pokémon were becoming ridiculously numerous, and there were always more waiting for them around every turn…

And then the Aron started appearing, and they knew things were not going to get any easier. The little armored rodents were a huge pain to fend off; they attacked in a berserker style with head-butting and jumping, using their steely bodies as bludgeoning weapons as they ferociously pounced at the team. What made them more difficult than fighting Rattata, though, was that their steel armor seemed to make them impervious to any damage at all.

Char found himself in a standoff with an Aron. He'd engaged it in battle, but soon found it to be a very difficult foe to beat down. After a painful scuffle that left him with some bruises, he backed off to catch his breath and to figure out what his next move would be.

_Physical attacks do nothing to it,_ Char reminded himself. _Only my fire seems to do any damage. I've got to keep my distance and try to burn it!_

Although the creature was slow and easy to outrun, Char didn't want to be chased into places he wasn't looking. He knew that he could stumble on an inconsistency in the floor at any time, or possibly bang his head into a metal protrusion that had been filed down to a blade by Aron.

"Okay, this one's down," Ray reported from across the room after having knocked out a second Aron. "Do you need any help?"

Char didn't respond. No, he didn't want help. He wanted to take this one all on his own. His instincts insisted. He'd been a liability for nearly the entire trip, and he wanted to prove his strength just once…

Char blasted embers at the little creature, making sure to spread his attack wide to make it hard to dodge. But he couldn't hold himself back, and his attack turned into a full-blown flamethrower. The cave passageway filled with light as Char's fire blasted through the air, the flames roiling and billowing against the rocks…

When Char paused for breath, the Aron was still standing, a black scorch mark burned into the rock under its feet and across nearby walls. The thing blinked as if to get the smoke out of his eyes, and struggled to remain standing…

But then, with an angry bellow, it charged forward again. Char flinched at the sight of it coming, having thought for sure it would have been weakened by the attack. Before he could do anything, the Aron pounced and tackled Char head-on, knocking him down and sending them both sliding across the ground. Char tried to throw the thing off, but it was incredibly heavy, and it struggled fiercely to keep itself attached. Char jerked back each time the small, toothy mouth underneath the creature's helmet viciously lashed at his chest, dodging it by millimeters.

Unable to free himself, and starting to panic, Char felt his instincts tell him to do something he'd never done before. He returned the Aron's attacks, lashing with his own jaws and biting down on its foreleg. The powerful taste of steel filled his mouth, but he bit as hard as he could… and he realized that it wasn't his teeth that were dangerous, but the internal heat of his body. The Aron cried out in sudden agony, its leg burning at a temperature that its body was never built for. As Char kept his teeth clenched, he thought he could even feel the creature's steel armor starting to liquefy and become malleable within his maw…

After several seconds holding the Aron hostage, it thrashed and struggled and bashed Char in the head, leaping out of his hold. Char was amazed when he saw the result: the Aron's leg was glowing red-hot! Yet, it wasn't down for the count quite yet. As Char was getting back to his feet, the Aron bounced back and delivered a mighty head-butt to his chest, keeping him from recovering his balance and sending him careening face-first into a nearby gravel-filled crevice. He roared at the sudden shock of having dozens of rocks covering and colliding with his face, and felt his energy level starting to drop once again.

_No, I will not be defeated by a little rat, even if it _is_ covered in steel,_ Char told himself. _I've got to defeat it! I don't care how…_

That's when Char got an idea. It was a silly, underhanded idea, but it was something that Scythe suggested in a past mission, and it had worked surprisingly well in fending off a small swarm of Ninjask that had moved so blindingly fast that they were practically immune to most conventional attacks.

_-Ping!-_

The Aron winced when a small piece of gravel collided with its faceplate. It blinked in confusion, as if wondering what had happened.

-_Ping! Thunk!-_

More rocks came flying at the creature. It blinked and glared at Char in sudden uncertainty, as if to ask "_What do you think you're doing? That's not fair!"_

Char grinned as he picked up another large chunk of gravel from the pile in which he lay, taking aim and hurling it straight at the foe.

-_Thunk.-_

The rock hit the Aron between the eyes, rattling it. It didn't have much time to recover before another one came, glancing off the end of his faceplate. As Char pitched and lobbed rocks at the thing, he saw its resolve, surprisingly, start to waver. It thought for a moment of what to do…

Ultimately, it decided that it wasn't going to be outdone by some measly pebbles, so it decided to keep attacking. But when it tried another charge…

_-Schink!-_

Char gasped, not even realizing what had happened. The Aron suddenly had a rather large blade lodged deep within one of the black spots in its armor. In his scramble for rocks to throw, he'd picked up a sharp metallic formation that had fallen from the wall and hurled it. The Aron gave up control of itself, falling forward from its momentum and twitching as it slumped to the ground. It had been defeated.

"Yeouch," Char whispered to himself as he stared at the sight.

Saura was there in a second to help pull him out of the gravel pile and congratulate on his victory, though he tried not to take too much notice of the gruesome and potentially fatal injury that had ended the battle. Ray, on the other hand, couldn't take his eyes off it.

"That was pure genius!" Ray cheered. "Wow! I never would have thought that throwing rocks at a rock Pokémon would be so effective! And, wow, what _is_ that thing? A knife? That looks lethal!"

"Well, you did it," Saura said warmly. "You took it out all by yourself. Do you feel proud?"

"You bet," Char said with a smile. "But we should keep going. If any more of these things show up, this is going to get old very fast."

"Hey, wait," Ray said suddenly. "Look. Look in the rocks. I think there are more of those spike things. Think we should take some with us? They look like they'd make some great weapons in a pinch."

It was a good idea. The team dug through the rock pile, searching for the slim remnants of metal that had been filed down and broken off the walls. They managed to find four silver spikes to pack in the bag before two more Aron appeared and prompted them to flee.

"Okay, new rule," Char said as they raced down the halls. "No more fighting, unless something's blocking our way. We've got to take every chance to flee. I'm starting to think that this place is a little over our heads. We can't be wasting our energy and our supplies until there's just no other choice."

"Just as long as we don't pass up places to search because we're running," Saura reminded him. "That Furret could be anywhere."

"Yeah. Our mission could be over any time now," Ray said. "I mean, what are the odds that the Furret is all the way on the _bottom_ floor?"

* * *

**Iron Crevice B11F**

A few floors later, it was clear that the team was reaching its limit.

Their continued efforts had almost drained the bag. Two of the silver spikes were used in an attempt to escape a Rhyhorn encounter, and the Sleep Seeds were used to disable Gravelers. On floor 10, it was the end of the Stun Seeds and Blast Seeds, too…

Once, the group finally succeeded in knocking out a Graveler. It took two fully-charged energy balls from Saura, but it worked; the second attack actually chipped away a large portion of the boulder beast's head, causing some kind of black blood to ooze out and draining the thing's desire to keep fighting. It was a short-lived victory as another one showed up shortly after, but a victory nonetheless, and it gave Char a twinge of confidence to know that the team could defeat one with their own power.

Char was getting exhausted. Opportunities to take a breather were becoming too scarce, and countless unavoidable battles left him covered in scrapes and bruises. Char didn't dare heal himself with an Oran Berry, as there were only three of those left in the bag, and he wasn't going to use them until it was absolutely necessary. As for the food, only one apple and one bag of fruit were left, and Saura had all but vowed not to eat a bite until the thirteenth floor. So much for having enough food for two days!

Indeed, as they journeyed into the deepest levels of the dungeon, Char knew that there was one thought on everyone's mind:

_How long can we keep this up?_

Unfortunately, they were about to find out the answer.

Between running from Onix, belching fire at Golbat, and calling out for the Furret, Char was sure to keep his eyes open for items laying around on the cave floor. That Evasion Orb he'd recovered earlier wasn't the only thing he'd found. He also spotted two more, one of which identified itself as a "Longtoss Orb", and another as a "One-Shot Orb". Both were gladly stuffed into the bag upon sight. If they were going to complete the mission, he figured, they could use whatever supplies they could get.

That's why, when Char saw another gleam in the corner of his eye, his heart leapt. Laying on the floor in an adjacent room were not one, but two orbs! They sat in the center of an empty room, free for the taking. Char was always overjoyed to see the little blue spheres; it seemed that there was no limit to the useful things they could do. Secretly, he was hoping to find one that could cure his hunger, or heal his scrapes and scratches, or maybe even let him fly… or _anything_, really, to make this dungeon exploration more bearable!

"Sweet!" Char yelled happily, running straight for them. "More orbs! Ray, come here! Look at this!"

"Wow, Char! You must really have eyes for these things, or something!" Ray said in surprise, hurrying over with the bag. "Let's see what they do!"

Char eagerly clutched the first one, demanding identification from it. When it came, he was surprised that the telepathic voice seemed… different, somehow, if that were even possible. The voice sounded more elderly, or royal, or mystical, than any of the other orbs that he'd heard.

_Spellcaster of One-Room,_ it said.

Char scratched his head.

"One Room?" he repeated. "Interesting… I think this orb might be different."

_How does it work?_ Char asked the orb.

There was no answer.

"Different?" Ray asked. "Here, let me see."

Ray touched the orb, and soon wore the same puzzled expression as Char.

"Oh, weird," Ray said. "That must be one of the really old orbs, back before they started mass-producing them. It's definitely not a standard one… and it doesn't have built-in instructions, either. Oh, well. I guess we have Kecleon inspect it later, or we save it for when we're desperate."

"I can't imagine what it would do," Saura commented. "One Room? Do you think it would do something bad, like, seal us inside of a room or something? We wouldn't want that!"

The memory of being stuck in the storage room back at the base came to Char. Indeed, he didn't want to be trapped in a crack in the earth with no way out, especially without Saura's cherished Mobile Scarf, which his friend had not yet brought on a single mission for fear of losing it.

Whatever was the case with the orb, it was not going to get left behind. Ray shrugged and put it in the bag as Char turned his attention to the second one.

_This is a Totter Orb,_ it said. _Activate now?_

"A Totter Orb!" Char repeated. "Does this… do what I think it does?"

_Instructions?_ Char asked it.

_A Totter Orb will disrupt the sensory processes of all Pokémon in a nearby radius, causing confusion and increasing the likelihood of collateral damage. Sentient or highly intelligent Pokémon can easily see through the effect and will experience no negative consequences from the spell, leaving only wild Pokémon subject to the full effect. Affected Pokémon will fully recover in one to five minutes._

"Wow, this is a really useful one," Char said. "I can see this one really saving our hides! What if… uh, guys?"

"Something tells me we shouldn't have come in here," Saura squeaked.

Surprised by Saura's tone, Char took his attention off the orb and glanced at the surroundings. It was then that he took notice of the room they were now standing in. It was a _massive_ cavern with a surprisingly high ceiling and an even floor, except for some shallow, circular stair-steps of flat rock flowing out from the center of the room. The ceiling was adorned with a huge amount of the metal deposits, which covered the rock like shining fish-scales or pearls.

The room was so big, it was impossible to see completely. The light from his tail, bright as it was, wasn't enough to see very far; the flame only cast a small circle of light around them on the floor, and everything beyond it faded into the shadows…

Char didn't even have to ask what was wrong; the subtle vibrations in the floor and the occasional sound of scraping rock told him that there was trouble.

Slowly, very slowly, the sounds became louder. Closer.

Eyes started to gleam in the shadows. Many of them. They approached the strange new source of light which the intruders had brought.

Eyes… of many shapes and sizes.

Then, when they started to enter the circle of light so that Char could make out the shape of their shadows, he became truly afraid.

He saw a Geodude. Two of them. Three of them. Five of them. Behind them, the silhouettes of no less than three Graveler. Around them on the floor, countless Aron and Rhyhorn, amounting to at least twenty. Above them loomed the distinct shadows of Onix.

…All steadily drawing nearer.

His breath starting to catch, Char instinctively took a step backward. He found himself almost tripping over Saura, who'd huddled up against him closely. Ray was also close at his side.

"Char, no wonder those orbs were laying here," Ray whispered. "It was a hoard. Wild Pokémon like to hoard stuff… This room… must be… some kind of nest…"

-_Crash! Thump!-_

The group collectively jumped as several Aron, who'd been enjoying a meal of metal deposits on the ceiling, dropped to the floor to confront the intruders. Three of them fell in front of the hall, sealing off the escape route.

Char could feel the panic escalating. The Pokémon were closing in. They were about to be brutally, brutally massacred, and they were powerless to defend themselves against such a huge force of opposition…

…Unless…

The Totter Orb was still in his hands, and now would be the perfect time to use it.

"I'm going to use this," Char announced. "Once… I activate… all the Pokémon will get confused, and we all run for it. That should give us time to escape. We get to the stairs as fast as we can, so they can't follow us…"

"But… we only just got to this floor," Saura said. "What if… the Furret… was here?"

The Aron encircled them from one side, and the Geodude from the other. All they were waiting for was one sudden move… one tiny little reason to be provoked… and Char and his team would find themselves buried alive under a monstrous pile of rock Pokémon.

"Char…" Ray said. "Do it. It's either that, or… we fail the mission for good…"

Char squeezed the Orb in his hands, contacting it telepathically…

The moment he issued the order, a pulse resounded from the orb, accompanied by an odd white ripple which spread across the entire room. As the ripple struck the Pokémon, they appeared to suddenly become unfocused and lost track of their targets. The orb's color quickly faded, and it then shattered into thin shards of glass which struck the ground and disintegrated.

The Pokémon which filled the room started to wander around in various directions, as if their sense of purpose had been suddenly destroyed. Char turned his attention to the door through which they came. It seemed so far away now that the room had revealed its true identity… and now that dozens of wandering Pokémon stood in the way. Char knew that the Pokémon were still fully capable of attacking in their state of confusion—he'd learned that from experience—but their attacks would probably be less than accurate. Either way, it was probably best to keep away from them as they made their escape.

But as Char was tiptoeing around a confused Aron, an awful feeling shot through his body. Before he could realize what was happening, he stumbled and fell to the floor. The ground was violently vibrating underneath, and wouldn't stop. Pulse after pulse tore through him, making him feel like his body would crumble and apart.

Dimly, Char could see that the other Pokémon in the room were also suffering from the problem. In fact, the room had erupted into total chaos as every Pokémon sought to unleash their rage onto one another for the collateral damage the earthquakes were causing.

"No…" Saura cried once he realized what was happening. "The Gravelers are so confused, they're causing earthquakes… We've got to get out of here!"

"I… I can't get up…" Char replied weakly, resigning himself to laying on the floor. "It's… too… much… I can't… see straight…"

The earthquakes didn't stop. Rocks and chunks of metal fell from the ceiling, further propelling the madness as the Pokémon all beat up on each other. Feral roars filled the air, roars of both rage and pain, as well as the constant sound of stomping and clashing…

Char felt himself being pulled in Saura's direction, and only barely realized that Saura had sprouted his vines and was trying to drag him across the floor to safety. But the relentless shaking sensation had also taken its toll on Ray, and Saura was finding it difficult to drag them both along at once. Char knew that he wouldn't make it before the confusion would start to wear off from some of the Pokémon.

"Saura… you've got to do something," Ray moaned, unable to even move. "We won't… make it out unless you do something…"

"I'm trying!" Saura cried, pulling harder.

"No, Saura," Ray said. "Use… something… another orb… something… anything… from… the bag…"

Reluctantly, Saura let go of his teammates and attacked the bag with his vines as fast as he could manage. Swearing to himself, he dug into it, looking for anything that could possibly help the situation…

And then, there was silence.

Even though the earthquakes had ceased, Char couldn't tell… his head was still vibrating at painful speeds, making it impossible to focus. But the pain started to subside almost immediately, and the cacophony of cries that had filled the room just moments before was replaced with total silence, save for the gentle sound of gravel raining from the walls and ceiling after the last of the earthquake died down. All the Pokémon in the room… were gone.

"I used our Spurn Orb," Saura reported. "Now, quick! Get up, before we lose our chance to escape."

Char understood. Spurn Orbs contained spells designed to tap into the spatial anomaly of a Mystery Dungeon, causing sort of funnel which sucks in surrounding Pokémon and scatters them randomly about the same floor. The enemies were far from gone, and their safety was only momentary at best; it would only be a matter of time before the Pokémon would recover from confusion and find their way back to their nest room. In fact, he couldn't decide whether using the orb had been a good or a bad idea, as it simply filled the rest of the dungeon floor with the same countless crowds of Pokémon that had once been confined to the single room… but what was done was done, and now, survival was the first priority…

Char tried to stir, and felt as an Oran Berry was shoved in his face. He gobbled it up, and waited eagerly for his head to stop spinning and pounding. Ray also welcomed the berry that Saura fed him, and did his best to find his senses quickly.

The moment Char got back to his feet, there it was: the sound of Pokémon cries echoing through the halls. They were on the move, and they were _everywhere_…

When the group was finally ready to escape, they began their all-out rush back to the hallway to search for the stairs and to be rid of this awful, unfortunate floor…

…but it was not meant to be. After only a few paces back into the hall, they could tell that the wild Pokémon where there, fully recovered from confusion, and in an all-out stampede. There was no way to continue onward.

Panicked, the team retreated back to the nest room, and quickly checked for another way out of the room. There wasn't one.

That's when they realized… even after all that, they would have to fight. There wasn't any other way out of it.

The Pokémon were coming. Nothing was going to stop them this time. Char, Saura, and Ray stood before the nest room's entrance, waiting for them to arrive.

"You know," Ray said feebly, "remember when Scythe taught us that it's a lot easier to fight enemies when they're funneling down a hall, rather than when they're surrounding you? Well, at least we have that advantage…"

It was true; fighting enemies as they practically came single-file down a hallway was so much easier than fighting them out in the open… but somehow, now that they were about to be faced with an entire wave, the tactical advantage didn't seem all that… advantageous.

For the next few moments, the team stood in silence as they waited for the Pokémon to arrive. In less than a minute, they would be there… Char could feel his heart pounding harder than ever before, anticipating, in horror, the hopeless and brutal scene which was undoubtedly about to play out.

"Char, I need to know something," Saura said, breaking the silence. "Before this happens, I just want to know what our resolve is. Do you want us to use the Escape Orb when all seems lost, or… are we going to… fight to the very end? Whatever you say now… it will be the final word. I just need to know what you want us to do."

Char thought for a moment. He recalled all of Team Ember's previous missions. They'd failed missions before, even under the guide of Scythe… but never this badly. Char saw in retrospect that he'd decided upon a mission that he was in no position to take. Why? Why, he asked himself, did he agree to this mission? Was it because it sounded easy? Or was it because he let Ray talk him into it, in order to impress Scythe? Or was it just because he overestimated his strength, and the strength of his team? Or was it because he was afraid of underestimating their strength, and wanted it proven to him? Did he get caught up in Team Ember's hype? Their popularity? The way that other teams praised them as prodigies? Why, oh, why, did they pick such a mission as their first independent mission, the one mission they would always remember as their first opportunity to truly prove themselves?

Honestly, Char didn't know. But, in thinking about it, one thing became abundantly clear. He didn't know whether to call it courage or insanity, and he wasn't entirely sure it wasn't just his inner fire speaking for him, but he knew the answer to Saura's question.

"We fight," Char said solemnly, even though his voice was wavering with weakness and uncertainty. "If we fail, we learn what failure tastes like, and just how badly it hurts, so we can become stronger and take our risks that much more responsibly next time. But if we have a chance… just… whatever slightest chance we may have to get through this… if the legendary dragons were to smile upon us and grant us the power to win… If there's even one chance we'll someday be able to look back on this mission and not see a failure, but an incredible victory against all odds, or a story to tell… we can't turn it down."

"Well said," Ray replied. "I didn't expect anything less from you, Char. Since the moment I joined this team, that's exactly how I expected you to feel. This is **the** Team Ember, after all! Well, whatever happens, I'll be right here, fighting at your side, until I can't fight anymore!"

"Then, it's decided," Saura said. "No using the orb. This isn't over until all three of us pass and get expelled from the dungeon. Whatever happens… we fight to the end!"

"To the end!" Ray cheered. "To the end! To the very end! We fight!"

"The fire will never die," Char said to himself, breaking a weak little smile, "until the last ember fades."

Char knew that Team Ember finally found its mantra. Just saying the words for the first time sparked something powerful inside of him, just like it had the first time he heard Team Remorse collectively proclaim why they rise each morning. It was a purpose, a phrase he could live by. He knew, now, what he wanted the team to stand for: they were united by a burning passion for victory, and they were in it together, no matter the cost… and it would not be over until it's over.

The grunting and grumbling of an agitated Onix sounded from down the hall. Char didn't see anything yet, but he could tell that the final moments were upon him.

"We… have to use _everything_," Char realized. "Now's the time. All the orbs… All the tricks we have … If we want to have a chance, we've got to use them all _now_!"

Ray dug into the bag. He produced the one they'd been waiting to use, the Rain Orb, and activated it. Immediately, a dark blanket of clouds formed just beneath the cave's ceiling… which soon produced a moderate drizzle. It was a truly impossible to sight to see a rainstorm inside of a cave, but the power of the orb could not be questioned. Even though it would weaken Char's power, it caused a great advantage over all the rock Pokémon, who were damaged by water, as well as gave Ray an opportunity to summon lightning bolts from the storm itself, his most powerful technique. Char did not welcome being covered in rain, but his tail fire was now burning so brightly that he felt barely any pain from it.

Next came another orb: the Evasion Orb, the first one they found in the cave. It would only work for one user, so Ray decided to give it to Char to compensate for having to bear the rainstorm. He used it, and he felt his reflexive instincts rise to a level he never thought possible.

Finally, Ray distributed the remaining supplies to everyone else: He gave the two silver spikes to Char, the Cross-Eye Seed to Saura, and he held the One-Shot Orb for himself. Then, he tossed the bag into the farthest corner of the room, and waited with his teammates in a moment of burning tension for the attack to begin.

The first wave came: One Onix, two Graveler, and four Aron. Char got up close to the Onix and blasted fire in its face. Whenever it tried to strike back, it seemed to Char that he could see the attacks several seconds before they actually happened, and was able to nimbly leap out of harm's way each time. Eventually, he found that he could use the spikes he held as slashing weapons, and that they were especially effective for damaging the beast. Brandishing the spikes like metallic claws, he managed to leap onto the rock snake's back and repeatedly thrust the spikes into one of its body segments until the rocky skin was pierced in multiple places and the weird black blood oozed out. After taking enough injury, the Onix crashed to the ground. Char was the victor.

Flashes of lightning illuminated the intense battle as Ray summoned the power of the thunderstorm, targeting the Aron and electrocuting many of them at once. They swarmed forth like rabid dogs, but they fell like flies to Ray's attacks, and he was able to cull the flow before they got any closer to him or his teammates.

Saura focused on the Graveler, assaulting them with a barrage of bullet seeds. When they were sufficiently damaged, he stepped back to prepare an energy ball. In the confusion of the battle, the Graveler were distracted and didn't seem to notice Saura much, giving him plenty of time to cultivate the ball to its maximum size, take aim, and release at the nearest one. When the attack connected, a shower of dust and rock shards exploded from the Graveler's side, knocking it out. The second one, he realized, was preparing a truly devastating attack—to self-destruct in protection of his home—so he cried for help, and Char pounced on it to drive the metal spikes into its body. Char figured that he'd struck a weak point, because as soon as the spikes were plunged in, the Graveler's eyes rolled into its head and it fainted, falling onto its side and settling motionlessly against its arms and legs. To Char's disappointment, he could only recover one of his spikes, the other was hopelessly wedged in.

When the last of the enemies fell, the team stopped to catch their breaths and to gaze upon the pile of defeated Pokémon which surrounded them. They gave a wholehearted and triumphant cheer, truly impressed with their own strength.

The next group came, composed of several Rhyhorn, Many more Aron, and two Onix. Ray began the attack on the Aron, only to find that the bolts of lightning he created diverged from their paths and were drawn harmlessly to the Rhyhorn. Cursing the existence of the biological lightning rods, he focused power into his tail to attack them physically. Running past the sea of Pokémon and barely dodging their attacks, Ray unleashed the Iron Tail technique upon it, missing his target but slashing deep into its face and mortally damaging it. On another one, he unleashed the power of the One-Shot Orb, causing its consciousness to leave immediately. On another he charged his tail once more and attacked, this time connecting perfectly and lopping off the beast's horn, disabling its bothersome ability. He repeated the process twice more with the remaining Rhyhorn, not resting until he could make his electric attacks work again, but taking considerable damage as he rushed through the sea of attackers to single out his targets.

Between batting away the pesky Aron with his vines, Saura rapidly launched his leaves at the nearest Onix which pierced the sides of its rocky flesh in many places. The snake took notice of him and descended to attack, But Char jumped in the way. He leapt onto the beast's head and plunged his spike between its eyes. The snake thrashed about for a few moments before collapsing onto the pile of beaten Pokémon and becoming part of it. Char retrieved his weapon, shuddering as he found it covered in the thick, oily substance…

Char turned to the second Onix, taking aim with the spike to attempt the same trick. However, when the Onix loomed near, Char was suddenly struck in the face by an angry Aron and tackled to the ground. Saura rushed into help, tossing the Cross-Eye Seed at the Onix to destroy its sense of vision. He grappled at the rock snake's head with his vines to pull it close, then launched an energy ball point-blank into its face. It couldn't recover, and slumped down.

Soon, after Ray had succeeded in his efforts to destroy the Rhyhorn, lightning once again rippled through the sky and brought a quick finish to the rest of the Pokémon that were not resistant to it. Before they knew it, there was another moment of silence when the second wave had been finished off.

The team gave another heartfelt cheer at their accomplishment, but a weary one. They could feel their energy getting drained as they repeatedly used their most powerful attacks, and their wounds were getting quite numerous as more and more wild Pokémon successfully connected attacks with them. But the rain continued to fall, and Char still felt the full effects of the Orb he'd cast on himself, and many of the attackers were still heavily damaged from the earthquakes earlier—Team Ember still had plenty of fight left in them.

But then, the third wave arrived, and it was much more than they were prepared for.

A fully-grown Rhydon, A rather large Onix, several Graveler, an entire swarm Geodude and Aron, of Golbat and Zubat…

And that's when the floodgates broke. The team found themselves having to fall back, letting the Pokémon trample over the pile of fallen foes and pour into the room. That's when Char realized that they were probably not going to win a third time.

Char charged at the Rhydon with his spike, but soon found himself in awe of how massive the beast was! It swept its tail forward, which Char easily jumped over, then bent down to swipe at Char with its claws. Char jumped onto its face and prepared to finish it with the spike, but the beast lurched and threw Char all the way across the room. He hit the ground hard and skidded across the wet rock floor, stopping when he collided with a large stalagmite near the corner of the room. A _clang_ resounded as his spike hit the floor a few feet away.

… As he lay there, he felt strange, like he was falling out of reality...

...He was blacking out.

_No, no, no!_ Char said to himself, feeling his senses fading. _I'm not finished! I can't fall asleep now. No… no…_

Char knew that his limit was drawing near. The battle that raged on the other side of the room seemed so distant, as if it was in another reality, or a memory. Char could barely feel his own body… He couldn't feel the rain hitting his face, or his tail… He winced wildly, fighting the urge to succumb to weariness…

After a while, Char had the horrible realization that he didn't have the slightest idea how long he'd been laying there.

_They need me,_ Char told himself. _I need to fight. I need to… get up! They can't do this without me! _

Taking no time to recover his spike, he pulled himself up and dashed on all fours back to the front line.

But when he got there, he found that the wild Pokémon had all settled down.

…Saura and Ray were nowhere to be found.

Pure dread washed Char. He didn't waste a moment wondering what happened; he knew. While he was down, both of his friends had been defeated. They'd taken too much damage and gotten expelled from the dungeon, leaving Char completely alone with the army of enemy Pokémon.

"Orr?"

The Onix grunted in surprise as turned to Char, noticing that the intruders hadn't been completely eradicated. It scowled and assumed its battle stance once more, and the rest of the Pokémon congregation did the same.

_This isn't even possible…_

Char gazed upon his enemies. They filled the room, outnumbering him almost fifty-to-one. He was faced with dozens of Aron who'd been feasting upon their dead comrades, dozens of Golbat that lined the ceiling and stared at him, Several Graveler that stared back with their evil gaze… and, in front of them all, one giant Onix that loomed above them all, like some kind of leader or commander. The rock Pokémon waited and watched the little Charmander for a move that could provoke them…

_I'm not going to win this battle…_

Char felt very sick to his stomach. He'd never been faced with such overwhelming odds before. He was so little, and weak, and they were so numerous… And he was so hungry, and tired… For the first time, he noticed the stinging of the rain against his flame.

_But… we promised to fight… Ray and Saura fought until the end… and now, it's my turn…_

And then, Char felt something truly incredible. A sort of euphoria overtook him, igniting his fire and bringing it to a full-bodied blaze. A brilliant white light filled the room as Char's flame grew to a marvelous size. Char felt all his pain and discomfort fading away. His dizziness, his hunger, and the feel of the rain were all drowned out, leaving him with only the burning feeling.

_When a Charmander is faced with its final moments_, Domo had told him once in a training session, _it will experience a sort of second wind, re-igniting its Ember and giving its fire unprecedented power. When you find that your energy is no more, when there is no longer fuel for your fire, you will start to use your very life force as fuel. It is during this time that you can reach your full potential as a Pokémon, able to overcome impossible challenges and insurmountable tasks…_

Char clenched his fists. Even his fear was fading away now, giving way to the passion that engulfed him.

_Once you feel the blaze of your second wind, _he remembered Domo saying, _don't hold it back! Let it all out, for it is your last hope for survival, and you might be impressed at just what it can do… Just let yourself go, and let Moltres take control!_

Char couldn't really remember what happened next. He attacked, and it was like a fire spirit was taking over his body and discharging power he could not comprehend. Still under the effects of the Evasion Orb, he could dodge nearly every attack that came at him, and retaliated with incredible streams of fire. Every Aron that got close to him was burned. Every bat that got too close was singed out of the air. The Onix became infuriated as Char easily danced around his efforts to attack while spitting red-hot embers into its eyes.

As much as Char tried, he couldn't stand his ground. The Pokémon flooded in, pushing him farther and farther back towards the corner. But he kept dodging, and attacking, and dodging some more, not able to count all the Pokémon that fell… but the wave just kept coming.

_The bag!_

At the sudden realization, Char began an immediate retreat, lunging for the back of the room. It seemed to baffle the attacking Pokémon, and they approached a little more slowly, giving Char some extra time to gather himself…

He spotted the bag and dove into it. An Apple. The Escape Orb. No, no… that's not what he wanted…

He pulled out the strange Orb that he'd found in the same room. The "Spellcaster of One-Room". He hadn't the slightest idea what it did, but if it was something at all useful, he needed it now more than ever!

_Activate!_ He cried to it with his mind.

As the Orb cracked and discharged its power, Char started to feel the very last thing he wanted to feel: an earthquake. Up and down, side-to-side, the ground shook violently. Char grabbed the bag and held on as tight as he could to the nearest stalagmite, still not knowing what to expect from the Orb's power…

To his amazement, Char watched as the walls of the room simply crumbled away, revealing the halls and corridors beyond the room. And those walls, too, were also soon destroyed, revealing even more corridors and halls. The walls seemed to unnaturally collapse in on itself, leaving an impossibly small amount of rubble behind… The chain-reaction continued until char found himself standing in a flat sea of darkness, surrounded only by the circle of light from his tail, and the faraway noise of collapsing rocks as the spell continued to work, and, of course, the gentle sound of the rain…

_That's it!_ Char realized. _One-Room… it turns the entire dungeon floor into one room! Yes! That's exactly what I needed! Now I can keep going! I can win! I don't believe this. I was right! We really did have a chance. Dialga and Palkia must really be smiling on us!_

He hefted the bag onto his shoulder and made a mad dash away from the angry crowd of Pokémon. They were still very numerous and scattered all around the dungeon floor, but with no obstacles in the way, Char found it so easy to avoid them. Now, all he had to do… was find the stairs…

And he soon found them. They were at the very, very corner of the entire dungeon floor. There was just one problem.

Coiled around entrance to the stairwell, guarding it, was a rock snake more massive than any he'd ever seen before.

It was not an Onix. No, instead of having a rough gray hide, this one had a shining silver sheen. Its jaws mouth was many times bigger and filled with a large row of teeth… almost like a dragon's…

And when it spotted the tiny little fire-lizard, its evil eyes betrayed its resolve:

_You will not get past me!_

Char knew he had to defeat it if he wished to get past it. He could see in its eyes that it would not have things any other way.

Char dug into the bag one last time. He grasped the last useful thing he had, the remaining Oran Berry, and started to pull it out… But he realized that, if he ate it, his firepower would return to normal, giving him no chance whatsoever against the Steelix…

So, with a determined sigh, he tossed the bag aside and turned to the monster.

It was steel. Fire could melt steel. And he had fire. He had a chance.

Char focused his fire on the beast's face, deducing that it was the best weak point. He saw, though, that the rain did not seem to be bothering the Steelix as much as it did the other Pokémon, and was only helping to dowse his own fire attacks.

The Steelix responded by sounding a high-pitched screech and uncoiling itself, aiming its long, spiked tail at Char's position. Seeing the attack coming, he rolled out of the way, just to have the tail smash the ground beside him, barely missing his feet. Char somersaulted out of the tail's reach before it could glance him with a sweeping blow.

Seeing Char out of range, but not wanting to back away from the stairs in which it guarded, the Steelix reared its head into the air and roared, releasing a bright beam of light from its mouth. Char wondered if it was a Hyper Beam, and took special care not to get hit by it. He came in closer, prompting the Steelix to cease the attack and to try again with its tail. Like a giant mace, it snaked forward and tried to bludgeon Char's entire body…

But as the Steelix jerked its tail forward, it lowered its head and gave Char just the opportunity he was waiting for. He leapt over the tail as it passed underneath him and caught the ridges on the monster's face, quickly climbing out of the reach of its toothy mouth.

And he bit down as hard as he could.

The Steelix thrashed violently, slamming its head against the wall and trying to knock Char off. It roared in fury, working its tail up near its head to try to remove Char, but it couldn't quite reach, or it couldn't think of a way to unhinge the Charmander from its forehead without also hurting itself. It proceeded to uncoil itself and bash Char against the ceiling, then shake violently in hopes of throwing him off.

Through it all, Char's jaws held on.

He could feel, underneath his tongue, the steel starting to melt. He could see as the red-hot glow started to creep from underneath his maw…

The world seemed to turn in all directions as the Steelix contorted itself in unbelievable ways. It managed to squeeze Char between a segment of its tail to rip him out of place, but Char held on. It took huge bites of rock out of the wall and slammed its head into the craters, but Char held on. It whined and wailed as its faceplate actually began to melt, repeatedly slamming itself against the floor and shaking the cave with earthquakes, but Char, with all his strength, held on. His blazing Ember drove him.

Finally, when the metal between his teeth became too soft to grasp, when his face was practically smeared with molten steel, Char let go.

…And the Steelix crashed to the ground, unable to survive the impalement.

Char was thrown off and finally fell back to the floor. The battle was over, but he didn't feel all too well himself. After everything the Steelix had done to him, he felt like one living bruise…

_I defeated a Steelix… with my bare hands…_

An odd sensation came over him. He felt dizzy and lightheaded, but somehow, it felt… pleasant…

_I don't believe it… I can't believe how powerful I am… I defeated… a Steelix…_

Char stumbled around, his vision spinning wildly before him. His whole body tingled and responded strangely to his commands.

_Why… do I feel like this? What's happening to me?_

Char tried to keep walking, wondering about this new sensation that was overtaking him as his surge of fire was dying down. He welcomed it, wanting it to intensify…

_No, it can't be! I… I must be… evolving!_

A gleeful smile formed over Char's face as he looked down at himself.

_Finally, I've exerted my strength, and I'm going to be a Charmeleon! I'm… so happy…!_

Char's next step didn't connect with the floor. He slumped down onto his face, unconscious. Of course, he hadn't been evolving at all; he'd passed out from hunger.

* * *

**Iron Outskirts**

Blurry…

Muffled voices…

Light… it was light…

Hunger…

Pain…

Char began to stir, not having the slightest clue where he was. He deduced that he was lying on his back, and that he was outside. He was soaking wet, covered with sweat. No, not sweat, but the rain from the cave. A blurry blob entered his line of sight, and it took him a moment before he recognized it as Saura.

"He's waking up," Saura said.

"Finally," Ray said from somewhere else.

"Char, how do you feel?" Saura asked gently.

Unable to speak quite yet, Char simply shook his head. He felt a little better than before, but not by much.

"Ray is looking for food," Saura told him. There was a distinct sadness in his voice. "As soon as we are ready, we'll… head back to the base."

"We… lost…" Char struggled to say.

Saura nodded. Even Char could see that he was holding back tears. Yes, the dungeon had overpowered them. They had not succeeded on their mission to save the Furret. They had quite a story to tell Scythe and the others, but it wasn't one with a happy ending. Char just sighed and rested his body, watching the dark storm clouds in the sky shift by, reflecting upon the monumental effort he'd just given, and feeling proud of it, in a way. They did exactly what they promised to do—they fought until the end. For better or for worse, they fought until the end.

It had been a victorious defeat.

Of course, the bag had been left behind in the cave, so the team had no food or supplies at all. Ray searched around and found some odd little twig-shrubs growing among the gravel and bearing tiny blue berries. After Saura confirmed that they were not poisonous, Char filled his aching belly with them and eventually regained enough energy to stand. About half an hour later, after his body had regenerated enough, and after his team had taken one last look at the dungeon entrance, Char hung his head and took his leave with his team, heading back to the road to begin their journey home.

…But then…

"Hey! Hey! Come back!"

When they were just a few paces away from the dungeon entrance, a voice cried out. It was coming from the cave.

Surprised, Char turned… and could not believe his eyes.

A little brown Furret, in a state of absolute joy, bounded out of the entrance of the Iron Crevice. Tears of happiness flooded from its eyes as it rapidly approached Char's team. There was no doubt in Char's mind: this was the Furret they had been tasked to rescue. And now, it seemed, after all their effort, it had simply rescued itself…?

"Hey! You! Come back!" it said again, running closer.

"Not possible," Saura said, shaking his staring blankly at it. "If that's the Furret… the one we were looking for…"

In a state of speechlessness, the team allowed the Furret to approach them. Once it did, it jumped for joy in their faces and ceaselessly uttered words of thanks.

"You were in the cave, just now, right?" It asked, standing on its back legs and bowing before Char. "You were the ones who were exploring the cave?"

"Yes, that was us…" Saura managed to say.

"Well, you have my greatest, deepest thanks! Indeed, indeed! Yes! I had given up all hope, every last ounce! But now you're here, and I'm free! I don't know who you are, but I owe you everything!"

"Um…" Char said meekly. "What… happened to you? I'm a little confused…"

"Well, you see, I was out late last night," the Furret explained. "But it got really dark, and I was too far away from Iron Town, so I hid in a cave. But the cave was a Mystery Dungeon, so I got trapped there, and I hid in the shadows for my life, hoping that my friends would notice my disappearance and report me missing. But nobody came… I waited for hours, but nobody came… Well, at least it felt like it was hours, it's a little hard to tell how time passes in those dungeons, anyway."

"Yeah, but how did you get out just now?" Saura asked. "Why are you thanking us? The dungeon wiped us out!"

"Well, you see," it explained, "I was getting really hungry, so I started searching the floor for food. Rotten old berries, gummies, _anything_… And then, I found something that wasn't there before! A bag! And the bag had food in it! And not only that, but there was an Escape Orb in there, too!"

Char felt his jaw drop. It just couldn't be possible. Could the legendary dragons possibly favor him any more?

"I'd searched the floor dozens of times before, but it had just appeared there, so the only explanation is that you guys left it behind and it somehow got sent to me. So, you're the ones who saved my life!"

The Furret suddenly lunged forward and gave Char a hug.

Char was unable to say anything as he returned the sudden embrace. He held the Furret tight as it trembled from pure relief and joy, while he himself could only stare blankly at the cave entrance.


	28. Chapter 25: Return Home

**Chapter 25**

**Route 325**

It was a little after midday as Team Ember began the trek back home, the overjoyed Furret in tow.

Broken blankets of dark clouds still spread across the sky, but the rain no longer fell. The sun now found plenty of places to shine through, shedding rays of light onto the drenched landscape and making it sparkle. The ground had become a sea of mud covered in standing puddles, the wet gravel road forming an endless bridge through it and into the horizon. The morning storm had finally passed, and it was looking to become another warm and gorgeous spring day.

Char still wasn't feeling too well as he walked. He felt like half the muscles in his body had been pulled, and the other half paralyzed. The mission had been won and the day's work was over, but he was in no mood for celebration; nothing pleased him more than the thought of getting back to base, plopping himself down somewhere, and endlessly stuffing himself with food until he'd fall asleep. He figured that a visit to the doctor was probably in order as well; he had, after all, just come closer to death than ever before, evidenced by the brand new experience he'd felt of having his body activate its last-resort response. Surely Dr. Orde owned plenty of advanced regeneratives that could help him heal and make him feel better in no time, ready to attack the world anew the very next morning. But, for now, he took the road one step at a time and tried to find comfort in chatting with his companions.

To pass the time, Char exchanged stories with his teammates. Saura explained that he'd caught sight of Char's brutal encounter with the Rhydon, and in his distraction had gotten nearly smashed by a Graveler. He described how, in the last moments before the end, he'd also felt the final surge of power to give his all; that his body was growing so fast that he barely had time to release all his attacks, and that he was able to even produce and control six vines at once, something that he'd never been able to do before. But, it wasn't enough to save him, and the vicious little Aron eventually ganged up on him and finished him. Ray, left alone on the front line, met his end soon after. They knew they were finished when they awoke in the "real" dimension, and together, they waited around in the cave for Char. They knew they couldn't stay forever, or else they'd just be assimilated back into the dungeon and become just as lost and helpless as the Furret. But they stayed as long as they could, and sure enough, Char eventually materialized, beaten up and unconscious. He was easy to pinpoint, as usual, due to being the only source of light in the entire room, and Saura and Ray carried him out of the cave.

Char, of course, had a much more monumental story to tell, and had to assure his friends that he hadn't just dreamed it up—he could still feel the lump on his head from where the Steelix had repeatedly slammed him into the ceiling. Once he convinced them, they were quite impressed, and gave him a hearty showering of praise for his victory.

But in the end, it didn't really matter how Team Ember had gotten thrown out of the cursed cave; the mission was behind them, and it was time to look forward.

"So…" Saura whispered, trying to be discreet around the Furret, "I can't decide. Did we succeed, or did we fail?"

"We won," Ray said. "We accomplished the objective, right? If it wasn't for us, that Furret would still be trapped in there. We saved it. That's exactly what the objectives said. We got lucky, but we still did it. We get to report the victory and get our reward."

"Well, yeah," Saura said. "But…"

"Both," Char suddenly spoke up, his voice betraying his pain. "It was both. It was a win and a loss at the same time. We've got to learn from this… Now we know how weak we are in places like that. We've got to train… and get some better supplies… maybe even a new member…"

Char looked back to the Furret. It was a polite little creature, hanging back a ways to let the team converse in private. But its smile never faltered, and it seemed content to just gaze at the rocky wasteland through which they walked as if it was some sort of gorgeous natural wonder. Char knew that the creature had given up all hope of seeing the outside world again, and just watching the sunlight gleam off the murky puddles was a glorious sight for its little eyes.

"Hey, Furret," Char called to it, causing it to jump to attention. "Who are you, anyway? What's your name?"

It wasted no time in bounding forward, closing the distance between itself and the team.

"My friends call me Fern," it said, a little nervously. "I'm… Well, I'm nobody special, really. I was the only daughter in a family of twelve, so I came to Iron Town to get away from my brothers, and it took me three years to earn a feral-shard. There really isn't much to do around here, you know, if you're not a student at the academy. Just work, work, work… I have some friends around town, and we like to eat at the gardens sometimes, or go swimming , but… yeah. That's me."

Char shrugged. He hadn't asked for the creature's life story, only her name, but he wasn't going to sound rude and cut her off. This was obviously the most eventful thing that had happened to her in years, he figured he'd let her ramble and enjoy herself.

"Oh, come on, there must be _something_ special about you!" Saura laughed. "Don't sound all depressed!"

"No, no, really, it's true," Fern said. "I don't have much in the way of hopes or dreams. Never felt much like starting a family… Never got interested in battling, or training, or exploring… My only real desire is to wake up each day and see the morning sun one more time… and maybe contribute a little bit of work to society along the way… I'm not going to lie to you, my heroes, but I'm about as boring as Pokémon come!"

It took Char off-guard a little bit to hear her answer. A Pokémon without hopes and dreams? Was she really content with just dwelling in some house or burrow day after day, never striving for something great? From the day he first awoke in the Gravelrock Tunnel, Char found himself constantly surrounded by Pokémon who shared a powerful sense of purpose, and rose from their sleep every day to further themselves toward it. Were the Pokémon who lived among the civilizations of Ambera different from the inhabitants of the Gold Division? Were they all such stagnant souls with nothing to do? Or was it just his humanity speaking within him again, unable to acknowledge that Pokémon didn't need the same ultimate desires for fulfillment or greatness that he always did?

"You only have one life to live," Char said. "You can't tell me that you'd just let it waste away without making something of it. When you close your eyes at night to sleep, do you ever dream about anything? Have you ever dreamt about having some sort of power that you could only yearn for? Or doing things you wished you could do? Or do you see people in your dreams you wish you could meet? Or maybe places that you could see?"

Fern smiled oddly, a little surprised at the questions. "Well, I think _everybody_ dreams about flying," she laughed. "But I don't fret over it. Furret can't fly. All we do is stand around and feel jealous of all the Charmander!"

Char frowned, not at the horrible joke, but because the Furret still didn't seem to reveal any further depth to her character. Maybe it was just because of his pain and frustration, but he couldn't accept the thought of a sentient creature living such a shallow existence.

"Well, now that I think about it, maybe there are some things I'd like to do before I die," she said thoughtfully. "I've always wanted to meet a legendary Pokémon and ask them what it's like to be so powerful. Yeah, silly, I know. How many times does _that_ happen? Pokémon spend their entire lives searching for Lugia and Ho-Oh and never even come close to catching a glimpse of them. But since you asked, I suppose that's been a little fancy of mine for as long as I can remember."

"Why don't you?" Char insisted. "Search for them, I mean? If your dream is to see Lugia or Ho-Oh, why don't you start on a journey to find them?"

"Eh, I suppose because it's dangerous," Fern shrugged. "If I stay here in a wealthy city, I know I can live out a good long life, and that's what I want more than anything else. Even coming here from the meadow, I had a few close calls. Traveling is dangerous, you know. Wild Pokémon aren't always safe to be around. And then there's the Master to worry about… never know what he's going to do next, and don't really want to be there to find out. I don't think it's all worth it just for a chance to satisfy some silly little whim."

Char closed his mouth tight, afraid that he'd lose control and start spewing impolite words. _You say that now,_ Char said to himself, _but I think you'd change your mind if you were standing face-to-face with Lugia. I can't believe you! You can't just live without a purpose! Settling for just the simple pleasures in life is called being simple-minded! Do you enjoy being simple-minded, Fern?_

"Char, are you okay?" Saura whispered in a concerned tone, noticing his flaring tail flame. "She's not bothering you, is she?"

"Nah, not really," Char sighed back. "It's not her. It's just—"

Char's expression changed as he suddenly realized something. Like most of the Pokémon he'd met, Fern said she felt threatened by the presence of the Master. Perhaps… this was the ultimate reason she ignored any dreams she might have felt, writing them off as silly and impractical?

_How many Pokémon like this have been robbed of their dreams because of the Master?_ Char wondered. _How many Pokémon live trapped in their cities for survival like this, afraid to live life the way it was meant to be lived?_

"…Just what, Char?" Saura insisted, still eying the flame.

"I just want to get home and rest, that's all," Char said. "It's been a long morning."

"Hey, but enough about me," Fern said. "You're the interesting Pokémon! Who are you, if I can ask?"

As Scythe had since taught them, it was best not to talk too much about the Division. Even saying your name could be pushing it, as it could give the Master's agents something to keep track of.

"Just Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Raichu," Char lied. "We don't really have names."

"Oh, I see," Fern said. "You know, until now, I didn't know that Charmander still lived in Ambera! I thought you all left a long time ago to go live in the human countries. So… are you guys all part of some kind of club? Maybe a rescue force or something?"

"We do this for a living, yeah," Char said. "But… it's a secret. We can't talk about it."

"Wow, a secret club!" Fern said. "I bet that's really exciting!"

"You're right about that," Ray laughed. "It really is!"

The rest of the walk was uneventful. Fern fell mostly silent after she learned that her heroes were members of a secret organization and couldn't afford to reveal too much about themselves. Through it all, something about her still deeply bothered Char; although she clearly appreciated the rescue, she was quiet, content, and unquestioning. She was _resigned_ to her life, and truly had no regrets about anything. Char knew that he was probably just looking at it irrationally and it was probably normal for Pokémon to accept their place in life, but something… _Something_ within him disagreed with her.

Of course, he realized, that's why he was on a Resistance Team in the first place: the state of Ambera was unacceptable to him, and the best way to change it would be to defeat the Master.

… … …

After quite a long walk, they finally arrived to Iron Town, an active truly impressive stronghold that spanned miles and easily outweighed the Silver Division in terms of population by at least twofold. The vast Pokémon dwelling was probably the most human-like city Char had ever seen in all of Ambera; buildings and structures were all composed of the area's most abundant natural resources—metals—and, despite their odd shapes and architecture at times, rose high above Char's head like miniature skyscrapers. The sight of the city always made Char happy somehow, sparking faint reminders of his humanity.

Fern lead the team through the network of paved gray roads, and they soon arrived at her house. It turned out to be a little, discreet building among a spaced-out neighborhood near the edge of town. The foundation and pillars of the house were made of some kind of metal, and cemented to them were walls made from the same material as the roads, a blindingly white stone that almost resembled sandstone, sparkling to the eye from every direction.

"Wait here!" Fern said before scurrying into the house. "I'll be right back! I really need to give you and your secret club a reward for what you've done."

Char had long since stopped exciting himself over most of the rewards given by the clients themselves; They rarely amounted to more than a hundred Poké, or maybe an odd possession or article of clothing every now and then. Most Pokémon of Ambera didn't really have much in the way of possessions, or at least that's what it seemed to him by the jobs from the training list he'd taken; he figured that he would probably start to see greater rewards when Team Ember became ready for the more high-priority jobs, but for now, he'd have to rely on the reimbursement set by the Division itself… something like two thousand Poké for this particular job.

That's why Char didn't quite expect it when he saw the Furret struggling to drag a huge, stuffed bag from her home.

"Here!" she declared. "It's all yours! Take it back to your wonderful club with you and keep up the good work!"

With one final yank, she plunked the large bag directly in front of Char. It was filled with coins.

It didn't take a psychic to tell what kind of a reward the Furret was offering them—it was her life's savings.

Team Ember didn't quite know what to say.

"No, really! It's yours!" Fern insisted, nudging the bag a little. "If it can help you save the lives of Pokémon, then it belongs to you! Arceus knows _I_ don't need it. If I hadn't been rescued today, I wouldn't have had much use for it anyway, would I?"

"Listen... Fern," Saura said politely. "Our organization pays us for the jobs we do. We know you're grateful to us, and we thank you for your generosity, but we can't accept this."

"If you really don't care about doing anything with your life, why did we even bother rescuing you?" Char blurted.

Char bit his lip, wishing he could recall the harsh words that had escaped his mouth. He saw immediately that his words had hurt her. He also saw the shocked glances that his teammates cast him, which made him feel like burrowing deep into a hole and hiding from the world. He knew he wasn't in a polite mood; why, oh, why didn't he just let Saura speak for him? He was in no position to say something like that in the first place; Team Ember hadn't even rescued her by conventional means, by proving their skill or strength, but by complete luck. Her rescue was an accident.

"I'm sorry," Char said humbly after a moment of burning silence. "I didn't mean what I said."

At that, Char bent down and accepted a very small handful of coins from the bag, amounting to about fifty Poké. He knew that he hurt her feelings, but the least he could do was not completely reject her heartfelt gratitude. He clutched the coins in his claws and forced a weak smile onto his face, returning a polite nod to the Furret.

"Thank you," he said softly. "This will be enough."

Fern didn't reply, but managed to nod back in acknowledgement.

"We should get going," Saura said to both Fern and the rest of his team. "We're happy we could help."

And so, Team Ember began their final walk back down the road toward the academy in a sort of contemplative silence. Saura and Ray didn't bother to bring up Char's outburst; they all knew that it had been a long morning, a morning that finally needed to end...

However, when they were halfway out of the neighborhood, a familiar voice called to them.

"Hey! Wait! Come back!"

Char knew the voice belonged to Fern, but couldn't imagine what she wanted now. He'd just insulted her; why would she want anything to do with him now? He turned around and saw her approaching fast, gasping for air as she caught up with them as fast as her little legs could carry her.

"Fern!" Saura said in surprise. "Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"You're right," Fern gasped, grinding her dash to a halt right before Char. "I didn't want you to go away and think that you hurt me, because you're right about everything, Charmander. I'm selfish, and rude, and there's nothing for me here in Iron Town. I always knew that. I just… always… thought that… I mean, you're right. I should be doing something with my life. I owe it to you after what you did today. I just… never gave any serious thoughts to anything… I was happy here…"

Char noticed a pause in her speech and was about to respond, when she cut him off.

"Listen, Charmander, Bulbasaur, Raichu… There really isn't anything for me here in Iron Town. Could I… come with you?"

Char was absolutely floored. She wanted to… join them? He'd only said a few words to her, and now she was driven to change the direction of her life?

Incredulously, Char glanced at his friends. Their faces had both lit up. He didn't even have to ask them; he knew they both approved of the idea.

But Char had to think about it for a second. There were rules to the way recruitment worked in the Division. Resistance Teams were strictly forbidden from bringing civilians into the base with them, unless they were refugees who were under real and imminent danger from the Master, or unless there would be specific plans to induct the new member onto the team. He could not simply send Fern off to join Team Stripes, as that was against the rules; Fern would need to join Team Ember.

"I heard you talking earlier," Fern admitted. "I thought I heard you said you needed to find a new member. Maybe… that could be me? Could I be part of your secret rescue team? I'll… I'll be a fast learner, I promise! I always am!"

Char knew what he needed to do next: he needed to huddle with his team and discuss the matter. But, since he already knew precisely what his teammates would say, he figured he could skip that step this one time. Besides… he'd already made up his mind.

"No," Char said simply. "Sorry, Fern, but I don't think it would be the right job for you. I don't want to get you into something you'd regret."

"Oh…" Fern said, dashed. "It's okay. I… understand."

Saura and Ray were both equally surprised at the suddenness and bluntness of Char's response. Fern cast longing glances at them, as if expecting them to respond.

"Don't look at us," Saura told her. "He's the leader. He has the final say."

"Don't get me wrong, it's great that you're looking for something to do," Char told her, "But what you need to find is a life's dream, not a moment's impulse. Besides, our job is not the kind of job you can back out of once you commit. If you join us, you're stuck there for a very, very long time, and before you know it, you'll probably be yearning for your old boring life here in Iron Town. You want my advice? You've got lots of money and you live in a big city. Form a team and go chase the legendaries."

Char really couldn't tell if she was taking his suggestion to heart or just disregarding it, but she politely bowed to him one last time, said her final thanks and goodbyes, and scampered back off to her house.

And then, just like any other client, she was gone, out of sight and mind.

"You know, Char, that was actually a _very_ good decision," Saura admitted as they left the city. "I didn't even think about things like that. I was ready to welcome her to the team! But you're right. Now that I think about it, she wouldn't have fit on a Resistance Team at all."

"I guess that's why Char's the leader!" Ray said happily. "He knows these things by instinct! Just like Scythe!"

* * *

**Division Base**

When team Ember finally arrived to the academy, they checked in, recited the proper lines of the Creed to Slaking, and headed back to Team Remorse's quarters room to see if Scythe had returned for the day.

Upon knocking at the front door, they were greeted with a unanimous cry of relief.

"Finally!" he heard Markov the Feraligatr shout jubilantly from somewhere far behind the door. " They're here!"

"It's about time!" Raptor the Gabite grumbled. "Took them long enough. Any longer and I was getting ready to hunt them down myself."

_Huh?_ Char wondered, waiting for the door to open.

"I got it," Ursa said with his deep voice. "Stand back, want to give them some room."

The door slid open, and Char found himself faced with Ursa, Raptor, Markov, and Raon all crowding around the door and standing at eager attention…

…Only to see their smiles immediately fade.

"Oh, it's you," Ursa said. "Sorry, we thought you were Bellossom. We're all starving to death. Oh, and congrats on your first mission alone, hope that went well and all."

"Hey, we'll come in and be hungry with you, okay?" Ray said as they headed inside.

For the past month, Team Remorse had continuously demonstrated just why they were the most hardy and capable team in the entire division. Every single day, the team pulled double-time across several ongoing missions at once, most notably Basin Canyon and Red Haven. Although they'd formed a strong partnership with Team Absolution to help lighten the load, the whole idea was still completely insane to Char. Members of both teams were continually coming and leaving at all hours of the day and night, staying only to take a rest, eat, or to discuss plans with one another. A lot of times, they even stayed multiple days and nights at the destination; sometimes groups left with massive bags stuffed with supplies, only to come back an entire week later. It was always impossible for Char to tell who was going and returning and when, but Char figured that all he had to do was focus on his own team. Through it all, until the most recent mission, Scythe had always been at Team Ember's side to continue their training, even through the backbreaking effort he and his team gave.

And the effort was certainly taking its toll on Team Remorse. Char saw how every member of the team was gradually showing serious signs of strain, both physically and mentally. One thing that never wavered, though, was their confidence; they were _the_ Team Remorse, and they knew it. They would see the missions out until the end. They did not intend to fail. They did not make mistakes.

Char, Saura, and Ray lounged in Scythe's room, waiting lazily for Bellossom to deliver the food. Before the appearance of Adiel and the straining effort they gave in response, it was a service that Team Remorse had not abused; but now, they had requested a steady stream of four deliveries a day. Seeing how the team clearly deserved enough respect to not have to descend to the mess hall for every meal, the Division complied and sent them all the food they wanted. Although, Team Ember ended up getting themselves spoiled with the service.

Char wondered sometimes if Team Remorse was coming close to draining the Division's entire supply of Chesto Berries, as they devoured dozens of them many times per day in an effort to keep themselves awake and alert.

As Char lay sprawled on the rock floor, feeling his muscles throbbing back to life, he reflected upon the day's events, especially about Fern. What if she _had_ joined the team? While he was convinced that he made the right decision, and had no regrets about doing so, he couldn't help but imagine the polite, withdrawn little Furret on the team. As he pictured her going on adventures with Team Ember, it only made him feel more of the same way; not just because he didn't think she was up to the task, but also for another reason entirely…

_I don't even completely trust our third member yet,_ Char realized. _How would I handle a fourth? I'm not ready for another member, not until I can bring myself to trust Ray like I trust Saura. But… that still means I have to tell him I'm a human. How would he react? Would he think I'm crazy? Even if he did believe me like Saura did… would he take it well?_

Char's thoughts were interrupted by a sudden knocking at Scythe's door.

"Hey, Scythe, I need to talk to you," a voice said. "Got something to ask you."

Char recognized the voice as a member of Team Remorse, but couldn't quite place it. It was one of the members he hadn't been as thoroughly acquainted to. Realizing he was the closest one to the door, he groaned as he climbed to his feet to answer it.

"Uh, Scythe's not here," Char responded, pushing the door open. "It's just us…"

Char's eyes nearly popped out of his face when he saw what was standing at the door: it was a Pokémon that he'd never seen before in his life! It was a brown-furred, bipedal rodent, almost looking like—if there were such a thing—a male, middle-aged Kangaskhan. Its head had the distinct shape of a dragon's, but also somewhat resembled that of a mouse or a rabbit, with small, cup-shaped ears and a long, toothy snout.

"Oh, then, sorry to disturb," the unidentified Pokémon said. "I thought I heard Scythe come in, but I guess it was only you after all. When he gets here, tell him that I… what?"

Suddenly, the strange Pokémon's eyes widened, as if he just realized he'd forgotten something. He grasped at his face.

"Oh, lovely," it groaned. "Sorry about that. I didn't mean to startle you out of your wits. It's impolite of me."

"What… _are_ you?" Char blurted out, not yet making the connection.

"Oh, it's just Marrow," Ray said, also approaching the door, amused at the sight. "Hard to recognize without his helmet, isn't he?"

_Marrow?_ Char repeated to himself. _The... Marowak? But... he doesn't have his skull!_

"But… what… I mean…" Char babbled. "I thought…"

Marrow snickered. "Heheheh, yeah, I admit, I get this a lot when I forget I'm not wearing the thing," he laughed. "I'm really not supposed to show my face in public, but yeah, in case you're wondering, it's just a helmet. It's not _attached_ to my head. Although, some Marowak wear them for so long that they do actually get stuck in there, and can't take them off without breaking them apart. Not me, though. It gets really sticky in there, I like to clean it out once in a while."

Char still couldn't stop staring blankly at the unmasked creature, which combed its claw through the matted fur on its face as if to illustrate its point.

"I thought…" Char started to say absently. "I mean… is it… really… your… mother?"

Marrow rolled his eyes. "What are you, a human?" it scoffed lightheartedly. "Maybe there was _one_ Cubone in the _entire_ history of the known world that killed its mother and tore out her skull, or something, I honestly don't know, but it gave the rest of us a bad name, and all the humans started spreading ridiculous myths. I mean, I knew both my parents, I grew up with them, I had a happy childhood… I don't quite understand what the big deal is. Just because we like bones. Char, you like fire, right? Well, I like bones. It's just my nature. They're lightweight, durable, make good weapons… and if you polish them, they can get as hard as ivory. My helmet is actually a Charizard skull. Scythe gave it to me when I joined the team, beats me where he got it, probably sent for it from overseas or somewhere."

"… … …Oh." Char managed to say after trying to digest everything.

There was an awkward moment of silence. Marrow snickered once more, and Ray looked like he was about to burst out laughing.

"Well, I really should, you know, finish polishing this thing before I forget again," Marrow said, starting to walk away. "Tell Scythe I wanted to talk to him, a'ight?"

"Yes, sir!" Ray said cheerily.

"Oh, that reminds me," Marrow said, suddenly doubling back and lowering his voice. "You know Scythe's got a pretty big gift to give you, right? Hope you've got good news to tell him from today!"

Ray shut the door as soon as Marrow was gone, leaving Char staring blankly at the wall. _I just saw a Marowak's face!_ He realized. _Have I just witnessed one of the greatest mysteries of Pokémon-kind?_

"We had a Cubone on Team Stripes a while back," Ray said offhandedly, returning to his resting place. "That's how I recognized him, in case you're wondering. Though, I don't remember very much about that Cubone… except that he cried a lot, and we eventually let him go."

Thankfully, the food arrived soon enough. After fighting with Team Remorse over a tray of fruit and bread, Team Ember was rewarded with a filling lunch and a nice long rest for the remainder of the afternoon. The last thing to do was to wait for Scythe's return, so they could retell the day's events and possibly even find out what the big reward would be. But Team Ember didn't keep their hopes too high; depending on the work he had cut himself out, they knew it was very possible they wouldn't be seeing him again until the next morning.

… … …

That evening, Ray awoke from his nap. Having felt rested enough for the time being, he decided to leave the room and travel about the base. One thing that the team had completely forgotten about, ironically enough, was to record their victory at the registry. After he took care of that little technicality, he wandered around in search of other things he could get done while he was around.

He remembered something the team had discussed earlier that day, about better preparing themselves against wild rock Pokémon. He figured he could schedule another session with Domo, and ask him to teach them some new techniques to help them…

Ray was greeted by the sound of clashing blades as he pushed aside the curtain and entered the dojo.

Two Kabutops sparred in the center of the room, constantly yelling and conversing as they leapt around each other and lunged with their blades. They almost reminded him of watching Scythe's furious battles against his doppelganger, except with much less finesse and acrobatic skill than a Scyther match, and much more brute force and berserker techniques.

"YAAH! Nice try!"

"You were lucky!"

"There is no luck! Only skill! YAAAAH!"

"Your defense is faltering. You will not last much longer."

"Nonsense, I am only fooling your subconscious into thinking that I am weakening!"

"Your movements are so painfully obvious, you couldn't fool a rabbit into playing dead!"

"Perhaps not, but I could do THIS!"

"Your attacks are insulting to my intelligence. A blind Squirtle could defeat you."

"And a Cubone could defeat you! YAAH!"

"Oh! Excellent move!"

"Ah, it's all in the distraction, my brother!"

Ray waited for a few minutes, but the battle didn't show any signs of stopping. Eventually, he rolled his eyes and stepped forward.

"HEY!" He called to the combatants.

The two Kabutops froze stiff at the sound of Ray's voice, and for a second seemed like a pair of statues depicting an intense snapshot of the action.

"Um, yes, can we help you?" one of the Kabutops said, straightening up and addressing Ray.

"Uh… which one of you is Domo?" Ray asked. "I was watching you two fight, and I can't tell!"

"Oh, neither of us," the other Kabutops said. "Domo is actually not within this base at this moment. This morning, the base received word from a messenger of the Black Division that there's been a Registeel sighting down in the southern mountains, and Domo took off like a rocket."

"We can't blame you for not knowing about it yet," the first added. "It's going to be announced in the news post this evening."

"Hmm…" Ray said, disappointed. "Interesting. I guess we can't train, then… We were hoping to learn some new fighting techniques…"

"Well, we can't help you with that," the first Kabutops said. "Neither of us would have the slightest idea about the physical capacities of a Raichu such as yourself. But here's a tip: try going to Kecleon's and asking the Pink-colored brother for… Training Machines. He might be able to help you."

"Training Machines?" Ray repeated. "You mean, the human… things? We have them here?"

"Oh, of course," the Kabutops said. "Kecleon tries to keep them discreet, but yes, he's what you could call an expert on them. He can get you what you need."

"Whoa, no way," Ray said. "I had no idea. Well, thanks…"

Unfortunately, when Ray hurried over to Kecleon's market, the pink brother was nowhere to be seen, and the green brother refused to comment on his whereabouts. Not wanting to waste the trip, he took the opportunity to purchase some supplies and have them sent over to storage. As he was browsing the shop for the usual things, something caught his eye.

"Hey, Kecleon… are these for sale?"

"My boy, everything is for sale at the right price!" Kecleon answered, hurrying over. "What is it you have your eye on?"

The store was so cluttered and filled with merchandise that even after visiting time and time again, new surprises always waited… for today, just behind the enormous pile of Escape Orbs, Ray spotted a long pegboard filled with things that looked like long, gray nails. The items looked, somehow, strangely familiar.

"Ah, yes, the Silver Spikes!" Kecleon sang. "One of Iron Town's specialties. Each one is forged from pure steel from the caves of the Great Plateau. An especially popular item to use against those pesky Rock Pokémon, especially for those not naturally suited for fighting them. Your friend Char would fall under this category, yes?"

"Yes!" Ray said. "That's… awesome! I'll take them! I'll take… fifty!"

… … …

Later that evening came the moment everyone had been waiting for: Scythe's return.

The exhausted, frustrated, and ruffled warrior was met with a warm welcome as he marched through his team's front door. His meeting was short and to the point, since only a small fraction of the team was actually there that night, as usual, the rest all out on the ongoing missions. Char and his team waited patiently for him to finish his business, wondering more than ever how he'd receive their story.

The Scyther's weary scowl turned to a warm smile when he opened the door to find Team Ember waiting for him inside.

"Good evening, you three!" he said. "So, tell me everything! How'd it go?"

So, they all gathered around, and to the best of their memories, they told him of the torrential rain, the confusing Golbats, the ground-shaking Gravelers, their encounter with Team X, their last stand against an endless wave of feral Pokémon, and how they accomplished the mission against all odds. They told him about Fern, the way Char exploded at her, and how she was turned down from joining the team. Through it all, he sat and watched them thoughtfully, listening intently to every word, giving only a nod of understanding from time to time…

And when they could think of nothing more to say, they fell silent and awaited his response.

"Well," Scythe finally sighed. "I'm… disappointed."

Char gulped. He thought this may have been coming, but he was hoping the fact that they accomplished the mission would at least offset some of his trainer's displeasure…

"Ray," Scythe said, turning to the Raichu. "How many times do I have to tell you this? Even your best electric attacks cannot harm Pokémon with lightning rods!"

"I know," Ray responded.

"Then, what about that Onix you mentioned before you arrived to the cave?" Scythe asked. "What were you thinking, trying to hit it with a bolt of lightning in the first place?"

"It was storming," Ray insisted, "So I thought I could do some damage… I know that the rock Pokémon always take _some_ damage, even if it's not a lot, so…"

"No, no. Wrong!" Scythe said vehemently. "The damage is negligible. You are _not_ to waste your energy like that. Kain did _not_ survive twelve days at Onix Mountain by the strength of his electricity, and neither could you. Do you understand me?"

"Yes… sir," Ray said, fidgeting with his tail as he would usually do when he got nervous. He hung his head, acknowledging Scythe's disappointment and taking his reprimands to heart.

"And Char," Scythe said even more angrily, "Getting distracted by some shiny orbs and running headfirst into a corridor without looking? Arceus knows all the horrible ways that could end up!"

"Sorry," Char said meekly. "I wasn't thinking…"

Char was cringing, expecting an entire wave of criticisms about his bad judgment or poor planning skills, when Scythe's frown suddenly turned into a gleaming smile.

"Well, other than that, I'm very proud of you. I can't say I have any other complaints. Congratulations on a job well done!"

"Wow, that's it?" Saura said. "You're not going to call us on how we basically failed the mission? We won by a complete stroke of luck!"

"I can't fault you for any of your judgments," Scythe said. "I probably wouldn't have done things exactly your way, but… I taught you how to think for yourselves, and you've made your own decent decisions. To be completely honest with you, if I'd joined you in the cave today, I would've questioned your final judgment to let yourselves be destroyed… but, then again, if I convinced you to escape, the Furret wouldn't have been so lucky, would she have? There's nothing wrong with being lucky sometimes. I can't count the number of times I've won missions due to dumb luck. I know Daemon would be quick to tell you that you can't rely on it, but, you see, the thing is, whenever you find yourself lucky, it usually means that, somewhere along the way, you really did something right."

Scythe then proceeded to congratulate them on all their good decisions, from the judicious use of their berries, to their idea to use the silver spikes to counter the rock beasts, to the triggering of the rainfall, to even the handling of Fern's sudden desire to join the team. Char felt his ego growing like a bonfire at each of his praises, convinced that it would be enough to see the big reward that Marrow had hinted at…

"The only part that confuses me… is Team X," Scythe admitted. "Just when I thought I had enough on my plate already, I can't imagine what they're up to…"

"What do we do if we see them again?" Saura asked. "They really freaked us out when they appeared out of nowhere. They were stalking us!"

"If they appear again, just… fight them off, don't agree to their demands," Scythe told them. "You could try tricking them if you think you can get them to spill something, but if you ask me, it looks like they're just some no-name thugs trying to get into the base—the least of our worries. You're strong enough; if they come back, I have no doubt that you could even be their rivals."

Char exchanged a glance with Saura. He never thought about it like that before. Rivals? Really? Could they really Rival the sinister poison team?

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm tired," Scythe finally said, changing his tone, "I think we should all get some rest. Oh… I had a good surprise in store for you today if you completed your mission, but… I'm not convinced you deserve it quite yet. You did basically fail the mission."

Scythe smirked as he said this, making Char really have to wonder why he suddenly chose to send the mixed signals.

"But, I think you're more than deserving of a second chance" he said. "Tomorrow, I've got to head out for Red Haven to check on the progress out there. You'll be on your own again. If you can succeed a second time in a row, Not only will I gladly hand over my prize, but I'll throw in something else, and it's something _extremely_ valuable. I don't think you can afford to disappoint me."

_Ah, typical Scythe_, Char thought, shaking his head. _He's just trying to buy time for himself out at Red Haven. Well, I can't say I blame him. We won once, we'll get up tomorrow and do it again!_

"You'd better have those prizes ready for us tomorrow, because we'll deserve them!" Ray declared. "No excuses this time! We'll pass your test!"

And so, after an eventful, draining, but successful day, Team Ember finally settled down for a well-deserved night's—

"Guys," Ray suddenly said, breaking the silence just as the team was starting to float away into peaceful sleep, "Char. Saura. We didn't take a mission for tomorrow..."

Char blinked.

"Aww, nuts," Char grumbled, rising back to his feet.


	29. Chapter 26: Gaining Trust, Part 1

**Chapter 26**

The next day, nothing was going to go wrong.

Char learned from his experiences down in that godforsaken crevice. There was no use trying to act brave or strong by taking a challenging mission; he wanted Scythe's rewards, plain and simple, and he wasn't about to let another close call ruin the team's recent winning streak. So, for his second independent mission, he sought out the easiest and most straightforward mission on the list, not even caring about whether or not it had a nice reward. He wanted a mission that his team couldn't mess up unless they _tried_.

And they found one. In their rushed attempt to pick a job and get back to sleep, they found a mission that would, quite literally, be a walk in the park: a sentry mission at a place dubbed "Shadow Meadow."

There was nothing shadowy about it, though, except for how it was shaded on the map of Jirachi. Because of its landscape, it had been in the past a favorite perch for thieves to lay in wait for travelers on routes 412, 414, and 415 which surrounded it; the coloring on the map was an indication to travelers to exercise caution when in the area. The division regularly assigned missions to make sure it was clean of thieves, as these routes were commonly traveled by its members; but ever since the patrols started, there hadn't been a report of a single thief in months…

There were a few risks involved, but they were minimal. For one thing, there was a Mystery Dungeon nearby, but it was a "Wanderer's Dungeon"; that is, it was such a small and low-risk anomaly that a traveler could simply wander into it, and then out of it again, without knowing anything had gone wrong. This was a good, because it was unclear where it exactly started and ended. For another thing, the destination was a good distance from the base… it would be a day-long venture, for sure.

But, since the mission was essentially to wander around and explore nature for a few hours, Char didn't see how anything could possibly go wrong.

…And, for once, he was right. Fate had very little in the way of unforeseen complications to throw at Team Ember that day. But, that's not to say it didn't still have a surprise or two in store for them…

"Until the last ember fades…"

At the sound of the voice, Char stirred in his sleep.

"Until the LAST EMBER FADES…"

That annoying voice, it was getting louder this time. Char rolled over and covered his ears.

"Oh, come on! I'm not even supposed to be the one saying this in the first place!"

_Oh, it's just Ray, trying to get me up,_ Char realized absently. _It's too early. I feel like I just went to sleep. Even Scythe doesn't get us up this early, does he? Why can't Ray let me sleep in a little—_

Char's body was sent into a violent spasm as a jolt of electricity filled him, causing his eyes to snap open and his arms and legs to involuntarily spring out to their full length. His breath left him for a second, and he could have sworn his heart even stopped for a few moments before gathering itself and starting up again. Ray was standing over him, looking disappointed.

"Awake yet?" Ray hummed, retracting his forepaws from Char's shoulders.

"Y-y-y-yeah," Char struggled out.

"Good. Scythe's already gone, and Brock's not here today to wake us up, so it was up to us this time. We still need to pack the bag and do some last-minute stuff we didn't do last night. Saura and I've been awake for awhile, now we just need you to catch up."

When the feeling flowed back into Char's muscles, he rolled onto his side and tried to force himself up onto his feet. It was hard, though, because he felt covered in pins and needles, and every little contact with the floor felt like cactus writing beneath his skin.

"You still need to say the response!" Ray said. "We're not going to let that awesome motto of yours go to waste. Until the last ember fades…"

"The fire will not die?" Char answered.

"Awesome!" Ray applauded. "Now we're ready for the day! C'mon!"

Char smiled. Ray loved his job so much. It was still hard not to like him, even when he was electrocuting you awake in the morning.

As he limped out of the room, Char once again wondered about a question tore at him lately, ever since Saura had brought it up the previous day: it was clear to see how much Ray desired to be a skilled and respectable resistance team member. Would Ray's impressions of the team change if Char told his secret? Part of him saw how Ray had proven himself as a friend and ally, and he was starting to think he should tell him everything. But… would it be like ruining his dream? Would it be like a betrayal? As Saura had assured him many times, the first purpose of their team would always be to help Char find his identity and his purpose, but that's not what Ray had signed up for when he joined the team. To Ray, it was just an opportunity for firsthand experience with Team Remorse, not some… secret club, as Fern had called it. Yet, in reality, it _was _more like a secret club than anything else. Would Ray want to be a part of it?

_Enough,_ Char told himself. _I won't let this bother me right now. Right now, we have a ridiculously easy mission to accomplish. Let's get it over with!_

* * *

**Route 410**

Team Ember hit the road at the break of dawn, as usual, and set off down the paths to their faraway destination. The simple beauty of Ambera's countryside was pleasant as always, even as it faintly glowed in the tiny sliver of sunlight that escaped the horizon. The only problem so far was that it was Char's turn to carry the bag this time.

"Hey, Char, I'm getting hungry," Saura said. "How about some breakfast?"

"You read my mind," Ray said. "Want to stop for a second and eat? We've come a pretty long way."

Char groaned as he flung the bag off his shoulder and onto the ground, welcoming the chance to unburden himself. It was so heavy! He despised carrying the bag, especially at the beginning of the day when it was still jam-packed with supplies. He recalled the first time Scythe took him to the storage room and teased him about carrying the bag for the following mission, when he couldn't even stand up while holding it… Char realized too late that it hadn't been a joke at all; the bag actually _was_ that heavy, and he found himself lugging it along on mission after mission. If anything, his arms were getting really strong.

As the team sat on the side of the road and enjoyed a light meal, Char watched the eastern sky as it turned various shades of blue and yellow. A few puffy clouds hung around the advancing sunlight, and a tiny but chilly breeze swept across the land. No stormy weather today. It would be clear sailing all the way out to the meadow. But, probably due to being only the second mission without Scythe, a thought popped into Char's mind.

"Remind me again why we go out so early in the morning?" Char asked, popping a raisin into his mouth. "Why can't we do our missions later in the day? It'd be the same, just with more sunlight."

"Weren't we just over this yesterday morning?" Ray laughed. "We do it because that's how Team Remorse does it. If we want to be as great as them someday, we've got to get ourselves into this habit. Someday, our team could be responsible for defending whole cities and directing armies and stuff. We can't be slacking!"

"Why do you care so much about how great Team Ember gets, anyway?" Saura asked jokingly. "We all know where you really want to be! You'll abandon us in a heartbeat when Scythe invites you to join Team Remorse."

"I've got to prove myself," Ray answered. "Scythe's not going to let me on his team until I help make this team the best it can be! Hah, by the time he finally invites me to join, Team Ember will probably be his equals. Or greater! Besides, I'll always consider myself one of you guys, even after I join Scythe's team. I promise!"

Char forced a smile. "That's great, but that's not really what I was worried about," he said.

"Oh?" Saura said, pausing his search through the bag for more food. "What's the matter now?"

"Well," Char said fretfully, "It's just that I realized something. Look at where we are. It's so dark out. There could be thieves waiting to jump out at us! Or the Master's forces could run into us, and we'd never see it coming. Traveling this early in the morning is just as bad as traveling at night."

Saura tilted his head. "I don't think Pokémon get up early enough to cause a problem," he said thoughtfully. "We've been out at sunrise dozens of times, and we've never seen an ambush."

"Yeah, with _Scythe_," Char said. "But now that we're alone… There isn't some big scary Scyther to chase away thieves!"

"I don't think we should worry too much about it," Saura said. "I don't think very many Pokémon get up at this time of day, anyway. And even if they do, we're powerful enough to resist them, I think. Just stay on guard, and we should be fine."

"Yeah, plus, you've got a big scary Raichu on your side!" Ray said evilly, letting some static sparkle across his fur. "I didn't evolve for nothing! Thieves better know to stay away, or they'll find out what it's like to get struck by lightning!"

"Struck by _lightning_? Oh, I am _so_ scared!"

The voice came from nowhere. Dread filled the team as a pair of shadows approached from the wilderness off the side of the road.

"Big, _scary_ Raichu, huh?" a second voice said. "I don't know who could consider a little rat to be scary."

Just as the voices clicked into place in Char's head, the newcomers came close enough to be seen: they were none other than the bothersome Seviper and the Croagunk.

"Team X," Char spat, throwing his pear onto the ground in disgust. "They're still stalking us! I don't believe it."

Saura and Ray had already assumed the stances for battle, and Ray's body was beginning to glow in the dark as he prepared a powerful discharge for the rival team. Char got to his feet quickly and joined them, sending a scowl at the poison Pokémon.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh. Relax, we're not here to hurt you," Croagunk said as it walked up to face Saura. "I told you before, we're your allies. Why'd we want to hurt you?"

"We're _still_ not letting you into the base!" Saura said forcefully. "It doesn't matter what you say. We don't trust you."

"And just why not?" Seviper asked curiously. "What reason have we ever given you to distrust us? We've never even attacked you!"

"Let's put it this way," Croagunk said coolly. "What could we do to earn your trust? What could we do to prove to you that we're on your side?"

Char searched for a clever retort, and couldn't find one. He then searched for a serious answer, and couldn't quite find one either. He couldn't think of a single thing the poison Pokémon could do to clear their names from his book.

"…See? See?" Croagunk said, anger growing behind his voice. "You don't have an answer. It just goes to show how hypocritical you are. How can a resistance team like us operate like this? Answer that."

Char frowned even harder. "Do you serve the Master?" he demanded of them.

"We do," Croagunk said. "With all our hearts."

"Then _how _can you call yourself a _resistance team_?" Char exploded. "Resistance teams don't serve the Master! Resistance teams _resist_ the Master!"

"Hey, hey, wait for a minute," Croagunk said. "You're assuming something. You're just assuming that the Master's forces are all on the same side. The Master's forces aren't nearly as… unified… as they might seem. In fact… there are whole legions of troops and generals that… betray him. And then there are the teams like us that resist them and try to bring them back under the Master's true reign. Honestly, did you think that the Master really wants all this destruction to be happening? What's happening now is that the Master's reign is out of even his own control!"

"That's a lie," Char challenged. "Our Scyther friend has seen the Master's forces from the inside out, and he says that the Master's forces never fight amongst each other."

"That's precisely why we couldn't afford to approach you while he's around," Seviper explained. "He would slice our heads off before we would have the chance to even make our case. Your Scyther friend knows very little about the Master's forces. If he once knew much, the information is probably obsolete. Times have changed"

"The Master is not evil," Croagunk tried to assure Char. "If we lived by his rules, there would be peace in Ambera that would even make Arceus smile. But these are changing times. Some Pokémon resist the Master, and so, we have war. Team X wants to do its part to resist the Master's forces who've gone astray, and we think we could help by siding with your base for the time being."

Char paused for a second to collect his thoughts, but he found that he couldn't. Their story was so ridiculous, so contradictory, that there were simply no words with which he could reply.

"Go," Char finally said. "Go away. Just go."

"What? Haven't we convinced you of anything yet?" Croagunk pleaded. "What more do you want?"

"No, you're not even close," Char told them. "If you really are our allies, then… just turn around and leave us, and stop stalking us. Don't come back until you figured out something much more convincing to say. I don't know. We just don't trust you. We _can't_. So leave. Because if you keep bothering us, I think you should prepare for a fight next time."

Croagunk emitted a loud croak, making Char jump in surprise.

"Well, if that's the way things are," Croagunk said, "Fine. Be that way. But we're not finished with you yet. Resistance Teams such as you and I don't just _give up_. We'll come back, and you'd better be prepared to change your minds. Because if you don't…"

Char waited until the suspicious team had turned their backs and were walking away before he ordered his own team to do the same.

"Well, that went a little bit better than last time," Seviper said. "I think we might have swayed them a little bit. I _told_ you, the better strategy is to act diplomatic, not hostile."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Croagunk grumbled. "But we're still not any closer to making them trust us. I told you, that Scyther taught them good not to be idiots and fall for every scam they hear."

"You know," Seviper said, "I don't think anything we say is going to get us into that base… I think we must to _do_ something for them. Actions do, after all, speak louder than words."

"Well, we've got to figure out what it is," Croagunk said. "We've only got until the end of the month to get into that base. Otherwise, Dusknoir will have our heads. And Adiel will have his!"

Team Ember picked up the pace down the road, taking Char's previous worry to heart. Ray's body sizzled with excess energy, Char's flame had grown sizable from his rage, and Saura furiously scanned the surroundings for more trouble.

"I can't believe those guys," Char said. "Yesterday they were trying to bribe us, and today they thought just acting friendlier would work better? They couldn't tell a convincing lie to save their lives. What do we do next time?"

"We do just like you said," Ray growled. "Next time we see them, we fight."

"Hopefully, they won't show up again," Saura said. "With any luck, tomorrow we'll have Scythe back, and they'll stay far away…"

* * *

**Route 412**

After two hours of walking and chatting nervously about things like what prize Scythe was going to give them, the sun was finally high enough to light the world and the birds were all giving their morning cheers. The team was able to relax a little as their path and surroundings became clearer.

After four hours of walking, Route 410 converged into Route 412, the road which would lead them right to the meadow. But as the excitement of coming down the final stretch started to set in, so did the anticipation of accidentally wandering into the dungeon and getting lost. They had to leave the path and head to the meadow eventually, but where?

"It's useless," Ray said, looking over the map. "This travel map doesn't even have the dungeon marked like the big one does. We'll just have to take our best guess."

"Bah, it's not like the dungeon is much to worry about, anyway," Saura scoffed. "Worst that'll happen is we get turned around and lose a few hours, right?"

"Yeah, I guess," Char said, yanking the bag back up to his shoulder to keep it from slipping. "But there are Pidgey and Spearow in there, and there's even… ugh… a slight chance we might see a wild Scyther."

_Not to mention the fact that a few extra hours will probably do it for my arms,_ Char added silently.

"Oohh, okay, okay, point taken," Saura said, shuddering at the thought of feral birds attacking him. "Eh, we shouldn't worry about it. We'll probably miss it completely, right?"

* * *

**Wanderer's Meadow**

"…We're in the dungeon now, aren't we?" Saura groaned, suddenly noticing that there was no way to tell where they'd come from or where they were going.

Sure enough, when they picked a place to step off the road and head into the meadow, they got caught up in the tiny Mystery Dungeon. There was nothing to do now but find the way out. Char knew somehow that it'd been inevitable.

"Don't worry, this'll be a cinch," Ray said, surveying the cursed meadow. "We'll be out of here before you know it. The birds here don't stand a chance against me, and Char's a Steelix slayer!"

Char tried to give an awkward little laugh at the statement, but it was muffled by a grunt when he pulled the bag back up to a balanced level. He was tempted to exercise his authority over the team and designate Ray as the permanent bag carrier, as his larger body and taller form were better suited for the strain. He just wanted to get out of the dungeon and into the meadow, where he could set the thing down and set up the watch they'd hold for the remainder of the day.

The Wanderer's Meadow was as tame a dungeon as they came. A gentle, serene countryside spread out before them, a few rocks and trees dotting the landscape in places. There were no birds in the sky, or any feral Pokémon at all, to be seen. Char hoped that it would stay that way.

"Hey! Ow, that hurt!"

At Saura's cry of pain, Char glanced back to see that a Pidgey had appeared from absolutely nowhere and was repeatedly attempting to swoop down and peck at his friend's back. Saura waved his vines around like whips to try chasing the thing away, but the Pidgey was agile enough dodge them and zero in on its target.

"Ugh! Not fair!" Saura yelled at the thing when it raked its talons across his side.

Ray jumped into action, readying his electricity for discharge. He took aim and released what appeared to be an amorphous orb of static at the bird. It barely dodged the attack, and it gave a startled cry as it retreated higher into the air to avoid a further brush with electricity.

Then, with amazing agility, it switched targets, swooped back down, and nailed Char in the forehead with its beak!

"Augh! Oh, man, that hurts!" Char yelled, dropping the bag and clutching the fresh dent above his left eye.

_Do that again,_ Char said to himself, feeling his Ember rise higher. _I dare you. Do that again!_

As if in response, the Pidgey doubled back and came at Char again. But this time, Char was ready for it. Just as the bird was about to collide with him a second time, he released a torrent of flames so powerful it halted the bird's attack in mid-air and left it struggling to stay aloft. It failed, and it tumbled down to the grass covered in flames.

"Good riddance," Saura said, watching the bird tumble around to put the flames out. "C'mon, let's go. I don't want to stay in here longer than we have to."

They wandered around for a few more minutes, looking for the exit. The Wanderer's Meadow was said to be smaller than a mile, so it was like a painful tease as Char watched the repeating landscape, knowing that the exit was just barely out of reach the entire time. Through it all, no more birds attacked; it seemed like they'd knocked out the only Pidgey in the entire dungeon at the time. Char once again hoped that the remainder of the dungeon would be peaceful.

… … …

Twenty minutes passed, and Char couldn't take the strain anymore. He had to pass the bag to Ray, grumbling that they should have been there already and that he'd pay him back later. Free of his burden, Char watched the meadow intently for the tiny details that would mark the end of the curse and allow them passage to Shadow Meadow. When he found something that looked like a new feature of the landscape, he rushed to it in hope that it was the way out.

A few minutes later, they were back where they started.

"I don't believe this," Char groaned. "I know it usually takes people an hour to get out of this place, but there's got to be some way…"

"_Chirp!_"

Although a little startled, Char recognized the sound as another Pidgey, probably trying to sneak up on him from behind. He turned, preparing to loose his fire again…

But when he turned, he did not see a crazed bird homing in for an attack. It stood on the ground just a few feet away, looking at him.

_Odd,_ Char thought. _It doesn't want to fight? I thought the curse makes them—_

That's when Char took a good look at the bird, and saw that some of its feathers had been discolored. Black burn marks covered its body.

It was the same Pidgey that had attacked them before.

"Um, is that thing… following us?" Saura wondered, eyeing the little bird as it hopped closer. "It doesn't look like it wants to fight."

"It's the same one we beat!" Char said. "What's it doing here? Didn't we leave this thing behind?"

"That's really weird," Saura said, stepping away from the bird. "I wonder how long it's been following us like that. Maybe it's trying to attack us again, but it's too weak?"

Char decided to ignore the bird, focusing his attention again on finding the way out of the cursed meadow. But with every step he took, he glanced back to see that the Pidgey was hopping along behind him in procession, as if it considered itself part of the team.

Finally, it took off and flew over Char's head, landing directly in Char's path and presenting itself to him.

"_Chirp!_" it said again.

_What do you want?_ Char wondered. _Are you trying to tell me something?_

"No! Wait!" Ray suddenly cried, his voice full of excitement and surprise. "Char! Do you realize what's going on? Char! You impressed it! I don't believe it! You impressed the Pidgey!"

"What's that mean?" Char asked, bending down to inspect the bird up close.

Ray rushed forward, nearly pushing Char out of the way to get a good look at the bird. The bird winced as Ray practically ran into him, but it stayed calm and kept its eyes fixed on Char.

"I heard stories about this happening, but I… I never thought I would actually get to see it happen!" Ray said. "Char, you beat it in battle, and you earned its respect. Now it sees you as its master!"

"What?!" Char cried in response. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah! That's why it's following you!" Ray said. "That's how resistance teams recruit wild Pokémon from Mystery Dungeons. But it _never_ happens! Char, you have no idea how rare this is! I mean, I've even heard of teams in the resistance whose purpose is just to try to get wild Pokémon to join them. They use psychic tricks and even wear special pieces of cloth just to increase the odds of impressing the wild ones… but they're still lucky just to see it happen once a year! But just to have this happen to us, with no planning or anything… what a stroke of luck! It's like… being born shiny!"

"_Chirp! Chirp!_" the bird said, as if it were trying to communicate with Char. Respect glittered in the little bird's eyes as it hoped to be acknowledged. As Char looked at the bird, the little thing just tugged at his heart. It was adorable, like a lost little child looking for a friend. He smiled at it, and it ruffled its feathers in joy.

"So, what does this mean?" Saura asked. "Is it just going to keep following us like this?"

"It'll follow us _anywhere!_" Ray said. "It thinks Char is its master now. It'll follow us out of the dungeon, and all over the world, and even back into the base if we take it there. It'll even obey Char's every command if it can understand him."

_Really?_ Char wondered. _It'll do what I say?_

Curious, Char waved his hand, signaling the Pidgey to come to his side. It instantly complied, then looked to Char for more orders.

"Whoa," Char said, just trying to consider all the implications. He wondered if this was what it was like to be a Pokémon trainer.

"You know what this means, right?" Ray said, still excited. "Impression is the first step for a Pokémon towards sentience! Char, if we wanted to, we could make this Pidgey smart! You know the day care center back at the base? They could help us raise it! And then, we could have it join the team! …Or, we could send it away. It's your choice, Char."

"Hold on a moment," Saura said. "Do we even want it to join the team? If we wanted a bird on our team, we could have our pick from anyone on Team Silverwing."

Char realized that Saura was right. Team Silverwing was a very reputable training team of the Gold Division, one that Char had the pleasure of working with several times on past missions. Its membership was limited exclusively to bird Pokémon, all of which had been given top-notch training and were ready and willing to serve on a resistance team. He knew that any member of Team Silverwing would probably leap at the chance to join Team Ember.

Yet, this little Pidgey which stood before Char, this wild, weak, inexperienced little Pidgey… couldn't be turned down.

"I… want to keep him," Char said, petting the bird on the head.

"Really?" Saura said. "We just turned down Fern, and now you want a little Pidgey chick? Fern might have been a better choice!"

"I don't know, I just… want to keep him," Char said again.

Saura frowned. While he didn't dislike the idea, he thought Team Ember could do better than just a little bird as its fourth member. But, like all Pokémon, he knew it had the potential to grow and become stronger, and maybe even become a good friend. Either way, there was no way of changing Char's mind. He was infatuated with it, like a trainer with his first Pokémon.

"Well, if that's really what you want," Saura sighed, "I guess I can't complain. If we were so lucky to impress him, I guess we should take advantage of it. I'll trust you on this one, just like with Fern."

"In that case, I guess we take him back to base and enroll him in day care," Ray said. "Hey, little guy! Welcome to the team!"

"_Cheee!"_ it happily replied.

* * *

**Division Base**

And, just like that, Team Ember had a fourth member.

Well, what can be said about the rest of that mission? It came. It went. It was a cinch, as expected. But Char didn't do much in the way of watching for bad guys, as the mission required. He was too busy giving attention to the Pidgey. Something in his heart had snapped—whether it was with his human or his Pokémon instincts, he couldn't tell—but he saw the Pidgey like a brother or a son, and he just couldn't let the little thing down. He wanted to see the Pidgey through growth and development.

It was nearly evening when the team's watch time was up. When they returned to the base, Ray went down to the registry to report the mission completion (the area was clear, as expected) and Char and Saura took the Pidgey down to a wing of the base they never had much of a reason to visit before: the day care.

The day care was a facility composed of several spacious rooms, including classrooms, playrooms, and bedrooms, for the extremely young children to live in. Pokémon who were too young to actively participate in the teams, such as orphaned survivors of the Master's raids, were given a home there until they were old and mature enough to participate in the Division's work. Char had known about the day care for a while, but never knew it also served the function of raising _wild _Pokémon…

An elderly Kangaskhan greeted them at the front lobby. Its pouch was empty; Char figured that her baby was probably off playing somewhere.

"Oh, it's Team Ember!" the Kangaskhan exclaimed. "Well, now! What brings everyone's favorite team down here, dears?"

"Well, we found this Pidgey on a mission today, and it followed us here," Saura explained. "We were wondering… if… you could help us?"

Kangaskhan smiled as her eyes scanned over the little bird, inspecting it thoroughly. The Pidgey had looked a little scared and unsure of itself since entering the base, but it stayed close to Char and never stopped casting glances of trust at him.

"Well, aren't you lucky?" she said. "It's a handsome young boy! It looks nice and healthy, too! Hmm, wow, it's got some pretty big talons for its age, hasn't it? And look at that sharp little beak! He's an armed little fellow! I bet his attacks could really hurt!"

_They do,_ Char wanted to say, remembering the still-healing gash in his forehead.

"So, can you, um… help us take care of him?" Saura asked.

"Of course, dears!" Kangaskhan hummed. "We'd be glad to; that's why we're here! As long as you pay the fee, of course."

"Fee?" Saura repeated. "How much is the fee?"

"For one hundred thousand Poké, we'll keep him here, and we'll raise and educate him until he's ready to meet the standards of your team."

Saura gulped. "…That's a lot of money," he balked. "I don't think our bank account can take that big of a hit right now! We might have to think about this!"

"Oh, not to worry, you don't have to pay all at once!" Kangaskhan assured him. "We'll bill you gradually. Raising children doesn't happen all at once, you know!"

Char and Saura agreed that it was a good idea, so they agreed to Kangaskhan's deal.

"You won't be disappointed," Kangaskhan said. "After all, we can't afford to disappoint our beloved Team Ember! We'll give him the best education we can manage, and when he's ready, we'll make sure he gets personal training by Team Silverwing."

"How long do you think all this will take?" Char wondered. "How long will it be until we can see him again? Years?"

"Oh, sweetie, you can come and visit him whenever you'd like!" Kangaskhan laughed. "But the whole process might take around… oh… two months?"

"Two months?!" Char repeated in disbelief. "That quick? Are you sure?"

"Of course, as long as we keep him on a proper diet of gummis!" she answered. "In fact, that's where a lot of your money will go to. Gummis aren't cheap, you know!"

"Um… what's a gummi?" Char asked. "I've heard of those, but I've never seen one before. Are they food, or something?"

"They're supposed to make you smarter if you eat them," Saura said. "I've never had one myself, but I've heard a lot about them. Kecleon once had some in his store, but they were really expensive!"

"Oh, gummis don't actually make you smarter," Kangaskhan said. "They don't feed knowledge or experience into your head, after all. But if you eat enough of them, they'll keep your mind stimulated and open, and let you learn new things faster! In fact, if your little friend here eats his gummis, we might be able to have him speaking in just a few weeks. Speech seems to come naturally to Pidgey."

"Interesting," Char said. "Do you think we'd get any smarter if we ate gummis? I wonder what they taste like."

"If you want, I can let you try one," Kangaskhan said. "Just a moment, I'll be right back!"

Kangaskhan leapt away and disappeared down the hallway, and soon returned holding some colorful pieces of candy. One was red, and the other was green. Char recognized them immediately: they were jellybeans!

"Here you are, sweeties! On the house!" she said, handing Char the red one. "Enjoy! I think you'll like them!"

Char looked over the small, shiny jellybean. He sniffed it, but couldn't discern anything unusual. He popped it into his mouth. It tasted like nothing, until he bit down and broke the glossy skin of the candy…

And then, Char felt his entire mouth erupting with flavor.

It felt like a bomb had exploded in his mouth! It was an extreme, ultimately indescribable taste: it had a subtle kind of sweetness to it, but it was drowned out by an overbearing…_ stabbing_ sensation that spread into every smallest crevice of his mouth as well as down his throat. Char thought it tasted like a combination of fire, which he was familiar with, and the hottest cinnamon he could have imagined. His taste buds felt like they'd all come alive and were busting at the seams, pleading for mercy from the intense onslaught.

…And he liked it.

When he finally, reluctantly swallowed the candy, his eyes were watering. His entire mouth was tingling.

"Well? How was it?" Saura pleaded, his own green-colored gummi sitting on the ground in front of him. "Do you feel any smarter?

"Not really," Char managed to answer, gasping for breath to cool down the lingering taste of fire in his mouth. "But I think I want another one."

Saura sniffed at the candy in front of him, then hesitantly gobbled it up.

Char watched amusedly as Saura's eyes widened. He chewed once.

But then, his face turned into a horrible, disgusted scowl.

"BLAUGH!" he spewed, spitting the candy back onto the floor. "EUGH! That's the most disgusting thing I ever tasted! It was bitter, and slimy! Eughh, I think I'm going to throw up!"

"Oh, no! I'm so, so sorry!" Kangaskhan cried, horrified. "I'm sorry! Oh, dear… I must have given you the wrong kind! That must have been one for the bug Pokémon. They're the same color, so I get them mixed up sometimes… Here… Here… I brought more… I think I have the right kind here…"

Kangaskhan dug into her pouch, and produced an assorted handful of colorful gummis. She sorted through them and picked out another green one. It was discernibly a lighter shade of green than the mess Saura had left on the floor. Kangaskhan handed it to Saura, who glared at it suspiciously.

"It's okay, you'll like this one," She told him. "Go on! Try it!"

Saura cringed as he took the second gummi into his mouth, but as soon as he chewed once, his face lit up with a big smile.

"Wow! Now _that's_ more like it!" he exclaimed. "It tastes like… a really fresh salad! With honey! Wow, that's really wonderful! Do you have any more?"

"Sorry, but if you want more gummis, you'll have to pay for them, fair and square," Kangaskhan laughed. "Everybody loves them, but nobody seems to have a budget to eat a lot of them. So, we just use most of them on the younger children to help with their development. Speaking of which…"

She handed another gummi, a turquoise-colored one, to the Pidgey. The bird took it from her hand and tossed its head back to swallow it down.

"There you go, little guy," Kangaskhan crooned. "Better get used to eating those! Oh, that reminds me of something. One more important thing before you leave: do you want to give him a name? If you do, you should give it to him now, so that he'll be able to associate the name with himself."

"Otto," Char blurted out. "We'll call him Otto."

Saura and Kangaskhan both gave him a funny look.

"That's… an interesting name for a Pidgey," Kangaskhan said. "Any reason for the name?"

"No, not really," Char said. "It's just the first one I thought of."

"Well, whatever you wish," Kangaskhan said. "That'll be what we call him, then. Well, I know you two are very busy, so we can start getting little Otto acquainted with his new home right away…"

So, Char and Saura said goodbye to Otto the Pidgey. It was hard, but Char eventually got the Pidgey to see that he wanted it to go away with the Kangaskhan. The Pidgey looked sad to go, but its desire to please its master was strong, so it obeyed. Char told it that he loved it, and that he'd visit it as often as he could.

Then, he was gone.

… … …

"Otto?!" Saura said to Char as they returned to their rooms. "What kind of a name is that, anyway? That almost sounds like a name for an Oddish."

"I don't really know," Char admitted. "I just suddenly remembered out of nowhere. It might even be from my human life."

"A human name?" Saura said. "Interesting… you humans must have interesting names. Do you think… it could be your name?"

Char dug through his thoughts, but his memories, save for his visions of Dialga and Palkia, were still completely blank. He couldn't place the name anywhere, much less on himself.

"I don't know," Char said. "But… I think I need to have a talk with you. Without Ray here, I mean."

"Okay, sure," Saura said. "To the meeting hall, then?"

Char sat with Saura in the empty meeting hall, just like they always did when they wanted time alone. The grandeur of the hall and the sight of the dragons always gave Char a level of peace that he couldn't seem to find anywhere else.

"My team is four members big now," Char sighed, relaxing and spilling his thoughts out for his best friend. "But you and I are still the only real members. I think it's time we told Ray. Ray is… well, our friend, and our teammate, and I'm really starting to feel like I want to trust him as much as I trust you. But, whenever I think about it, I can't seem to get the courage to tell him."

Saura nodded thoughtfully.

"It's just… we have four members now. What about when we have five? Six? Or ten? I really feel like things could get out of hand. If we get more members, and I still only trust you, I feel like… our team won't be able to work. So, I want to tell Ray about my secrets. I think I owe it to him. I just don't know how he'll take it. What do you think? Do you think he's ready?"

Saura thought for a moment before answering. "Ray is… well, at least from what I tell… he's thrilled to be a part of something big," he speculated. "That's why he wants on Team Remorse so badly. That's why he sets such high standards for himself and us, too. He wants to see the legends as they happen. He wants to be the one making them happen."

Yes, Ray certainly had a clear purpose in life. To Char, that much was certain. Unlike Fern, who may have fancied seeing the legendary Pokémon but never intended to do anything about it, Ray was giving his all day after day to make his dreams come true. But Saura was right: he'd never really considered _why_ Ray had the dreams he did. He always thought it was because he idolized Scythe and wanted to be like him.

"And, any way you put it, Char, you're a legend," Saura continued. "The way I see it, Ray would be honored to know you for who you are."

"Maybe you're right," Char said, "But… I still get butterflies in my stomach when I think about telling him. You'll have to help me do it. You're so much better at talking than I am."

"I'll be right behind you," Saura promised. "That's not going to change. Whatever happens, I'm right behind you."

They sat in peace for a while before deciding to head back to Scythe's room, remembering that they had a reward to receive.


	30. Chapter 27: Gaining Trust, Part 2

**Chapter 27**

Later that evening, the team congregated in Scythe's room to give him the day's news. They'd spent all day anticipating what his big reward was going to be, so they were all smiles when they reported that their second independent mission had gone off without a hitch. But Scythe had a rather unexpected response.

"Let me get this straight," Scythe said, almost laughing. "You chose the easiest mission possible, just so you could tell me you won, just so you could get the reward I promised?"

Somehow, the way Scythe said it made Char's smile fade. He hadn't considered that Scythe would actually disapprove of the idea!

"There's a word for that," Scythe said. "Cheating! That's not how I trained you! I expect you to take the missions you're capable of, not the ones better left for Team Stripes!"

"I'm sorry," Char said, his smile long gone and his head hung. "You're right. I just wanted the reward."

"That's just not how the division works," Scythe continued. "Imagine what would happen if my team took the sentry missions day after day. Not only would the training teams all be out of business, but… It would take us years to make any money! Plus, who would take the bigger jobs? Who would get the real work done? The Master would smash us in the blink of an eye!"

"We understand," Saura said. "It won't happen again."

"So," Scythe sighed, "I'm sorry, but this really was a cop-out on your part. I don't think I can give you the reward quite yet. Better luck next time."

Char slumped back, defeated. In retrospect, he really should have seen this coming. Scythe had every right to scorn them for taking the easy way out. Exchanging glances with his teammates, he saw that Saura and Ray both returned expressions of disappointment in acknowledgement of their failure. Ray, especially: he saw something fiery burning deep within Ray's eyes, a belief that it was mostly his fault for letting the team down by agreeing to take the easy way out, and a determination to never, ever let the team slack again. Honestly, it scared him a little; Ray wasn't exactly easy on him in the first place.

_Oh, well, _Char thought. _At least we accomplished _something_ today. We have Otto, and—_

"Naah, I'm just joking with you," Scythe suddenly laughed. "The reward is all yours! You won fair and square."

The team froze, speechless. Char blinked.

"You should have seen the looks on your faces," Scythe chuckled. "I just couldn't resist. It's all good. Really, it is. You were being opportunists, which demonstrates good judgment. Some Pokémon with big egos actually have a lot of trouble lowering themselves for the sake of a good profit. Like Daemon, for instance. He'd be the one telling you everything I just said. But he's not here right now, so his opinions don't matter. Congratulations, you three. You've earned your reward!"

Team Ember responded with a weak, nervous laugh which shortly escalated into a hearty cheer.

Scythe took them down the hall, explaining the rewards he had planned. Team Ember was to move up in rank! They would now have free reign to take the more difficult missions from the division-wide task lists. They would be allowed to take missions up to the two-star risk level. But, best of all, they would no longer pay half their earnings to Team Remorse; only a miniscule ten-percent tax would be required from now on, since they were still apprentices and not completely independent.

This alone was enough to make Char and his friends leap for joy, but Scythe had something else in store.

As he lead them to the front door of his team's quarters, Char noticed that several other members of Team Remorse were falling in line behind them. Marrow was there, as was Raon, and Shander…

When Scythe reached the front door, he stopped to address them.

"As you can imagine, a higher rank implies greater responsibility," Scythe announced with his authority. "Since you have grown in strength, and in skill, and in number, more will be expected of you. That's why, as your reward for attaining a new level of reputability, I will bestow upon you… chores!"

Again, Team Ember fell silent and tongue-tied. When Char glanced back at the other members of Team Remorse, he realized why they'd chosen to come. They were all struggling to hold back laughter. They had expected this, and wanted to watch in amusement as it played out. By now, Char was used to being the subject of Scythe's good-hearted jokes, but he couldn't quite understand this one…

"Chores?" Char repeated. "You mean, like, manual labor? On top of doing missions?"

"Of course!" Scythe said, not even cracking a smile this time. "We all have our chores to do while we're not on duty. What, you think you can just spend all that time lounging around the base and doing nothing? You've got to make yourself useful! So, today, I'm assigning to you a chore which I expect to be done every day. As a reward."

"What's the chore?" Saura asked, with strangest expression on his face that Char had ever seen.

"I was just getting to that!" Scythe bellowed. "Now, you must understand that this chore is of utmost importance. If you ever fail, the Division's opinion of you might plummet. Understand?"

"Uh, okay," Char said. "Understood."

"Now, this is the chore: from this point forth, you, Team Ember, will be responsible for cleaning one of the division's halls downstairs. You must keep it swept, washed, tidied, and free of clutter. Every single day. Understand?"

Char couldn't stop his heart from sinking this time. He'd expected Scythe to surprise him with something positive, as he usually did. He was expecting the chore to be an honored privilege or something, but it turned out to really be a chore. A rather annoying and unpleasant one, at that.

"Now, come with me," Scythe ordered, opening the door. "I'll show you."

So, Scythe lead the disillusioned team out into the halls. Scythe's teammates still followed, as if still eager to see some kind of reaction from them.

They went down one flight of stairs…

And then down a hall that appeared similar, if not identical, to the one above it. In fact, it was a hall that Char and Saura had mistaken for Team Remorse's quarters a few times in the past.

He lead them down to the end of the hall. When the hall ended, there was a door, not unlike Scythe's door one floor above.

And then, Char saw it.

Above the door, adorned with four billowing torches, was a stone plaque. Etched into the plaque were five large human letters: EMBER.

Char was about ready to faint. Scythe was giving his team rooms all to themselves!

"And here it is," Scythe said, proudly introducing the door. "Do you like it?"

"No way! This is for us?" Saura cried. "Scythe, it's beautiful! I don't know what to say!"

"Wow, Scythe! This is too much!" Ray gasped. "I would have done ten independent missions for this!"

"Well, it's yours," Scythe said. "This old hall has been abandoned for a few years, ever since Team Flamewheel picked up and moved to the Emerald Division. For some reason, the Division wouldn't let anyone else take it for the longest time… but I convinced them, finally. So, here are your own rooms. Use them, abuse them, just try not to get them _too_ messy, alright?"

"Scythe was waiting until he could get some rooms close enough to ours," Raon explained. "In fact, I don't think he's even planning on ever letting you become totally independent. I think you're stuck with us forever."

"Yeah, Scythe has loads of plans for your team," Marrow said. "One day, you'll probably wind up as our personal helper team. Imagine: you'll be training new recruits, running your own missions, and helping us with ours all at the same time. It'll be a blast, really!"

"You might change the world someday, and we will keep doing everything in our power to get you ready, as Alakazam instructed us to do," Shander said mainly to Char. "With this new home of yours, your team can enter a completely new phase. You are now free to expand your team as you see fit without overcrowding our rooms."

Char was so happy, he had to resist the urge to run up and give Scythe a hug. It was a marvelous, thoughtful gift, even if it was just another step in their development as a team. Char could already imagine the sweet privacy of his own room, of not having to be woken up by a Scythe or a blaring Exploud each morning, of being able to recruit some new members and giving them decent places to stay…

"Thank you," Char said sincerely. "It's perfect. It's just what we needed."

Scythe blinked. "Well, those are all very interesting responses for just showing you the front door. Want to take a look inside?"

Without waiting for an answer, Scythe rapped on the door. A moment passed before it slid open, revealing several members of Team Stripes standing on the other side, including Taka, an Eevee, and a Larvitar.

"You'd better like it," Taka pronounced. "Team Remorse had us working on this for two whole weeks just for you guys. It was _not_ easy."

"Hey, quit your complaining! We paid you!" Marrow said. "We would have done it ourselves if we hadn't all been busy enough!"

"Yeah, as if Team Stripes even gets to keep more than ten percent of our money in the first place," Taka said. "But yeah, whatever. It's done. Go on in and look at it."

Ray hung back to chat with Taka for a little while, and Char and Saura eagerly stepped in to explore their new living quarters.

It was better than Char had expected. The personal hall had the exact layout as Team Remorse's quarters, complete with fourteen bedrooms, a long yet spacious main corridor, a meeting room, a planning room, an office, and an extra storage room. The hall was lined with twice as many ghost-torches as Team Remorse had, all in various, ornate kinds of containers that stood on the floor or hung from the walls and the ceiling—presumably in honor of the team's name. A bright red-and-orange rug lined the main hall's floor, embroidered with images of Moltres, Entei, Flareon, and Charizard. Char first wondered if the rug was custom-made for them, but figured it was probably left behind by the previous team who, judging by their team name, were obviously just as associated with the element of fire as his team was.

Taking in the visage of his new home, Char felt similar pangs of awe and joy to how he had when he'd first seen the interior of the base. The Charmander within him was deeply satisfied and wanted to live there forever, and the human part of him could barely keep up. He ran from one room to the next, inspecting them all and watching as the magical torches flared to life at his proximity. The rooms all had extremely simple furnishings, but no more than a Pokémon would need to be happy: a rug, a sleeping pad made of something like artificial straw and cloth, and a few bare shelves to keep belongings.

Finally, Char found the last room at the end of the hall: the team leader's room, just like Scythe's room upstairs. It was as big as two of the other rooms put together, and filled with many more pieces of furniture, including golden statues and crystal-imbued wall ornaments. The bed was bigger, too, and it was made out of a different kind of tough, cloth-like substance that had to have been fireproof, but still appeared invitingly comfortable. Char's heart leapt when he realized why the bed was so huge: it was big enough for a Charizard!

On both sides of the bed were huge, floor-mounted dishes of billowing fire. Upon further inspection, Char realized it was _real_ fire, giving off warmth, smoke, and a forceful roar. The smoke was all filtered out by the many surrounding ghost-torches, leaving the air as clear as could be expected. Char leapt up onto his bed and let the bliss simply overcome him, relaxing and nearly falling asleep right on the spot. The fire calmed him in more ways than he could count, and he knew he never wanted to sleep anywhere else again, especially not on the hard stone floor of Scythe's lair.

…Come to think of it, he never noticed whether or not Scythe even _had _a designated sleeping place in his own room. He'd always sleep sitting upright somewhere on the floor.

"…Lucky!" Saura shouted as he wandered into Char's room, causing him to snap back from his blissful daze. "How come you get the only good room, huh?"

"You can always sleep in here if you like," Char said, sitting up on his bed. "We all stayed in Scythe's room when we were up there, right? You can stay here if you want."

"Oh, no thanks," Saura said. "I don't think I could feel comfortable with… those things… in the same room," he said, indicating the live torches. "I think it would feel like sleeping on the edge of a bottomless pit."

Char laughed. There was no way he was going to give up his torches.

"This place is just amazing," Saura said, exploring Char's spacious lair. "Scythe really outdid himself this time! I'm going to enjoy coming home to this place every day. Now, if only I could get some sunlight to shine in my room, it would be just perfect."

Char agreed, it was more than he would have asked for. But as much as having an entire upper-class hall to himself made him feel giddy, it also made him feel guilty. He knew full well that he didn't deserve any of it, that it was all due to the favor and generosity of the high-ranking team that trained them. He had seen the cramped, diminutive rooms that he'd always expected to have one day, the rooms the other teams called home; the hall of Team Stripes only had two rooms total, forcing most of the members to share, and even the fairly reputable teams such as Team Dread only had five tiny rooms to dwell in. He always figured that the rooms of the division base were not built for luxury, but judging from where he now sat, he knew that some exceptions were made.

"Do you think, one day, if we work hard enough, we might actually deserve this?" Char wondered.

"Hmm?" Saura answered absently, inspecting a wall decoration that had the likeness of Ho-oh.

"You heard Marrow," Char said. "Scythe expects us to become one of the best teams. So does the whole Division, probably. This is big. I knew from the beginning we had a lot to live up to, but this is getting a little scary!"

Saura was about to answer, but Scythe, Ray, and Shander all barged in.

"Ah-ha, you already found your place," Shander said to Char with a smile. "I bet you like the fire, don't you? We had to pull a lot of strings to get those. Don't tell High Intelligence about them, now; real fire was declared a safety hazard a while back, and we had to deactivate all of those things. Hmm, remember how furious Char was when he had to give up his fire? The old Char, I mean."

"Oh, don't remind me," Scythe said, shaking his head. "Yes, it was all because some poor Staravia suffocated somewhere downstairs when the fire was burning the air faster than the spiritual torches could replenish it. As you can see, we've made sure to go overboard on the spiritual torches, so you should have no reason to worry. But Intelligence may throw a fit if they find out, so don't let them in here if you can help it!"

"Got that," Char said, jumping off his bed.

"Hey, Char, nice room!" Ray cheered. "This even looks better than yours, Scythe!"

"Oh, you know that I don't care about things like aesthetics," Scythe said dismissively. "A room is for thinking and sleeping. The rest is just excess."

"Yeah, right, then why'd you go through all the trouble to make this place look so nice, huh?" Ray laughed. "Hey, Char, Saura, I was just talking to Taka. She doesn't want to admit it, but I think she's starting to reconsider wanting to join the team! I don't think she can stand seeing this place and not living here! Not to mention all the rest of Team Stripes, they all want in, too!"

Scythe took some time to explain a few of the details about housekeeping, such as how the locking mechanism worked on the doors and how they'd have to either use their Mobile Scarf or ask a ghost Pokémon for help if they would ever accidently lock themselves out. He explained how to get their own copies of the news posts, the registration documents, and the task lists. He explained how to turn on and off the ghost torches, and what telepathic commands they would respond to. He also explained that, while the food delivery service was available to them, it depended solely on the Division's willingness to grant it to them on a case-by-case basis, and shouldn't be abused until they were sure they'd gained enough of a reputation for it.

After all was said and done, the torches turned red for the evening, and Scythe was ready to give his final words and return to his own team.

"Well, I can see you're all eager to settle in, so I guess we can all call it a day," Scythe said. "But, I expect you all to report to my door tomorrow morning. Don't forget to take a mission for tomorrow, and have a good night's rest!"

"Scythe?" Shander suddenly said. "Um…"

Shander held up his claw. He was holding a strange sparkling object. It seemed to Char like a gold nugget, or some kind of jewelry.

"Oh, of course," Scythe groaned. "I almost forgot! I know I also promised I'd throw in something else… well, here it is."

Shander offered the strange object to Char, who accepted it and looked it over. It seemed like a glimmering pebble made of gold, but there was something strange about it that he couldn't place. It was incredibly lightweight, and it had a shell that was smooth and unbreakable. It almost seemed like the object was… organic.

"This, my friends, is one of the rarest, most valuable items in all the land," Scythe said. "It's also one of the best-kept secrets of the highest-ranking teams. Want to know how we _really_ manage the impossible jobs? Well, sometimes, it can all come down to just a few of these."

"We call them Reviver Seeds," Shander explained. "Nobody knows where they come from, or how they form. We can't engineer them from plants like we can make Heal Seeds or Sleep Seeds. The only places they are ever found are in Mystery Dungeons, and they are incredibly, incredibly rare. You see, somehow, a tiny spirit has gotten trapped within this seed. The spirit is a benevolent one, and it's aware of its surroundings. If you have it in your possession, it will consider itself your guardian. In effect… if you suffer a fatal injury, the spirit will break out of the seed and it will heal you completely, curing every wound, poisonous effect, or even reconstructing your body from dismembered pieces if that's what it comes to."

"Say you're walking along in a Mystery Dungeon, and a wild Scyther jumps out and decapitates you!" Scythe roared, making a dramatic motion with a blade in illustration. "The seed would save you. Say you make a misstep and plummet to your death into a pitfall trap! The seed would heal you and lift you out. Say your food is depleted and you finally pass out from hunger. The seed would revive you, return you to full strength, and even fill your belly so you don't soon starve again. There is _nothing_ the seed will not do to revive you! It is a lifeline for all circumstances. A second chance."

Char's grip on the Reviver Seed loosened as he heard what it was capable of. He held it reverently, in respect for its incredible power.

"There is a catch, though," Shander said. "It seems to rely upon the strange nature of Mystery Dungeons to perform its work, and so, it can only save you when you are within the confines of a dungeon. Outside of one, it cannot help you, and you will succumb to death as normal. Also, after the spirit has done its work, it leaves, so the seed loses its power and can never be used again."

"There are times when things happen that are simply out of your control," Scythe said. "A Reviver Seed gives you the ability to overcome those things. But never, _ever __**plan **_on using it. You must pretend with all your heart that it is not there, and fight until the very end. Protect it as you would your very life, for someday, that's what it could become."

As Scythe and Shander left to return to their own rooms, Char was still staring incredulously at the priceless gift he held in his claws. He didn't notice Scythe's reverent gesture to him right before he stepped out the door.

… … …

After Team Ember had finished using their brand-new facilities to plan and prepare for their mission the next day, they lounged idly in Char's room. Upon following the instructions Scythe had given them to request the full task list, they were overwhelmed when the registry presented them with several pages of difficult tasks that were probably more than the entire division could accomplish in a single month. Feeling fairly confident in themselves, and still with some lingering shame of their arguably underhanded choice the previous day, they took a moderately difficult task of risk "B" and called it a night soon after.

"So awesome," Ray said, taking a good look at the Reviver Seed for himself. "No wonder the teams can take the really tough dungeons. I wonder how many they use? They'd probably never tell us. Well, now we have one of our own, imagine what we could do!"

Char took a really deep sigh. It was time. The mood, the setting, the sense of confidence it all instilled… it was all perfect, and he wasn't going to let himself escape it. So, taking a deep breath, Char asked…

"Hey, Ray… what do you think about… humans?"

Ray blinked, wondering where in the world the question had come from. "Um… what do you mean?" he asked.

"I mean, what do you think of them? Do you like them? Do you hate them? What's your opinion of them?"

Char glanced at Saura, who now held a serious and steadfast expression. He understood what was happening, and he was ready to back Char up at the slightest indication that he needed help.

"That's a really weird question," Ray said. "Um… well, I don't really know. I never met one, so I… really don't know."

"Really?" Char asked, worriedly. "Not even… the slightest little… anything?"

"Well, to be honest, I can't imagine myself liking them."

Char felt a jolt of horror shoot down his spine. He suddenly felt weak.

"I mean, don't get me wrong," Ray said. "If I met a human, and it was a nice one, it'd be a dream come true! But… It's just… it's hard to have a good impression of humans when… well, you know."

"What?" Saura said, stepping in. "When what?"

"Well, you know," Ray said again. "The only human that Ambera has ever known is… so horrible."

There was a moment of silence as Char tried to understand what had just been said.

"Wait!" Saura yelled suddenly, startling everyone. "Hold it! Hold on a second. You aren't talking about the Master, are you?!"

"Well, yeah," Ray said. "What other human would I be talking about?"

"You think the Master is a human?!" Saura yelped, surprised out of his wits.

"I thought that was common knowledge," Ray said. "How else would he have gotten so many Pokémon to follow him? He's a Pokémon trainer who turned evil."

"That's not what _I_ heard growing up!" Saura gasped. "I was taught that the Master was a Pokémon! I heard he was a skilled psychic that could brainwash other Pokémon into doing his will."

"I've never heard that one," Ray rebutted. "There's no way we would have let just another Pokémon become so powerful!"

"Hey! Stop!" Char yelled loudly, putting a halt to the foreseeable argument. "Why don't we get this cleared up and ask someone who does know? Like Scythe? He met the Master himself, right? He would know."

… … …

So, out they went, back upstairs to the place they'd just moved out of, to clear up a disagreement that they hadn't until that point even known existed. Char felt his head spinning, no longer from anticipation of Ray's opinion of him, but of the possibility that the Master could be a human. He'd always just subscribed to the belief that Saura had fed him, that the Master was a Pokémon. But… a human? He'd never heard such a theory! He had to know for sure if he wasn't alone after all in the world of Pokémon, even if the Master _was_ the most wretched creature in existence…

"Back so soon?" Scythe said with surprise, answering the front door. "Need something?"

"Scythe, we need you to clear up something for us," Char said. "We need to know—"

"Wait!" Scythe exclaimed, silencing him.

He looked intently from Char, to Ray, to Saura, not saying a word. The silence dragged on for several seconds.

"Gah, forget it," Scythe sighed. "I have no idea what you're going to say. Anyway, go ahead. Carry on."

"Scythe, we need to know something," Saura said. "The Master. What _is_ he? I always thought he was a Pokémon, maybe a legendary. Ray here thinks that he could be a human. Who's right?"

Scythe's face changed.

While Char had always considered Scythe to be a close, albeit powerful, friend, the expression Scythe wore at hearing the question truly frightened him. Char was expecting a simple answer, but instead, the Scyther returned a gaze that could have meant _"What business do you have knowing that?!"_

However, after taking a moment to seemingly collect himself, Scythe opened his mouth to answer.

"The Master…"

Char clenched his fists in anticipation.

"…is a Pokémon."

"Ha!" Saura gloated. "I knew it! There you have it, Ray. That's your answer."

Ray looked deeply shocked. "W-what kind of Pokémon?" he asked meekly. "If the Master's a Pokémon, what is he?"

Again, a moment of burning silence. Char's stomach broiled as he watched Scythe's face betray something horrible within him, like a struggle was going on inside of his head. After seeing what kind of effect the first question had on Scythe, he knew the second question was wholly unnecessary and better left unasked, but he bore the torture and waited for the answer.

Finally, Scythe hung his head.

"…I don't know."

"W-what?!" Saura cried in response. "You saw him with your own eyes, didn't you? How could you not know… oh, I get it! He's a kind of Pokémon we haven't seen before, isn't he? A new Pokémon?"

Ray, however, responded differently. His ever-present smile faded, and his eyes wavered, looking betrayed.

"You aren't lying, are you, Scythe?" Ray asked sadly. "Please say you aren't lying."

"_**LISTEN!**_" Scythe suddenly roared at the top of his lungs, causing Char and his friends to jump in fright.

Char could see it: Scythe was becoming enraged. He wanted to just run away and say nothing more of the matter, but it was too late. Scythe stepped out, slammed the door behind him, and pulled the team into a corner.

"You will never, _**ever**_, accuse me of lying," Scythe growled. "There are a lot of things that I tolerate, but _this_… is not one of them. It hurts. It cuts deep into my heart to be called a liar. You have _no_ idea. If ever you want to offend me, reduce me to a broken shell of a Pokémon, that's how you can do it. You can't…"

Scythe took a breath, recovering from his initial outburst. Char felt himself trembling.

"If only you _knew_ how much I _despise_ telling un-truths… It offends me… It defies my very nature. I do not lie. I _never_ lie. _Ever!_ Unless… unless I need to, for the safety of the ones I love. Do you understand? And even then, it's… it feels like I would rather die. Do I _make myself clear?!_"

"Yes," Char barely squeaked.

"I'm sorry," Ray said, starting to cry.

"Let me tell you something," Scythe said. "You've seen my team. You see how we work. Do you want to know what ties us together? What gives us the… the _power_ to overcome the things we overcome? Trust. Total, complete, unconditional trust. My teammates trust me. They obey me because… because… I have given them reason to place their trust in me. Not just _most_ of their trust, but _all_ of it. To those I trust, I tell _everything _I know. I will not have it any other way. Without trust, this team… and even, to an extent, this Division… would fail."

He took another deep breath. Char saw in the Scyther's eyes how he regretted the show of emotion he'd just succumbed to.

"There are times," he said gravely, "when it becomes necessary to tell a lie. Or… to keep a secret. If I find that I must keep a secret… I try to keep the secret even from myself, to confine it to only the farthest reaches of my mind, to pretend, to act that it does not even exist. Do you understand, … _Charmander?_"

Char understood.

It dawned on him, for the first time, why Scythe refused to ever acknowledge Char's humanity. He knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, Char's secret. But it was a secret he'd forced himself to keep from the rest of his team… and, likewise, from himself. A secret he buried away in the farthest confines of his mind, to pretend that it wasn't there.

For once, Char understood the reasons behind Scythe's behavior.

"I get it," he answered.

Trust.

The backbone of friendship.

"_What gives us the… the power to overcome the things we overcome? Trust. Total, complete, unconditional trust."_

Char knew now, more than ever, that he'd made the right decision in choosing to tell Ray what he needed to tell him. Now… he just needed to do it.

… … …

Team Ember sulked back to their own rooms, thoroughly shaken by Scythe's reactions to their questions. They'd never seen their leader act that way before, and didn't really want to see it happen again. They took the message he sent, and did their best to just look forward. Ray, especially, suddenly looked really tired and intent on just heading to his room for a good night's rest.

Just before the threesome was about to split up and head into their separate rooms, Char stopped them one last time.

"Ray… I have something I need to tell you."

Ray already looked somewhat annoyed with some sparks of static escaping from his cheeks, but he visibly tried to swallow it and answered calmly.

"Yeah?"

"Ray… This is… hard for me to say," Char said, his voice trembling everywhere. "But there's something that I really, really need you to know if you're going to stick with us on this team. After what Scythe just told us, I know there can't be any other way. Scythe has his team, and I want to trust you the same way he trusts them. So… I need you to listen. Okay?"

Upon hearing this, Ray's expression changed. His anger was drowned out by an expression of sympathy.

"Char, relax," Ray said gently, his ears folding to the back of his head. "We're friends, remember? You can tell me anything you want."

Ray was listening attentively. Char swallowed hard, then opened his mouth to speak…

"Ray, Saura and I have been keeping a secret from you since the very beginning. The fact is… I'm… not… what I… look like. I'm a human trapped in the body of a Charmander."

For Char, time seemed to stop as he held his breath and awaited Ray's response. For long, too long, Ray didn't say anything. He blinked once.

"Are you… … _sure_?" he responded, his expression turned completely blank.

"Yeah, we are," Saura told him. "It's a long story, but we'll tell you the whole thing if you want. I found Char in the Gravelerock Tunnel dungeon, just laying there. He had no memories of how he got there, who he was, or even what his name was. All he knew was that he was human."

"And then… there was Dialga…" Char said nervously. "I've been having visions of Dialga and Palkia. I think they sent me here to do something… and Saura and I are trying to figure it all out. Then we got caught up in the Gold Division, and that's why Team Ember exists. And Scythe… he found out about it, somehow, and that's why he's been protecting me and giving us all the special treatment."

"Well, I wouldn't say that," Saura added. "I think we're getting special treatment because Char has the Call. You knew that, right? I don't see how you couldn't. Scythe mentioned it a lot."

There was another moment of heavy, expectant silence as Char and Saura waited for Ray to say something. Ray slumped down onto the floor and sat there, his eyes with a faraway look.

"Wow," he finally said. "You're serious, aren't you?"

"Dead serious," Char said. "I wouldn't lie to a friend. Not anymore."

"Wow," Ray said again. "That's… huh. Wow."

Ray's eyes shifted, his gaze locking with Char's.

"Um… am I supposed to bow, or something?"

Char and Saura both released their breaths with a little nervous laugh.

"Nah, you don't have to," Saura said. "Scythe likes to do that, though, but Char just thinks it's annoying."

"So, are we okay?" Char asked, already starting to let himself relax. "Are we still friends?"

"Are you joking?!" Ray said, wearing a bright smile and getting back to his feet. "You really expected me to say no? This has to be the most amazing thing I've ever heard in my entire life, Char! Having you as a team leader is like… being trained by a trainer! It's an honor! A real honor!… I'm allowed to call you Char, right?"

Char nodded, then held out his hand.

"In that case," he said sternly, "Ray, if we're still friends, I want you to shake my hand… er… claw, and say that you're still my friend."

"Shake your claw?" Ray laughed oddly. "Why?"

"Just do it," Char insisted. "Hold my claw, and shake it. The handshake. It's a human gesture of trust. I've never seen you Pokémon do it, but I want you to do it this time. Please?"

"Whatever you want, Char!" Ray cheered with his newfound glee. "Handshake!"

_TZZAP._

A brilliant flash of yellow light filled the corridor as a giant spark of electricity rushed down Char's arm and filled his body. Char fell backward onto the ground, stars dancing before his eyes. Ray recoiled in horror, realizing that he might have gotten a little _too _excited…

"By Arceus! I'm so sorry!" Ray cried. "Char, are you okay?! Char?!"

… … …

_Knock, knock, knock, knock._

In the dead of night, there was a rapping at the door.

Saura's eyes fluttered open. It took him a second to realize that he was now in a room of his own, rather that Scythe's. The night-light torch in his room was glowing blue. It was the dead of night.

_Someone's visiting us?_ Saura wondered. _Who could it be? Did someone get locked out?_

_Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock._

_**Okay, **__already, I'm coming!_ Saura thought, rolling to his feet and wearily dragging himself out into the hall.

_**Knock! Knock! Knock!**_

The rapping was getting forceful. Saura wondered how long it had been going on before one of them had finally woken up.

When he reached the end of the hall, he limply extended his vines and slid the door open…

On the other side of the door stood a very, very tired and agitated Scythe, and a serious-looking Alakazam.

"Get Char," Scythe ordered.

"W—" Saura started.

"There has been an important development concerning Char's… abilities," Alakazam announced. "We must discuss things immediately."


	31. Chapter 28: Untimely Intrusion

**Chapter 28**

Char had never seen the inside of High Intelligence's chamber before, and got the impression that not very many Pokémon did. It was shaped like a large hall, or a throne room, almost. A calm white light shined from the ceiling and filled the room, not by a ghost-torch, but by a giant glowing crystal. Huge shelves piled high with books, orbs, and relics lined every wall, and several tables occupied the space in the center of the room. Metagross stood at the back and watched silently and motionlessly as the meeting took place, listening to each word spoken and committing it to memory.

Char knew he would have been in awe of the place if he hadn't felt so intimidated, not to mention sleepy. He felt especially uncomfortable since Alakazam forbid Saura from joining him in the meeting. Of course, that didn't stop him from resolving to tell Saura and Ray every single word spoken in that chamber, no matter how much Alakazam or even Scythe would insist against it.

"My most sincere apologies for this… untimely intrusion," Alakazam said with a bow. "But, as a service to you both, I have chosen to inform you of things as immediately as possible. You must also understand that we would not have the time or the coordination to hold this type of conference during the day; our plates are simply too full, just as I am well aware that yours are as well, Scythe."

Scythe responded with a gesture that somewhat resembled a half-hearted bow, but said nothing. Char copied his motion.

Alakazam lead the two over to a larger table. Char was too short to see on top of it, but soon noticed a convenient stone brick located near the base and stepped up. An extremely large map of Ambera, covered by a layer of glass, spanned the surface of the table. It was larger and more detailed than any map he'd ever seen before, and cluttered with countless small objects on the tabletop that undoubtedly represented things like locations of key efforts and known positions of the Master's forces. It appeared hand-drawn and shaded, and it was covered with enough hand-written notes and descriptions to make Char's head spin. He wondered if this was the _real_ Map of Jirachi, which had simply been transcribed into smaller copies for ease of use.

"You must understand that the information I am about to impart to you is of the utmost level of secrecy," Alakazam warned. "Only a select few Pokémon share this knowledge. It will remain unknown to the remainder of the Division. And, although you might take me for a fool, you must remember that I _am_ a psychic, and I can see your emotions as an open book. I have not even spoken, yet you both are resolute upon spreading the knowledge to your trusted teammates. While I feel that I must respect the relationships you hold with your associates, I must make a few things clear: first, that in the best course of action, you _should_ keep this a secret even from them, that imparting it would be _most_ unfavorable and dangerous, and could ultimately prove to be catastrophic. However, since I have nothing in the way of control over what you choose to tell them, I will simply impart the information to you and leave it to your own best judgment. Secondly, that, should you ultimately chose to tell those whom you trust, you must make them undeniably understand the gravity of the situation, just as I am making you understand now, so that they would never, under any circumstances, allow the information to spread farther than themselves. Do you understand what I am saying?"

Char felt himself gulp.

"I do, your honor," Scythe said, nodding his head.

"Yes, sir," Char said simply.

"Good, now," Alakazam said, sitting on one of the blocks and folding his hands on the table, "over the past month, my colleagues and I have devoted over four hundred hours to the research and study of the phenomenon known as the Call. Through it all, we have found… nothing."

Char and Scythe both listened intently, knowing full well that Alakazam didn't bring them for nothing.

"The Call's power changes with each new incarnation," he continued. "The legends and history books speak of its effects. But never, in the history of the recorded world, has the Call's power matched that which we witnessed that fateful night thirty-nine days ago. Analysis of the Call is also rare among the records, amounting to nothing but flimsy and useless speculation. In effect, we do not have an answer for what triggers it, or how it could be manipulated to call upon the servants of Arceus. The appearance of the Call was untimely. We wish only that our ancestors had kept better records, so as to help Ambera in its time of desperate need."

_Arceus_. Char kept hearing that name, over and over and over, and from every Pokémon he ever knew!

"What is Arceus?" Char asked. "I keep hearing the name, but what is it, and why do we swear by it?"

Alakazam grunted, not expecting the question. Char could tell that he was not amused by it, as he expected it to be common knowledge, but Char really wanted to know the answer.

"Arceus is a Pokémon," Alakazam said. "Arceus was the first Pokémon. Arceus created the universe. Arceus created Dialga, to tend to the river of time, and Palkia, to tend to the void of space, and from their powers combined, the universe came into being. By the power of Arceus, Mew was born, and all other Pokémon came into being. Arceus is the legend of legends, the god of gods, the omnipotent, the supreme. If we succeed in using the Call to evoke the sympathy and the wrath of Arceus' most powerful servants, you will _see_ with your very eyes why we swear by the name.

_Incredible,_ Char thought, trying to digest the words. _A Pokémon that created the universe? Could it really be possible for a single Pokémon to be so powerful, to have total control over existence itself? What about humans? He said that Arceus created Pokémon, but did he create humans? And since Arceus is a Pokémon, could he be caught, like any other Pokémon? What would happen? What would happen if the god of all the universe came under the control of something lesser than himself? Would the universe collapse? This is so mind-boggling! How can the creator of the universe be a Pokémon?_

"Please, try to focus," Alakazam requested. "Believe me, I know your head is now filled with silly questions, but you would be hard-pressed to find a Pokémon to answer any of them. They are mysteries to us all, and will probably remain that way until the end of time. You see, Arceus has never been seen. While Dialga, Palkia, and every other Pokémon of legend has made appearances throughout history to demonstrate their powers and to conform our world to the will of Arceus, our great and powerful father has never once visited us. Because of this, we must assume that Arceus is somewhat detached from creation, choosing instead to delegate power to the various legendary Pokémon and simply choosing to sit and rest in whatever plane of existence it calls home."

_Oh, I see,_ Char thought. _That makes sense. Arceus uses other Pokémon to do his work instead of dealing with the world directly. Guess we don't have to worry about him getting caught, then… yeah, that was pretty silly of me to worry about… But still, wow! An omnipotent Pokémon! I knew Dialga and Palkia were powerful, but Arceus sounds… absolutely mythic!_

"But I am deviating from the matter at hand!" Alakazam said, shaking his head. "I must move on to the purpose of this meeting. Just this evening, we received word of the impossible. It is something that signals the changing of the threads of fate, something that suggests the legendary dragons could be on the move as we speak, and it is something… that could have _everything_ to do with you, Charmander. Xatu, in her meditation this week, sensed something amiss, and flew far out to the north to investigate. It was then that she met with a group of Pokémon who had come all the way from the Emerald division in pursuit of a similar inkling, and they told her of their discoveries, and she returned this evening to share her tale…"

_THUNK._

A brass cylinder hit the table, completely without the aid of Alakazam's hand. Char watched as Alakazam moved it with telekinesis, sliding it across the map of Ambera, around the countless other blocks and coins used as markers, and to the very northern boundary of Ambera itself. There, he released it from his hold and returned his attention to Scythe and Char.

"Temporal Tower has been revealed," Alakazam announced. "It can be found in this vicinity, north of the Emerald Division near the border of Zerferia, obscured by the surrounding—"

"Temporal Tower!" Scythe gasped suddenly, cutting Alakazam off. "We did it! We called upon Dialga! Could he be coming to our aid…?"

"What's Temporal Tower?" Char asked shamefully, hating himself for not understanding what were probably the basic legends of Ambera. "I'm sorry, sir. I was sheltered…"

Alakazam sighed again, stopping to explain things.

"Temporal Tower is a symbol," he explained. "It is a symbol of Dialga's power over our realm. Just as the very bodies of the legendary dragons are, themselves, symbols, since the servants of Arceus are, in actuality, pure spirits. While most Pokémon associate the form of Dialga with a great, sapphire, diamond-studded dragon, and Palkia as an equally majestic pearl-laden beast, those forms were merely chosen by Arceus so the Pokémon of the temporal realm, you and I, could more easily comprehend their existence, even when their beings far transcend the physical boundaries we see. For we are but creatures of flesh with no comprehension of the astral plane, and we can only believe what we see…"

"And, just as the dragons show us symbols of their beings, they also show us symbols of their authority, their power, and their connection to this world," Alakazam said. "In the history books, we can glimpse at some of these symbols, these monuments which represent the roles they play in governing time, space, and the other forces that control life itself. One such monument, spoken of in countless legends, is known as Temporal Tower, which represents Dialga's control over the time stream of this planet. It is said that, when Dialga visits the physical realm to intervene in whatever way it wills, Dialga's body, its physical form, dwells at the top of Temporal Tower to watch over the Pokémon down below. It is also mentioned in the legends that, in the times of greatest need, Pokémon have climbed to the top of Temporal Tower to beseech the aid of the time god."

"So Temporal Tower is where Dialga lives?" Char asked, his heart already starting to beat faster. "So that means Dialga's here? We could visit him?"

"This is the idea, yes," Alakazam said. "Although we must be wary of jumping to conclusions and rushing headlong into the affairs of the dragons, I fear we may have no choice. Temporal Tower is not a stable phenomenon. In the blink of an eye, it could be gone, hidden again from the eyes of mortal Pokémon. Legends even suggest that its location is not constant. Some speak of the Tower hovering above the ocean, others miles in the sky… To us, it appears inconsistent, not rooted to any location at all. For Temporal Tower is not actually a place, but something far more significant; it is a state of being, an expression of authority, given the appearance of a place."

"What now?" Scythe rasped. "What step do we take now? Do we… attempt Temporal Tower?"

"You shall," Alakazam said. "But again, it should not be a public affair. Because we have reason to believe that your ability has caused this, Charmander, it involves you and no one else. Scythe, you may choose to oversee his journey if you wish, but this is not an official mission. This is off the record. If word of Temporal Tower spreads beyond a simple harmless rumor, it could cause a wave of panic that would entice the Master to take drastic action, destroying everything we have. Do you understand?"

Char had to wonder if he was dreaming. It all seemed so… unreal. Alakazam wanted him to travel across the land, climb a mystical tower, and seek the aid of Dialga? Without the help of his team or even any of the Division? …Seriously?

It all happened so fast, Char knew it was going to take a while to sink in. Already, in his weary, half-asleep state of mind, he felt scared. Truly scared. Too much was expected of him. He'd just gotten used to being a Charmander, to facing risks and dangers that were at his level, and to feeling comfortable with his new friends in his new home. But now, as he was called upon to face the consequences of his supernatural ability, to unravel what was perhaps another milestone in his journey to find his purpose, he knew he would buckle.

For a second time, he wondered if, deep down, he really wanted uncover his past.

"You will take three days to prepare," Alakazam dictated, standing upright once more, "And on the fourth day, you will leave for the Emerald Division. I will try to arrange a viable means of speedy transportation for you. In the meantime, pack your supplies, and do everything you can to prepare yourself."

_Saura is coming with me,_ Char determined. _I don't care what anyone says. I don't care what Scythe says. I'll defy Scythe if I need to. This is exactly what Saura wanted in the first place, to help me reach this point, and he's going to be there with me when it happens… because I need him._

"I see that you fear this task, little Charmander," Alakazam sympathized. "In the pit of your stomach, you feel a quiver when presented with this task. Yet, inside of you, there is also a pride that could be controlling your actions instead. Do not make yourself so vulnerable. Take pride in your glorious purpose! The very existence of Temporal Tower here and now means that something is happening behind-the-scenes, and you, little ember with the power to woo the gods, can play a role! One day, all of Ambera may sing songs about a little Charmander who summoned the gods and saved them from the Master's wicked reign. Besides… I sense another emotion in you. There is something… about Dialga that troubles you. Or maybe intrigues you. You look up to Dialga. You seek Dialga for… some type of fulfillment, or… some type of answer. This will be your one and only chance to satisfy this longing in your life. Seize it while you can."

_He's right!_ Char thought. _I can… I can meet Dialga… face-to-face… and ask him everything! I can ask him why I'm a Pokémon! I can ask him where I came from! I can ask him why I'm here and why I have the Call! But… still… this is all unbelievable, to be caught up in the affairs of the gods like this… I just hope that Dialga will be nice to us…_

"You, Scythe, also seem troubled," Alakazam said. "But I will not attempt to intrude upon your mind; you are a grown Pokémon and are capable of consoling yourself."

When he said this, Char thought he noticed Scythe casting a rather dangerous glance at the Alakazam, but only for a second. It was apparent to him that Alakazam was right: the information and the assignment, although extraordinary, disturbed him somehow.

And that was that. The meeting ended with some awkward formalities, and Char found himself being lead by Scythe out of the Alakazam's chambers and back into the halls of the base.

… … …

Char felt himself stumbling. He knew he needed sleep, but he started to wonder if, after hearing the news, his body would even let him get back to bed, the thoughts throbbing as if a cold blade had been slid into his head and left there. Half of his mind was in a fiery debate with the other about whether or not he wanted these events to be happening in his life, whether he wanted to fulfill his role as a human or just settle down and live life as a Charmander, whether or not, in the end, he'd even have a choice in the matter…

But as he walked with Scythe up to the rooms, he soon discovered that Scythe had a lot more on his mind than he did.

"This wasn't supposed to happen," Scythe muttered, practically to himself.

"What?" Char asked, wondering if he was supposed to have heard it.

"This isn't supposed to be happening," Scythe said again with more certainty.

"What do you mean?" Char wondered aloud. "I thought this was the moment you were waiting for! Dialga could help us defeat the Master once and for—"

"Not _now,_ not _now,_" Scythe said. "No, not now. I had different plans."

Char was taken off-guard by the new tone in Scythe's voice. He almost sounded… crazy. It may have been his sleepiness speaking for him, but…

"I had it all figured out," Scythe said incessantly. "But then this happened. It was the wrong time. Do you realize how hard it is to conceive the _perfect_ plan? Do you know many sleepless nights it takes? And then when it finally all clicks together, and you have a perfect plan, a perfect answer, something that couldn't fail… and then it's all thrown apart by…"

To Char's surprise, Scythe stopped walking. He slumped himself down in the corner of the hallway beneath a blue torch and stared into space, looking lost.

"Scythe, are you okay?" Char asked, approaching him warily.

"No, human, I'm not," Scythe replied. "I'm… disheartened. I'm not supposed to fail. Nobody expects me to fail. But I'm about to fail. Everything is about to come crashing down. Everything is…"

Scythe shook his head, as if to try, futilely, to break himself out of his looping thought patterns.

Char stood, wide-eyed. Scythe's weariness was making him drunk, making him say things that he would not otherwise say. Char realized that Scythe was being personal with him, that his innermost thoughts were starting to untie themselves and rise to the surface. Just how many nights had he been staying up?

"Basin Canyon," Scythe muttered. "I cannot lose Basin Canyon. I can't lose. I can't lose it, human. I can't. What do I do now? I had the perfect plan. But… It's…"

Char stood still, wondering if he should speak with Scythe or just walk away.

"What happened?" Char decided to ask. "Why… did your plan fail?"

"Because, I can't be in four places at once, I can't!" Scythe cried quietly, shaking his head. "It took me this long just to figure out how to be in three places at once. But now I have to be with you, at Temporal Tower, and it's all gone. All gone. It was the wrong time for this. It was the wrong time! The plan won't work anymore…"

"Scythe… No, don't say that," Char gasped, not knowing what else to say. "I can go to Temporal Tower alone. It's okay. As long as Saura will come with me, you can stay here and—"

"No, no, no, no, that can't work," Scythe whined, shaking his head faster. "No. I have to come. It is the only way. I have to come. I will come with you. It is the only way. But it… it will make me… give up… you…"

_What is he saying?_ Char wondered, grimacing.

"I will… I'll have to lie to them," Scythe muttered. "I'll have to tell them we're at the Emerald Division. Visiting. My team... can't know… where I am… It's… the only way…"

Scythe shifted. Char knew that he was falling asleep.

"If you… tell Saura… don't tell Ray… don't tell anyone else… Just… you… and I… and Saura… or else… _she_… might know…"

His eyes fluttered closed, and his head fell. He was fast asleep.

Char stayed standing, frozen in place, wondering what had just happened. He knew now that it was true: Scythe respected him as a human. If all the times he'd shown Char the reverent bow-like gesture weren't enough to convince him, this definitely did. Even though he wasn't in his right mind, the fact that he'd offered such a deep and personal confession to Char meant something; Char had to really wonder if there was anyone else in Scythe's life that he could share his deepest feelings with, or if they'd all just been buried away, just like the secrets he kept…

Char's daze was broken when a wince shot through him, making him realize that he was about to fall asleep himself. He took a step away, then another, until he started to feel his heart rate picking up enough to allow him to complete the walk back to his room.

He knew, when he'd wake up the following morning, everything would be as normal. Scythe would pretend nothing happened, and so would he. But as he left Scythe on his own to sleep in the deserted corridor that night, he started to realize that, no, he couldn't just accept his existence as a Charmander. He couldn't seek to leave behind his humanity. Not when the world revolved around him. Not when Pokémon served him and respected him as the human he was. Not when gods answered to his Call.

The next step, he determined, was Temporal Tower.

When he returned to his room, he'd barely touched the front door before it shifted away in front of him, revealing a weary-eyed, but softly-smiling Saura on the other side. He knew that his best friend had stayed awake to await his return.


	32. Chapter 29: A Bad Day

_Finally, a very special thanks goes out to __**rabidcatking**__ and __**Sicarius Riuyoh**__ for giving me assistance with parts of this chapter!  
_

* * *

**Chapter 29**

A majestic Charizard soared across the sky, enjoying the powerful sensation of the wind whipping across its face and beneath its wings.

_This is heaven_, it thought. _I could never ask for anything more._

The Charizard gazed upon the endless splendor of the sky which surrounded him. Towering clouds formed a landscape of mighty pillars and hills, casting the orange sunlight into streaming rays. The ground was so far below, it was invisible. But the ground was irrelevant. Only the sky existed, his gorgeous and eternal playground.

He danced in the heavens, swooping and spiraling and bursting through the mist of the clouds. He felt the way his course was changed at every little twitch of his wings, every little effortless flap propelling him faster and higher…

He had no idea where he was going, nor did he care; only the bliss of his momentum, his dominance over the world of the sky, mattered to him…

But then, he beheld something unusual emerging from a far-away cloud. A shining ball of fire appeared in the distance, almost like a second sun, ablaze with a strange and glorious radiance as it hung in the air. The Charizard emptied his wings and dove closer, curious to inspect this new entity which had joined him among the world of the heavens.

As he approached, the shape of the fire began to take the form of a great orange bird, whose perpetually ablaze wings cast explosions of flame across the sky with each flap.

_Oh, it's just Moltres,_ the Charizard realized.

"Hey, Char! Good morning to you!" Moltres called, drifting around in a semicircle to fly alongside the Charizard. "Are you ready to head back to the base? We're all getting tired of waiting for you!"

Char felt a sudden dismay fill him.

"I can't," Char replied. "I would, but I can't."

"Why not?" Moltres asked concernedly. "Is something wrong?"

A horrible feeling began to fill Char's body. It was a feeling that Char knew well, but couldn't quite place. It felt as though someone was weighing his body down with sandbags, piling one after another onto his shoulders, until it took all his heart to even move a muscle. He found his flight simply slowing to a stop, and he couldn't do anything about it. He knew this was the end.

"Because… I can't move," Char said to Moltres. "Forget about me… Go on without me… I'm fading… away…"

Soon, reality itself seemed to disappear, leaving only blackness.

… … …

_Aww, man!_ Char thought absently. _What an awesome dream that was! So vivid! Maybe… if I stay completely still, and don't open my eyes… it'll come back!_

_… … …_

Char the Charizard arrived back to the mountain range which he called his home. He soared between rocky cliffs, following a gorge that apparently lead back to his base.

"Hey, Char!" a Dragonite yelled from a cliff. "Good to see you back! Ready for the big day?"

"Hey, Ray!" Char called to it. "Good morning!"

Char flew on, disregarding the odd feeling that something about Ray wasn't right today.

After navigating over the craggy landscape and between the jutting mountains, Char found his home. It was a mountain cave crawling with Pokémon—his team. Dragons flew in circles around the peak, and rock Pokémon teemed across the slopes and cliff faces. They all gave a cheer when they noticed him.

Char crashed down onto the platform in front of the main entrance to his cave, and was immediately met with a small congregation who were waiting for him, lead by Dialga and Palkia. He was surprised to see them, and he couldn't shake the feeling that he expected them to be… well, _bigger_, as they were only about the size of himself.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Char asked the temporal dragon. "Aren't you supposed to be… um… somewhere else?"

"You recruited us, remember?" Dialga answered. "We're on Team Ember now!"

"Today's the day we head out for Temporal Tower," Palkia said. "Maybe we'll finally figure out why you're a human!"

A few more Pokémon joined the group, including Mew, Entei, and Groudon. At the end of the line, a Leafeon emerged from the cove, bursting with excitement as it stepped up to Char.

_Whoa… _Char thought, staring at it. _Why does that Leafeon look so familiar?_

"Are you ready to go, Char?" the Leafeon asked. "We have to get going! It's now or never!"

_Oh, it's Saura,_ Char realized. _Wait… SAURA?! Why is Saura a Leafeon? That makes no sense! Oh… wait! That's right! I remember now! I finally convinced him to evolve! Hah, this is the best resistance team ever!_

Rayquaza flew down from the sky and stood at attention.

"Happy to help out, Char!" it said. "Ready, steady, go!"

Char stumbled. The dreadful feeling of heaviness was back, and was quickly spreading through his body. He tried to take a step forward, but collapsed to the ground and resigned himself to his fate…

_Oh, why won't they last longer?_ Char whined to himself._ I never have such awesome dreams like this! They always happen in the morning, right when I'm about to wake up… But usually… I always… get woken up… by…_

Char and his friends were on the road to the destination, wherever it was. He didn't know where they were all headed, but it sure wasn't Temporal Tower. Instead, Char found himself soaring over oceans and prairies and forests that repeated themselves over and over. After a while, Char started to get annoyed, wondering when the journey would end.

They finally arrived to a small, secluded cottage which sat in the middle of a meadow. Some Nidoran and Buneary were dancing around outside. When Char and his friends crowded around the door, a large Nidoqueen stepped out and greeted them.

"Hey, you're back!" the Nidoqueen said merrily, welcoming them in with a wave of her arm. "We missed you! Hey, why not bring all your friends inside? I've got a lovely dinner waiting for you!"

So, they all went inside. Char had to keep from tripping over the countless Buneary kids which constantly circled around his feet and asked him questions about why he was so awesome. Char performed tricks to impress them, such as using his skills with telekinesis to pick up the children and make them float in the air.

Some of the other children were bothering the legendary dragons.

"Dialga! Can you send me back in time so that my head is on backwards!"

"No can do," Dialga said, shaking his head. "If I sent you back in time you might meet yourself and the world would explode! Want to be sent forward instead?"

"Hey Palkia!" another kid pleaded. "Could you turn me into Lugia! I want to fly! Pleeease?"

"Sorry kid," Palkia said. "I can't let you do that, you'd drown in the ocean! How about a game of tag instead?"

"Hey Rayquaza!" another child said. "Could you help us build a big tower of blocks?"

Suddenly, all the talking in the entire room ceased. Everyone froze in horror. A fork dropped somewhere.

"Oh, no," Char muttered, cringing. "He didn't… he didn't just say that…"

Rayquaza uncoiled itself and floated up to the top of the room, seething in anger.

"_BLOCKS?_" it roared. "You want _me_, the legendary dragon of the skies, to play with _blocks_?"

Char covered his eyes and peeked through his claws, awaiting the inevitable response….

"_**RAYQUAZA DOES NOT PLAY WITH BLOCKS!**__" _it boomed, shaking the entire building. "_**RAYQUAZA UNLEASHES HYPER BEAM AND DESTROYS ALL!**_"

A brilliant yellow glow filled the inside of the house as Rayquaza charged its hyper beam…

But Char didn't get to see the end. As the yellow light increased in intensity, the heaviness had set in again, leaving him only able to close his eyes and drift away as the dream came to an end…

… … …

The dream was gone, but the yellow glow remained.

_Yellow…?_

Char's eyes drifted open. His body was finally satisfied with the sleep it had gotten, and it was ready to wake up for the day. A terribly blurry vision came to him as his eyes opened farther, flooding his sense of sight with yellow and causing him to squint…

_Yellow… _Char thought. _This seems unusual. Usually when I get up, it's…_

"W-AAAH!"

A horrible realization suddenly dawned upon him. He jumped awake, almost falling out of his new bed. It couldn't be!

He frantically scanned his surroundings. The torches which lined his room, as well as the two large dishes of fire which continued to burn away on either side of his bed, were all burning bright yellow… the normal color of fire.

It was already midday. He'd slept in.

"AHH!" Char yelled again, leaping onto the floor and out into Team Ember's hall. "The mission! Saura! Ray! We're late! We slept in! Oh, man, are _we_ in trouble! The first day on our own, and we can't even—"

Char rushed into Saura's room, but it was empty.

"Saura?!" Char called, making sure he wasn't missing something. "Saura? Are you here? Ray! What about you? Are you here?"

Hurrying into Ray's room, he found it empty as well.

"You guys didn't leave me behind, did you?" Char demanded of no one. "This is horrible! I only slept in because of Alakazam—"

Another thought crossed his mind: he remembered that he _really_ needed to speak with both his friends as soon as possible! They had to hear about what happened the previous night, about Scythe and Alakazam and Temporal Tower, so they could start preparing for the expedition. It was the first thing he had intended to do that morning, before even the mission or anything else… and now, it seemed, it was a little too late.

Char looked around at the empty corridors, feeling seriously confused. Why had his friends abandoned him like this? Why didn't they wake him up, like normal?

_Maybe they didn't leave on the mission yet,_ Char speculated as he trudged to the front door. _Yeah. I bet they're just up with Team Remorse. Or maybe, they're having lunch! Yeah! I bet Ray finally took my advice, and we're running our missions in the sunlight now!_

As he soon found, none of it was true. There was a note tacked to the wall by the front door, surely left by Saura and Ray to explain their absence. He tore it off and held it before his eyes, squinting to read it.

Footprint runes.

"Grr…" he growled in frustration, rolling his eyes. "Why does everything have to be written in footprint runes?!"

… … …

It was understandable of Saura and Ray to leave him a note in the language he still didn't understand: to the Pokémon, his human writing ("Unown-script" as they called it) was non-standard and difficult to learn. Neither Saura nor Ray knew his language, so they did the best they could to communicate to him on paper, knowing that he'd be able to figure it out somehow. Char scanned the page and could make out his name written at the top, as well as Saura's name at the very bottom, but all the other words were gibberish to him, as usual…

"This is so embarrassing," Char moaned, crumpling the edges of the paper with his claws and hanging his head in shame.

"Uh… hey! Hey, someone! Anyone! Can anyone help me?"

Char stood at the balcony to the main room of the base and waved his arms, trying to catch the attention of any bird Pokémon that would come close enough to notice him. A Pidgeotto eventually flew near and heard his call.

"I'll help if I can," the Pidgeotto said oddly as it landed before Char. "What's the trouble?"

"Well, um, I'm having trouble reading my friend's handwriting," Char lied, trying to keep a straight face while he held up the note. "He left me this. Could you maybe read this for me?"

"Hah," the Pidgeotto squawked amusedly. "Nice try! Hey, don't take it the wrong way, Char, but everyone knows you're illiterate."

Char balked, and suddenly felt a little humiliated. He should have known. It wasn't a secret that Scythe would have kept from anyone. _Wow_, he thought. _That that's sure to change the way I feel about all the other Pokémon in this base. This day is really starting out great, isn't it?_

"Hey, now," the Pidgeotto said quickly, hopping forward. "I told you not to take it the wrong way! Besides, you can write _human_, how many Pokémon can do that? Now, let me see this note already."

Meekly, Char held up the note and turned it around for the bird to see.

"Erhm. 'Char—Ray was still feeling guilty about zapping you, so he convinced Scythe to let you have the day off. Enjoy your rest, and we'll see you when we come back from the mission! Saura. Postscript: the fire will never die!' Well, now, isn't that thoughtful of your team? He-he-he, I see your Raichu friend must be having some electrical discharge problems?"

"I've got to go," Char said, feeling like he was blushing. "Thank you for helping."

… … …

Char went to the only place he could think of to go: the meeting hall. For the first time as a Pokémon, he felt overwhelmingly _lonely_. Saura had _always_ been by his side, and he could _always_ talk to him, even in the middle of the night if he had to. Not only was Saura gone, but his other two most-trusted friends had gone with him. And now, more than ever, Char just _really_ needed someone to talk to—and he figured that Dialga was as good as anyone at the moment.

"Well, Dialga, here I come," Char whispered humbly as he sat just before the great statue. "I'm coming to visit you in only three days. I have to tell you something: I'm really scared. I've heard so many legends about how… how mighty you are, and how great your rage can be… But I know that you had something to do with why I'm here, so... I hope you'll take me in and tell me what's going on."

The dragon, of course, didn't answer, but Char gave himself a moment of silence so he could at least pretend that it was listening.

"Wow. This is going to be a huge trip," Char continued. "I'm scared just thinking about it. We'll have to pack so much… I hope that Scythe lets us take some of his supplies…"

Again he paused, just to let his own words sink in. Yes, the trip was going to be insane. The thought of traveling so far from the base, his now-beloved home, made him feel unspeakably uncomfortable, especially when considering the Watchers and the Master which inhabited the overworld. He didn't even know the first thing about getting ready; he would have to trust Scythe to guide him through the plans.

"Scythe," Char whispered. "Something's wrong with Scythe. He told me about it last night. I think he's about to fail his mission! What can I do to help him? I can't do anything! I'm just…"

"_HEY!_" a voice suddenly screeched from one of the room's many entrances, echoing madly through the whole dome-shaped hall. "_HEY! YOU!_"

Char jumped up in surprise and stood at attention. A Ghastly had found him.

"What are you _doing here?_" it demanded. "Don't you know this room is _off limits_?"

"I—uh—" Char tried.

"Get OUT!" the Ghastly blasted. "NOBODY'S supposed to be here when there's no meeting! Besides, don't you know how much power it takes to burn _all these torches_? We can't run the rest of the base and this room at the same time! Go! Get out of here!"

Char was about to complain, but he felt the taste of fire escalating in the back of his throat. So, he shut his jaws as hard as he could and simply walked out of the room, speechless.

… … …

_I'm going to scream!_ Char thought, clenching his fists as he crossed the hallway to go to the cafeteria. _I can't believe I can't go in the meeting hall anymore. What am I supposed to do now?! _

"Hey, whoa there, little guy," an Ariados said, grimacing at the sight of Char's swollen flame. "Careful with that fire…"

_There's got to be some way I can calm down,_ Char thought, completely ignoring the spider. _Maybe some breakfast will help._

_… … …_

"Sorry, we don't have anything ready yet!" Bellossom said. "Breakfast was over a long time ago, and lunch isn't for another hour! Could I get you a glass of water?"

"No, thank you," Char tried to say politely. "I hate water."

Char sat himself down on a nearby bench to mope. Even the cafeteria, he now realized, was mostly empty, save for a few Pokémon that were relaxing at other tables to read piles of documents. Setting his head in his claws, he took a deep breath and tried to console himself.

_There's got to be some way to pass the time_, Char thought, feeling the minutes pass by like hours. _This place is always boring when there's no job to do. But there's a hundred Pokémon in here… I'm going to find someone to help. There's got to be someone._

After a quick walk downstairs, Char rapped on the door of Team Stripes. An Eevee greeted him.

"Hi, Char," it greeted cordially. "Can I help you?"

"Hey, Evan," Char said. "Hey, uh… I got stuck at the base today, and I'm kinda bored. Want to do a mission?"

"Sorry, I can't," he replied. "I got stuck back today, too. I've got work to do."

"Well, um… could I help with it?" Char offered.

"I don't think it's anything you could help with," Evan laughed kindly. "I got stuck with the accounting today. And they say you can't read, so…"

"Ah," Char said dismissively. "Well… that's okay, then. I'll find something else to do."

"Are you feeling okay?" Evan spoke concernedly, eying his tail. "We could talk for a few minutes if you want to... I think I could take a little break…"

"Nah, that's okay," Char said politely. "I shouldn't distract you from your work. I'll find something else to do."

… … …

Char trudged back down the hall, wondering if he was the only Pokémon in the base that felt left out of the resistance for the day.

_Maybe I could talk to Team Remorse?_ Char wondered. _No… not after how much they're straining themselves. They need all the peace and quiet they can get… Maybe Team Entei? No… they're probably out on missions… it's not worth the walk to their room…_

That's when Char realized that there _was_ one Pokémon in the entire base that he knew, with some certainty, he'd be able to talk to. With a light smile forming across his face, he took off down the hall.

Char waited anxiously on the bench of the day care lobby when Kangaskhan emerged from the door, guiding a little Pidgey with her.

"Here he is!" Kangaskhan sang. "Hyperactive little guy, he's been. He plays rough with the other kids. Bet he's happy to see you!"

When Otto noticed the figure before him, he gave a loud chirp in exaltation and launched himself into the air, fluttering and landing before his master.

"Have fun," Kangaskhan said. "Take all the time you need!"

Char cast a loving glance at his newest friend, giving him a gentle pat on the head. If he ever once assumed that birds were not capable of smiling, it was misconception totally expelled now: Otto was absolutely _beaming_.

"Hey there, little guy," Char spoke in a high-pitched voice, like he was speaking to a baby. "Did you have a good rest? Do you like your new—"

"_CHAR!_" it chirped loudly, catching him off-guard.

Char's blinked in surprise. It knew his name?

"You can talk now?" Char yelped in disbelief. "It hasn't even been a day, and… you can talk?"

"_CHAR! CHAR!_" it sang.

"Well… he learned your name, at least," Kangaskhan said with an amused smile. "The first things we always teach the wilds are the name of their master, then their own name. He knows his own name now, but he hasn't gotten around to speaking it yet. But he picked up yours really fast!"

"Wow, Otto!" Char congratulated the bird, affectionately ruffling the feathers on its forehead. "You're just a little genius, you know that?"

"CHAAR!" it squeaked.

"Oh, and another thing," Kangaskhan said, putting her hands on her hips. "This little guy won't stop eating gummis! And after he ate practically all our gummis for bird Pokémon, he started eating the fire gummies and the rock gummis, too! He just won't stop!"

"_GOOOOOOOMII!_" Otto screeched.

Char laughed, pleased to see that his new friend was making such great progress.

Char was able to pass the time for a while, just telling the bird whatever came to mind. He figured Otto didn't have the slightest clue what he was talking about, but the Pidgey listened intently, happy to be in the presence of its master. After a while, though, Otto grew unmistakably bored. Char saw that the little guy probably just wanted to run off and get more exercise, so he cut off the conversation and let Otto go, wishing it good luck.

For a second time, Char was pained to see Otto leave. His heart fluttered at the thought of the day when he'd be able to speak with Otto as an equal. Or fly with him in the sky…

… … …

_Well, that put me in a better mood,_ Char realized as he crawled the base, looking for something else to do. _I wonder how much time that passed? Eh, I bet it was only about half an hour. Hey… Domo's gone, but I wonder if the dojo is still open? I could use some exercise myself…_

Once Char found his bearings in the confusing corridors, he descended some flights of stairs and made his way to the dojo entrance.

Along the way, he met a few other Pokémon on their various errands throughout the base, but one seemed to be following alongside him: a Graveler, and a pretty large one at that. Char figured by its size and the way it held itself that it was a member of Team Avalanche, the Division's most well-known Rock-oriented team.

"Excuse me," Char addressed the Graveler, "Are you, by chance, going to the dojo?"

"Yeah," the boulder Pokémon replied in a low and gravely voice. "Why?"

"Could I train with you?" Char beseeched. "If you're not busy, that is."

"Uh, sure," the Graveler grunted. "Can do. I was gunna practice alone anyway."

When they got to the dojo, Char found that it was still fully active even during the Sensi's leave of absence. He waited at the side of the room, watching curiously as a Floatzel instructed a class of Poliwhirl and Vaporeon in some water-based techniques. The class ended shortly, and Char took the floor with the Graveler.

"Name's Ged. Team Avalanche," the Graveler said. "I know you're Char. Team Ember. Everyone knows you. How should we train?"

"Well, I, um, I'm not too good at fighting your kind," Char confessed. "There were a lot of you in the Iron Crevice, and they just destroyed me. So I was wondering if you could give me some tips on… fighting you."

Ged snorted. "Reveal my weaknesses?" hechuckled. "It humiliates me. But fine."

Char stood at attention as the Graveler fell silent for a moment, as if to get his thoughts in order.

"First. I hate water," Ged declared. "It gets into my cracks and makes me miserable. Strong water pressure can wash me away. I have nightmares about Blastoise chasing me. Second. I hate plants. When plant Pokémon attack, they chip away at my skin somehow. Saura would be better than you."

"Yes, I know about your weaknesses," Char said. "But do you have any tips for me? How would a fire Pokémon like me defeat you?"

"Steel," it replied. "Harness the power of steel. Learn how to channel energy so your claws become hard like steel. Then you can slice through rock. Channel your energy so your tail becomes hard like Iron. Then you can break rock. Metal is harder than rock."

Char looked oddly at his claws. "Um… I don't know how to do that," he admitted. "I guess I have to learn a new technique…"

"Can't help you. Ask Pokémon who know the techniques or get Training Machines," Ged instructed. "Second. Learn martial arts. Martial artists learn the art of breaking rocks with their bare hands. Land a well-placed punch and you can crack me open."

"Hmm, I don't know that either," Char grumbled in disappointment. "I guess I have a little more to learn. Any other tips, or anything? Wait, no, I have a question. The reason Graveler scare me so much is because they can make earthquakes. I hate that! Is there any way to stop those?"

"Heheh," the Graveler laughed evilly.

Char should have seen it coming, but there was nothing he could do about it anyway. Ged raised a foot and stomped the ground, creating a minor shockwave that caused the room to vibrate. Char clutched his head, feeling a sharp headache coming on as his skull was rattled around.

"Ow ow!" Char moaned in pain, falling to one knee. "Stooop! Ow, that hurts so much!"

"Earthquake," Ged said as the shockwave subsided. "Good, strong technique. But it hurts friends and enemies too. Someday, you can make them. Charizard are big enough. But not now. Now you are powerless against earthquakes. You can't avoid them."

"Really?" Char asked sadly. "I can't stand them. I was really hoping you could help. Are you sure there's no way?"

"No way," Ged said, "but grow wings and fly. You can't feel the earthquake from the air. Become Charizard and you will be free from earthquakes."

"Well, in that case, it looks like I should just leave all the Graveler to Saura, then," Char sighed. "Oh, well. Thanks for your help…"

"Wait, where are you going?" Ged shouted. "What about a battle? You wanted to train. Let's train!"

"What good is battling if you'll just dominate me?" Char whined. "I can't fight you! Not as weak as I am now!"

"That is why we train, to get stronger," Ged said. "Even if you lose. You get stronger. No pain, no gain, humans say. So. Let's fight!"

Char grumbled. Yes, that _was_ what he promised, so he couldn't in his right conscience just walk out on the Graveler. He owed the rock Pokémon a battle.

"Fine," Char decided, mentally preparing himself for a real beating. "But please, just don't use earthquakes on me. Okay?"

Char concentrated on igniting his fire for battle. It wasn't hard to do; he was already irritated enough by the day's events, and the thought of getting pummeled by his opponent put him in an even more profoundly bad mood. He glanced back at his tail to find that the flame had almost risen to eye-level, more than adequate for putting up a good fight.

He started the battle by leaping close to his opponent and choking out a cloud of black smoke. As soon as it billowed from his mouth, Char had to marvel at the depth and opaqueness of the cloud as it spread and reduced the visibility of the room to nearly nothing. It was his greatest smoke screen yet, he judged, and he knew he was going to need it if he wanted to stand a chance. Ged made a strange grinding noise that sounded almost like a cough, then began to wander through the fog in search of Char.

Jumping at the opportunity to strike while the enemy was impeded, Char scurried around to the rear end of the Graveler, backed up, and made a running start for the Graver's feet…

_Thunk._

Char's head brutally collided with solid rock, sending him careening back in dizziness and collapsing onto the floor. He'd hoped to knock Ged off-balance, but he'd only succeeded in getting a bump on his head.

"OWWW!" Char cried, gritting his teeth and clutching his forehead with both claws.

"What was that?" Ged laughed. "A Headbutt? You should be smarter, Char!"

"I was _trying_ to knock you down," Char groaned in frustration, managing to get back to his feet even though his sense of balance had been rattled.

"Hahah," Ged cackled. "You cannot knock Graveler down. Every way is up!"

To illustrate his point, Ged propelled himself into a roll, emerging from the darker recesses of the fog and stopping right before Char by throwing down his second pair of hands as brakes. Char saw what he meant: with six limbs, the Graveler was always in control of its balance. Knocking it into a roll would do nothing.

"Good black cloud," Ged admitted. "But it will clear soon. What will you do?"

Char replied by blasting the Graveler in the face with a very impressive burst of flames. Ged gagged and reeled as the flames drowned out his vision, forcing him to roll backwards in retreat. Even Char was surprised at the fire's magnitude; his Ember was not letting him down today.

Still with the cover of the cloud in his favor, Char rushed close to his opponent and jumped onto its head, holding on tight and biting down hard with his jaws into Ged's forehead. While he knew he couldn't melt the rock like he could melt steel, he figured he'd be able to do some damage by ingraining his white-hot teeth and maybe putting a few dents into the Graveler's hide…

Big mistake. No sooner did Char get a firm grip with his teeth than he heard a sickening _crack,_ and knew instantly that one of his own bones had snapped apart. Ged had responded by rolling his entire body forward and flattening Char against the ground, sending him into the awful agony of being smashed between rocks that he'd prayed he would never have to experience a second time. When he felt the giant bolder roll off him, he let himself lay in place, not even sure if what he saw with his eyes was a vision of the room or just a colorful collage of stars.

_Smack!_ Wasting no time, Ged struck again, striking Char's poor body with the sharpened edge of his forearm. Char tumbled hopelessly away, giving himself up for lost when he came to a stop, plopping down on his stomach and finding himself unable to get up.

"I'm finished," Char begged weakly. "I'm done. You win! Please! No more!"

"Nah, that's nothing," Ged insisted. "Charmander are strong. You can take much more. Take a break and heal, then we fight again. You will do better next time."

Ged pointed to the far wall of the Dojo, where there sat a long shelf lined end-to-end with Oran Berries. It was a necessity to have them on hand, especially to the serious trainers. Already more sore than having spent all day on a stressful mission, and with a fracture in his shoulder, Char fought the searing pain and dragged himself across the room to where the Oran Berries waited.

"You must truly fight!" Ged said encouragingly. "That is the only way you can become Charizard! You must fight! Don't be fragile!"

_This is going to be a long training session, _Char miserably realized.

… … …

Many painful bruises and concussions later, Ged decided that Char had enough and let him go, but not before congratulating him on his great matches. He insisted that Char's technique had improved a little, that he'd learned something from the experience, even though the only thing Char was sure he'd learned was how to take even more pain. Covered in tender spots from being slammed with rocks in more ways than he could count, and with at least a dozen Oran berries dissolving in his stomach, Char wandered out of the dojo.

This time, though, he didn't have to think hard about how to further pass the time. He knew exactly where he was headed; there was a thought stuck in his mind now, a thought that wouldn't go away:

_Charizard._

"Heya, Char," Morrik said as he stepped out from the wall, sensing that a visitor had entered his lobby. "Whatcha need? Oh, wow. You don't look like you're having too good a day. Is that a black eye?! Maybe y' should see Dr. Orde. There's only so much those Oran Berries can do, y'know…"

"Get me my feral-shard," Char commanded. "I know I have one in storage. I got it from our first mission. I want to evolve now."

"_W…wah?_" Morrik cried. "You're joking, right? I've seen your area at least a hundred times… you don't have one!"

"I have to!" Char insisted, slamming his fists down on the counter-top. "It was at Empirical Falls. We stole it from Team X. I put it in the bag myself. Can you go check, please?"

"Char, there's no way," Morrik told him. "Do you realize what kind of commodity these things are right now? _Nobody_ has them. They're locked out of the market. It's been a problem for a few weeks now. The Master's tightening his grasp on the market. Even Kecleon can't get any."

"Please! Check!" Char ordered. "I have one! I know it!"

"A'ight, I'll go have a look, since you insist," Morrik said. "But I'm telling you. Don't get your hopes up too high."

Morrik disappeared into the wall, then returned not even thirty seconds later.

"Char!" he yelled, a look of pure shock upon his face. "I don't believe this! You were right! There was one!"

Char nearly threw himself over the counter. "I knew it!" he cheered in joy. "Give it to me!"

"Ah, heheheheh," Morrik laughed. "So gullible, heheh. No, you don't have one."

Char sent a dangerous glance to the Gengar, then slumped down onto the floor, disheartened.

"Where did it go?" he wondered. "I'm sure I had one! I was keeping it for when I knew I could evolve!"

"Uh, this is just a hunch," Morrik said, a hint of curiosity now in his tone, "but if you're so sure of yourself, I could go check in Team Remorse's stuff to see if they, y'know, took it from you. Though, I think I would have remembered transferring it."

Char nodded an unspoken consent, and Morrik disappeared again. He returned very shortly, shaking his head.

"Nope, they don't have one either," he reported. "T' tell ya the truth, I don't think there's one feral-shard in the whole storage right now." With a wink, he added, "If there was one, I'd let y' steal it. Really! I would!"

_Well, that's just great,_ Char thought. _I guess I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up like that. Oh, but I want to be Charmeleon… so badly…_

_… … …_

Char was sure that an hour had passed, so he forced himself back down to the cafeteria. Sure enough, it was now lunchtime. The kitchen was serving a light meal to those who were staying back at the base for the day, or those who had accomplished the mission early enough in the morning to be back by now. Char accepted his portion: it was a very strange-looking meal, something like globs of colorful gelatin with berries suspended inside. He took it hesitantly, not sure if his stomach was in the mood for something so unsubstantial or full of sugar. He sat down to eat all by himself, hoping that the food could do something to satisfy him.

_Why does Pokémon food always need to be so sickeningly sweet?_ Char wondered, feeling the first serving wiggle around in his mouth as he chewed it. _Everything they serve here is just… all…_

Char felt the beginning of a gag reflex, and he knew he wasn't going to go any further.

… … …

After throwing his food away, Char was out of ideas. He decided that he'd head back up to his room and simply sleep the rest of the day away, as Saura's note had suggested of him. In hindsight, he realized that it would have been better if he'd never gotten out of bed, and wondered why he'd even left behind the soothing presence of his bedside fire. Already, as he ascended the merciless staircases back to his high-ranked lair, he could feel them… roaring away… flooding his exhausted body with warmth…

_Clunk. Clunk. Clunk._

Char pushed repeatedly, but the door wouldn't open.

He'd locked himself out of his hall.

"ARRRRCEUS!" he moaned, leaning his forehead against the solid tablet that stood between him and his room. "WHYYY?!"

… … …

Char awoke with a sudden start. Feeling the pressure against his forehead, he remembered that he actually fell asleep while leaning on his front door.

But something wasn't quite right. He'd woken up for a reason.

Something… changed.

He couldn't place the feeling, he just knew that something had changed. He wondered if his instincts were sensing something he couldn't see, or feel, or hear…

Or could he? The air was frozen in a sort of brooding, unnatural silence. It was _very_ unnatural, he soon realized. This was the Gold Division's base, a place constantly alive and echoing with the voices of hundreds of Pokémon about their day's work. And now… it was quiet.

Curious, and somewhat disturbed by the unnerving feeling that the Charmander within him had picked up on, Char opened his eyes…

And the entire hallway was dark.

Black. Still illuminated, but… black.

It didn't make sense. "Black" wasn't a color in the cycle of signals the torches were programmed for. "Black" wasn't even a _visible color_. Yet, somehow, Char found that the hall was now filled with… as if such a thing were even possible… shining black light.

Char looked around. The torches themselves now burned with a bizarre _black fire_.

_Is this some kind of signal?_ Char wondered, wandering back down the hall in awe of his surroundings, which seemed to become something new and different in the reality-defying light. _Does this… mean something?_

If it did, Char could tell instinctively that whatever it meant was not good.

Not wasting another minute in speculation, Char dropped to all fours and shot back to the nearest stairwell, heading upstairs to Team Remorse.

Char didn't go far before he found the team, or at least the members who had been home at the time, gathered in the hallway just outside their door. Marrow was there, as was Raon, and Markov. Char was at first taken aback by the sight of Raon: the golden rings on his body were glowing brightly, forming weird white rainbows as they mixed with the radiant black light which still filled the corridors. He knew, like his own fire, it was an indication that the Umbreon was experiencing some kind of elation; showing Char that Team Remorse was equally as upset with the phenomenon as he was. It filled Char with dread at seeing them arguing loudly and nervously amongst one another as he approached.

"What's going on?!" Char demanded as he rushed to their side, feeling his panicking instincts yearn for their company.

"This is _bad_," Marrow said. "Char, black means the entire base is on lockdown! Nobody can come or leave!"

"W-why would the base be on lockdown?" Char asked weakly, already imagining the answer.

"It means that the base is in danger of being infiltrated. Or attacked," Raon explained grimly. "This is very bad. They don't issue this measure unless the Master is literally on our doorstep. We need to find out what's going on, and _now._ Something must have slipped through the cracks."

"Char. Stay with us," Markov instructed. "We're going downstairs. High Intelligence should tell us what's going on."

Char didn't have to be asked; he clung to them as a child to his parents. After casting one last glance at his black tail flame and feeling a chill at the sight, he followed closely behind Team Remorse as they proceeded downstairs.

Down below, at least a hundred Pokémon were gathered in the main chamber of the base. But no voices rose above a solemn whisper; a terrified, yet reverent silence settled over the crowd as they awaited news of the development, or perhaps orders to carry out. They all looked lost and afraid.

"This is exactly why Scythe made sure some of us stayed back," Markov muttered. "He _knew _something like this could happen…"

"Then we need to do something about it," Raon declared adamantly. "What we really need to do is get out of this base before they set the traps. We need to assess the situation out there. Scythe needs to know what's going on."

"No, that wouldn't be too smart of us," Markov warned. "Let's find out why the alert was thrown in the first place, then we can think about what to do."

"By the gods, this came out of _nowhere!_" Raon gasped.

Char watched as more and more Pokémon filed down through the staircases and emerged into the chamber, most of them wide-eyed in fear and dead silent. He realized that the congregation was for a purpose. While he'd never been instructed of a procedure to follow, or even of the "code: black" at all, he figured the rest of the base knew what they were doing. Since most of the Divison's members were out on missions for the day, Char saw only about four hundred Pokémon attending that meeting, standing on the floor or at the edge of the higher floors' balconies, waiting for something to happen.

And still, that strange black light radiated from every torch, blinding yet invisible.

Char became even more nervous as the gravity of the situation continued to dawn on him. The base could be under attack. The base could be _destroyed!_ The Master's forces could burst in from any of the entrances, leaving the Division with nothing to do but fight back… He felt like clinging to the nearest Pokémon for comfort.

A long, white bone appeared in front of Char's face.

"Scared?" Marrow asked, his eyes glimmering with sympathy behind his skull helmet. "I am too."

Char accepted the other end of the bone and held on, squeezing it tight to help calm his horrible anticipation.

"Remorse," a very deep voice suddenly addressed.

Kain the Luxray, leader of Team Absolution, appeared before Char and his companions. He, too, had the same look of uncertainty in his eyes as he approached Team Remorse with respect and bowed to them.

"Kain, I thought you were out at Red Haven today," Markov said. "Why are you here?"

"Today was my shift off," Kain explained. "Galavan and Arrow are with your team at the mountains. But even then, it only leaves us. You realize you and I have a grave responsibility to this division should things go awry? We could be the ones fighting on the front line in mere minutes."

"At this point, we just wish we knew what was going on," Raon told him.

"Well, I can inform you, at least to some extent," Kain said. "I heard why the alert sounded. As we speak, Adiel is stationed in Iron Town with a number of soldiers."

Char could feel the sudden tension escalate among the four of them as the news sank in. His heart felt like it was going to cramp. For a few moments, Kain and Team Remorse subsided into the same silence the rest of the room held.

"Not good," Raon choked, the rings of his body glowing brighter than ever. "Maybe it's just a random visit. We can hope that he has business there. He could be gone before evening."

"We can hope," Kain said. "Otherwise… worst case, we could see the end of the Gold Division this very day. And we would go out with a fight."

And then… the room went black. Pitch-black. The torch flames had all vanished.

A gasp rose from the crowd, then silence. Dead, uninterrupted silence.

Char could still feel Marrow's bone in his grasp, and he hung on to it for dear life, as there wasn't anything else in the room to let him know that he hadn't just descended into a spatial void. It was as if he'd gone completely blind. _All_ light was gone, including his own flame and the markings on Raon's body. He trembled, wondering if he would soon die with his tail having gone out… or if the base was under attack…

"The traps are set," Raon whispered. "This is it… now we wait…"

So, Char waited.

With only the bone he held with Marrow for comfort, Char waited through the darkness. His world _became _the feel of the bone in his claws, as everything else had been taken away. Even his own source of light, which he could always count on, was now invisible; he'd never been in the dark before, and now, he realized, he was deathly afraid of the dark.

For what seemed like an eternity, nothing happened.

He focused on the bone, sometimes tugging on it involuntarily. He had to. He didn't want his imagination to take over, to think about or to realize what could happen to him and the entire base. To imagine Adiel, that wretched Scizor, destroying everything he ever knew.

_Is this what Scythe meant?_ Char realized. _He said it was all going to come "crashing down" because he couldn't be in four places at once. Did he see this coming? Did he know Adiel was planning something?_

That's when it hit him: he remembered that his team—Saura, Scythe, and Ray—would have finished their mission by now, and were probably even on their way back to the base.

_No._

…_NO!_

Char's breath caught.

They were on their way back to the base! They were probably returning to Iron Town at that very moment! They would walk right into Adiel's trap… They were… _they were going to die!_

Char released his hold on the bone, letting the end fall away.

His mind filled with horrible images of his friends fighting hopelessly against the Scizor's mighty army. Or evading the danger, only to be destroyed by the base's active security system. Or being captured. He couldn't force them away, because he knew every last one of them could be true. His friends were in danger. And he wasn't there with them.

They could be killed… or captured… or…

"Saura," Char gasped. "He's after Saura. He's after Saura! Adiel's going to take Saura! That's why he's here! That's why he's here! He's going to capture Saura!"

"Uh… oh," Raon muttered.

"Hold him," Marrow ordered.

Char felt two powerful Feraligatr claws wrap around his body to hold him still, but he struggled desperately to get away. His mind was in a full-blown panic. He had to help his friends! He had to be there! He had to save Saura!

"SAURAAA!" Char yelled, tears erupting from his eyes. "NO! SAURA! _I PROMISED!_"

_WHACK!_

Char felt himself get clubbed in the head with Marrow's bone. He fell silent.

"Geeze, get a hold of yourself!" Marrow hissed. "Quit your worrying. Scythe's got his back, alright? Actually, I'd dare to say Saura's safer than the rest of us put together at the moment! Now stand down. Don't do anything stupid."

Char knew he was right. Scythe was watching after Saura. If there was one Pokémon in the world he'd trust with his care, it would be him. Plus, they were free of the base, allowing them to escape to somewhere safe if they had to. He relaxed a little, and Markov loosened his grip until he was standing free once again. Char felt Marrow's bone thrust onto his stomach, and he grasped it again.

_Saura's safe,_ Char told himself. _We're the ones in danger._ _But there's nothing we can do. All we can do is wait to see what happens._

And waited, he did.

… … …

The lockdown lasted for two hours.

Char waited in the darkness, unable to move for fear of bumping other Pokémon. He kept his mind blank, like his vision, trying hard not to let his fear or worry overcome him again… To just remain still, and quiet…

Through it all, nothing happened. Absolutely nothing. There was no uproar, no horrible news that Adiel was destroying the city or preparing to attack the base. After a while, Char realized that this was the most promising sign that everything would be okay.

Finally, light began to fade back into the room. It started out tiny and hardly noticeable, presumably to go easy on everyone's eyes, but it became clear that the torches were re-lighting themselves and slowly bringing order to the sightless chaos of the darkness. Char thought it was his imagination at first, but he gathered his tail into his claws and could just barely see his fire returning to him. He realized that his flame was probably still there the entire time, just turned invisible due to the spell.

A relieved murmur arose from all the Pokémon in the room as they realized the lockdown was ending. But, just when it seemed that the division would erupt into a hectic pandemonium, an extremely loud voice suddenly silenced them all.

"_**Excuse me. May I have everyone's attention!**_"

Char looked up, and saw Alakazam and Xatu standing on a high-up balcony. The uproar soon quieted down as everyone gave High Intelligence their complete attention.

"Thank you," Alakazam spoke a little softer than before, now that the crowd was calmed. "I will fill you in on the day's events without delay. Earlier this afternoon, Our sources reported that Adiel the Scizor lead an army of approximately three hundred war-ready Pokémon into the limits of Iron Town. Two minutes and forty-seven seconds after the news reached my ears, I called for the lockdown. Understand: the alarm was not to signal that the base was in danger, it was to prevent any and all members of this Division from using the portal to the academy, as fast as possible. While the Master knows our base exists, he has not yet found any of the ways in, which is why it was critical to draw attention away from the Cliffside Academy until we would no longer risk the possibility of notice. Two hours and twelve minutes later, I received word that Adiel was leaving, and so now, the alert is lifted. His motives for the visit are as yet unknown, but will be determined shortly. I also heard that he spoke with the council of Iron Town, supposedly to make a demand of them, although this news has not been confirmed. I thank you very much for your patience and your adherence to our precautions, and I am pleased to report that things are, for the time being, back to normal. However, due to these circumstances, I must also re-instate the hold on the training teams until further notice, but rest assured that it shouldn't be long to expire as last time. Also, both the day watch and the night watch will be tripled, starting immediately. Thank you, once again, and may Arceus grant blessings upon us all."

"Welp, that's that," Marrow said, gently jerking his bone out of Char's claws. "This'll be an earload for Scythe when he comes back."

"I guess we couldn't have done anything," Raon shrugged. "Alakazam would've asked for our service if he needed us."

"Be glad he didn't have to," Kain said, turning to walk away. "It could have been a bloody day."

"Well, only five hours left until we head out again, guys," Markov reminded them. "We've gotta get ready to slay some Watchers."

"Hey, take care of yourself, Char," Marrow said, giving him a gentle punch in the shoulder. "Be strong."

Team Remorse left, and the rest of the Pokémon dispersed and wandered away in their various directions, leaving Char alone.

Char realized that he was crying. He'd been crying for a long time, too, probably since his panic attack. His face was completely drenched with tears, and the muscles in his cheeks were painfully cramping. But it wasn't out of fear, or pain, or worry over his friends that he cried, it was from the simple, pure, relentless stress he'd gathered throughout the day. It had grown so unbearable that his body was simply expelling it for no other reason than relief. So, Char stood there in the center of the chamber, ignoring all the Pokémon that passed him by, and cried until his tears had run out.

With nothing else to do, Char forced himself upstairs to the storage area. He needed to borrow Saura's mobile scarf if he wanted to get back into his hall.

"Whoa! What _happened_ to you?" Morrik exclaimed. "You looked pretty bad earlier today, but now it looks like a Gulpin chewed you up and spat you out!"

"Morrik, I need—"

"Char?"

It was a voice Char had been waiting all day to hear. He turned around to see Scythe, Ray, and Saura coming into the storage lobby.

"Did you have a good rest?" Saura asked. "Sorry we're so late. We would have been back earlier, but we got locked out of the base, and we had to wait for them to…"

Now, it was Char's turn to tackle his friend.

Without warning, Char threw himself onto his best friend and squeezed with all his heart. Now that Saura was back, he knew everything would be okay.

Until now, he'd never realized just how deeply Saura's side of the promise really mattered to him.

"Owow, hey, watch the cramps, watch the cramps!" Saura yelped, but in a welcoming tone. "I spent all day dragging carts of food around. I'm a little stiff in the knees."

"Sorry, I'm just so glad to see you!" Char sighed. "You have no idea. Please, don't leave me behind like that again!"

"You're standing in the doorway," Scythe said in an unusually harsh tone. "Care to make this day any longer than it has been?"

Char unquestioningly backed out of the way and let Scythe pass, who proceeded to the counter with his bag of supplies.

"Um… Scythe, you heard about the lockdown, right?" Char asked.

"Yes," Scythe grumbled. "And I figure I'll spend all night hearing even _more_ about it."

"Do we… go on a mission tomorrow?" Char asked.

"Are the torches still black?" Scythe asked.

"…No," Char replied.

"Did High Intelligence place a restriction on your team?" he demanded louder.

"No," Char replied again.

"Then yes, nothing has changed," Scythe said. "Work tomorrow as always."

"No, that's not what I meant," Char replied. "Shouldn't we be… getting ready?"

Scythe looked into Char's eyes, and Char saw just how annoyed and stressed he was. The Scyther's eyes were practically bloodshot.

"Pick a fast mission, and we will prepare once it's over with," Scythe growled. "Besides that, no, nothing has changed."

Scythe plunked the half-full bag of supplies on the counter and marched out of the room.

Char looked oddly at the door Scythe left behind, then at his friends.

"To tell you the truth, I couldn't wait to get home myself," Saura explained. "Scythe's been in a really dreadful mood all day. I don't know why, I think something's bugging him."

"Long day," Ray shrugged. "I love working with Scythe, but he really didn't make today easy on us. I guess when Scythe has a bad day, everyone has a bad day."


	33. Chapter 30: Without Saying

**Chapter 30**

That evening, Char sat upon his bed and tried to relax. His body was starting to seriously ache from the cruel workout he'd received that morning, his muscles throbbing from strain. He closed his eyes and meditated upon the roar of the fire which surrounded him, trying to let it soothe his thoughts and his pains…

But, try as he may, he couldn't settle his racing mind. He'd made a decision. It wasn't a difficult decision to make, but he couldn't begin to imagine the repercussions. It worried him, knowing what he was about to do without even a second thought, and not even caring about how it would affect the Division. He had no intention of giving it a second thought.

He was about to defy Scythe.

When Saura and Ray both meandered into the room, Char knew it was time. He opened his eyes and focused on his friends.

"Okay, we picked the mission for tomorrow," Saura reported, approaching the foot of his bed. "Blackriver City. Another thieves' bust. So... you wanted to talk to us? We're all ears."

Char began with a heavy sigh. He was exhausted, but it was the kind of exhaustion that came from adrenaline and stress, the kind that gives you a splitting headache and doesn't actually let you settle down to sleep it away.

"Oh, and Char," Saura said, lowering his voice to a very heartfelt tone, "I'm sorry for leaving you alone today. We thought it would be considerate to give you a day off. We didn't realize it would have been so hard on you."

"It's fine," Char said, trying his best to mean it. "I got through the day."

"We promise to never leave you alone anymore," Ray said humbly, fiddling with his paws. "Saura's right. Now that I know you're a human, I understand that… you chose to share your secret with us, and nobody else. When we leave, you're all alone. It must feel horrible."

"Thanks," Char said sincerely. "I really mean it, you two. Your friendship means everything to me. Without you, there really isn't anything for me here, even if all these Pokémon respect me for being Scythe's friend and leading this team. As a Charmander, I owe everything to you. If I ever find out why I'm here, and how I got to be like this, it'll all be because of you."

Ray offered a very reverent bow in acknowledgement of the complement, and Saura looked very touched. Char took another big breath, gathering himself to begin with the purpose of the meeting.

"That's why… I'm telling you everything I know," Char proclaimed. "I'm going to tell you what Alakazam told me last night. I'm going to tell you _all_ of it. There are some parts that… Scythe told me not to tell you, but I'm going to tell you anyway, because… for one thing, Ray, I didn't go through all the trouble of spitting out my secret just so I could turn around and keep a different one from you. And for another thing… Alakazam didn't even want me to tell _anyone_ at all. It's that serious. But… no. You two are all I have, and I need you to be at my side the whole way, or I won't… I won't be able to do it. But, once I tell you this… you _can't_ tell _anyone. _Don't even tell Scythe we had this conversation. I trust you."

Char paused to review the reactions of his friends. He saw in their eyes that they both understood the gravity of his words, and were willing to accept anything he'd tell them, even though they knew full well he wasn't supposed to be saying anything. Saura gave a light nod, letting Char know it was okay to continue.

"Alakazam thinks that I called to Dialga," Char said after a heavy swallow. "And I think I did, too. I remember talking to him when the Call happened. But now… Dialga must be doing something about it, and now this place called Temporal Tower appeared up north next to the Emerald Division. Alakazam wants me to go there and talk to Dialga myself."

"So that's why…" Saura gasped. "That's… incredible! If we could talk with Dialga, that could mean the end of your journey!"

"I had no idea the legend of Temporal Tower was true," Ray admitted, gaping. "This is legendary. If you called to Dialga, there's no telling what we can do… Dialga could smash the Master to bits!"

"We have two days to prepare," Char explained, "then we leave for the Emerald Division. After that… I don't know what's going to happen. But I decided something: you both are going to come with me and Scythe. I don't care what he says, it's final. If I'm such a legendary Charmander, I should at least have enough authority to get him to concede to one little thing like this, right?"

"Char, it's an honor to be of service to you," Ray declared, bowing again. "I'll come. I'll stand by your side, no matter the cost. I would battle with Scythe if you only told me to. Your decision is the law I live by!"

_Wow,_ Char thought. _Ray really takes me seriously now, doesn't he? I hope he doesn't go overboard with this servitude thing…_

Either way, Char felt relieved. They were taking it well so far. Yes, that was to be expected, but it made him that much more comfortable with himself; the hard part was yet to come.

"That was the part that Alakazam didn't want me to say," Char said, his voice losing a little bit of its strength. "But there's another part I have to tell you. And this next part… Scythe… gave me permission to tell you, Saura, but he specifically asked me not to tell you, Ray… But… I'll tell you both… and I hope that I'm doing the right thing… After Alakazam talked to us, we started to walk back upstairs, and then Scythe… he…"

Char's voice suddenly stopped working. He cleared his throat, hoping to jump-start it again. It took a few tries, but he eventually got it out:

"…he almost cried."

Char watched as faces on his friends changed. He noticed the distinct sign of concern and surprise in Saura, and confusion in Ray.

"Not only that, but he started talking to me like… like he trusted me," Char said. "He started telling me things that he didn't even tell his team. And he called me a human. But I have to tell you this. I think Scythe is starting to break down from stress. He tries to hide it during the day when he's with other Pokémon, but I think he's really hurting on the inside."

"I never… I never would have known," Ray said sadly, now looking very deeply surprised. "No wonder he was so angry today. I thought maybe it was because of us…"

"I'm scared for him," Char said. "Scythe is worried that he's going to fail his mission at Basin Canyon. He says that he can't be in four places at once. He insists on coming with me to Temporal Tower, but if it's going to cause him to fail one of his missions… I can't let him destroy his own work because of me! I don't know what to do!"

"I thought for sure he had everything under control," Ray said, looking at the floor and playing with the end of his tail. "He always does! Even when all seems lost… he always finds some way to win. Team Remorse always wins!"

The voice echoed clear in Char's mind…

"_I'm not supposed to fail. Nobody expects me to fail. But I'm about to fail. Everything is about to come crashing down. Everything is…" _

"We have to trust him," Saura resolved, speaking up. "He knows what's best. Think about it. The mission at Temporal Tower could be the mission to end all missions! It could end the whole war and solve all our problems in one fell blow! It makes sense that Scythe would sacrifice one of his missions for this. This is serious."

"I have a feeling that something else is going on, though," Char said. "The lockdown today was… terrifying. It made me start to think the Master is trying to do something. I think there's something that Scythe is planning that he isn't telling us. He told me… that… when we go to the Emerald Division, he's going to lie to his teammates and not tell them anything about Temporal Tower."

"Then we trust him," Saura said again. "That part doesn't have to change. If there's something we need to know, he'll tell us in due time. Right now, we should just go along with what he says. Let's start getting ready for this journey tomorrow! I'm excited already!"

Ray lifted his gaze from the floor, and Char's eyes met with his. It was clear that, while it wasn't devastating news, Ray hadn't taken it completely well.

"I told you because I trust you," Char told him. "Are you okay with it? I'm sorry if I hurt you at all. I didn't mean to…"

"No, no," Ray said, trying to force his smile back onto his face, but failing. "I understand. I won't let you down, Char. I'm your Pokémon."

Char nodded to him, but in truth, he was starting to feel uncomfortable by the way Ray's personality had changed. In telling Ray his secret, Char had hoped to deepen the relationship he and Saura had with him… not to alter it. Yet, even Ray's body language now suggested that his attitude toward Char had changed considerably. Of all the time he spent anticipating Ray's reaction to his humanity, he never figured it would be like this!

Hoping that it was just due to Ray's mood, Char didn't comment. Instead, he continued with his discussion.

Char discussed the matter with his friends until he was certain, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that he was on equal terms with them. It felt wonderful to not keep any secrets, and to hear both Saura and Ray continue to affirm their friendship and dedication to him, accepting what he had said.

_I did it,_ Char realized. _I defied Scythe. He was breaking down, and he was treating me as an equal, and he made one request of me… and I broke that request. I betrayed him! But… I had to! I think. I trust Ray as much as I trust Saura now, so… I had to. It's okay. I really shouldn't be worried about this, anyway. It's not like I just did something terrible… I hope. _

Soon afterwards, they decided that they needed their rest for a big day tomorrow, so Saura and Ray retired to their own rooms and left Char to his privacy. Saura promised he'd make sure Char woke up in the morning as usual, and Ray gave one last bow to him before stepping out.

Char felt a tiny pang of loneliness as he watched them leave. Although he liked having a room all to himself, it was proving to be something to get used to; he was starting to miss that feeling of security from knowing his friends were resting only a few feet away…

_The heart of a Pokémon is so powerful,_ Char realized again, laying down to rest. _It's so quick to form these bonds… these deep friendships… It's only been… what, six weeks? And already, I have a relationship with Saura and Ray, and maybe Scythe too, that would have taken years for a human to have. But I can't fight it. I need it like food and water. Well, maybe not water. But I'm starting to wonder… do Pokémon need these bonds to survive? All around me, I'm seeing the same bonds in other Pokémon… in all the other teams here… even in Otto, and Ray, and Shander…_

"_Let's all be honest with each other," _Raon had said once. _"There's no breaking up this team. Where Scythe goes, we go. Right?"_

_All of Team Remorse has it… and really, so does this entire Division. We all trust each other, and we trust Alakazam and Metagross to make decisions for us…_

…_The Master's army is so huge… And his minions are so loyal…_

_I wonder…_

… _If they share the same kind of bonds with him? _

Char closed his eyes and tried to get some rest for the night.

… … …

Some five hours later…

Char found himself wide awake, staring at the ceiling of his room. He didn't know how long he'd been awake, but his sore, throbbing body was refusing him any sleep.

_I have to sleep,_ Char told himself, trying to get his eyes to stay closed again. _Long day tomorrow. Need my strength. Why can't I sleep? Am I sick? I've had worse days than this, and I fell asleep just fine! What's wrong now? Maybe it's all this tension?_

He knew, perhaps from his humanity, the body would still heal and recharge if he stayed perfectly still and relaxed, even while suffering from insomnia. Only, it wouldn't be the most refreshing sleep of his life, and it was _boring_ laying awake for hours upon hours. And his body aches weren't making the experience any more pleasant, either.

He did everything he could think of to do… he cleared his mind of all excess thought, only counting his breaths to pass the time… he relaxed his body until it started to tingle…

His eyes snapped open again.

_I must be sick,_ Char guessed. _I just don't feel right. Do Pokémon even get sick? I didn't know that was possible. It must be, because I feel horrible… _

Char sat up in his bed, wondering how many hours he had left to rest. His stomach felt funny. Queasy, almost, like he'd eaten something disagreeable, and his inner fire was having trouble burning it down. Or maybe it wasn't that at all; maybe it was just fear. Maybe the lockdown was haunting him. Maybe Scythe's behavior was haunting him. Maybe he just… for some reason… didn't feel secure.

He recalled all the nights he had back in Scythe's room where he had trouble sleeping for whatever reason… from his visions, or just from the simple nervousness of his piling responsibilities… He remembered fondly how, each and every time he couldn't sleep, Saura would always take it upon himself to stay awake with him and keep him company.

But now, Saura was in another room; he couldn't count on his company anymore. It would take barging into his room and waking him up, which would be incredibly rude, when previously Saura would always do it without being asked, whenever he noticed Char awake late in the night.

So now, Char found himself sleepless, with only his two blazing blue torches to keep him company.

Maybe it was out of pure boredom, or simple curiosity, or maybe desperation… but Char glanced at one of the torches at the side of his bed, wondering about it…

The torch was comprised of a large yet shallow silver bowl, supported on the ground by four curved, ornate legs. It was a pretty big piece of furniture, only slightly smaller than the bed on which he sat, and easily large enough to support a fully-grown Charizard standing in it. A pile of coal-like rocks filled the bottom of the dish, continually glowing white-hot and fueling the fire. The flames themselves were simply gorgeous, intense enough to be completely opaque, perpetually roaring and dancing and extending very high above Char's head.

Char began to realize… the fire looked so… _inviting_.

_I'm a fire Pokémon_, Char thought to himself, inching closer to the fire on his hands and feet. _That must mean I'm fireproof… right? Could I… jump in?_

He wanted to jump in. He wanted to inch closer and closer, and not stop until he was bathed in the flames. He always considered fire a close friend and ally, and couldn't imagine any negative repercussions from covering himself with it. Now, as his body yearned for comfort, he was tempted to give it a try.

Curious, he extended his front claw into the fire. As the flames licked at his hand, he received a sensation of comfort. It was warm and intense, like dipping his hands into comfortably hot water; it was the same as he'd always felt when handling the flame on the end of his tail, except much more. It sent a shiver down his spine, and he retracted his claw to inspect it. It was completely unharmed, and it tingled in displeasure from being pulled away.

He prepared to jump in.

_Wait!_ the far corner of his mind suddenly cried. _Are you sure this is a good idea? Don't you remember what happened the _last _time you decided to experiment with your physiology? Don't you think you should actually ask someone about it before doing it this time?_

"That was with water," Char told himself. "This is fire. This is my element! I have a fire inside of me and on my tail. It doesn't hurt me! It's like my blood! What could go wrong?"

He pounced into the fire.

The first thing he noticed was that his breath had been taken away, quite literally. It was extremely difficult to inhale, as if there was no air present. However, it was still possible with a little effort, and it didn't really seem to bother him; it appeared that his body was naturally suited for such a situation.

Reality seemed to disappear, replaced by only the roaring blue flames. Char found himself completely surrounded by them, unable to see the rest of his room. All he saw was blue—dancing, vivid blue…

Then, like a delayed reaction, the warmth started to fill his body. He'd never felt a greater level of heat in his life, even when his Ember was ablaze in the heat of battle. This time, he fire poured across him inside and out, feeling like standing under a powerful waterfall that fell up instead of down. As he stood on all fours atop the burning coal, his claws, his belly, and the underside of his tail took the brunt of the heat, coming alive with the intense sensation.

He waited and waited for any sign of pain… but it never came. The fire didn't hurt at all. In fact, it felt a little comfortable.

_See? _Char realized. _I knew it wouldn't hurt! This actually feels pretty good! _

As he waited, he felt the sensation gradually intensifying. The feeling of the searing heat mercilessly engulfing his body became more pleasurable with each minute.

_This feels _really _good,_ Char told himself. _Wow… it's so relaxing… It's like I'm a part of the fire…_

He curled up atop the coals, trying to make as much contact with them as possible, since they were the hottest part of the fire. His eyes drifted closed as he fell into a contented daze.

_This makes up for all the bad things that happened today,_ Char told himself. _I can feel… all my troubles… melting away… It's just me… and the fire…_

Char decided he never needed to sleep in his bed again. Finding that his headache and his queasiness had mysteriously vanished, and he let himself go, feeling sleep approaching fast…

But then, Char felt something like a _pop_ in his brain… and then he felt nothing.

He opened his eyes. Yes, he was still inside the fire. But now, he felt nothing of it. All the pleasure he'd enjoyed was gone. Instead, he felt… numb.

_Whoa,_ Char thought. _This is… weird. Maybe I overloaded my nerves? That's… nothing bad, right? I mean, since I'm a fire Pokémon, that could be some kind of natural—_

Char suddenly started to feel the numbness subsiding, replaced by feeling. But this… was not the same feeling he had before. He felt the heat of the fire, but in a different way…

_It feels… hot,_ Char realized.

It started out small, but escalated. Char wasn't sure what to think of the sensation, so he let it build, coming closer…

To Char's horror, he realized that the feeling was pain. It felt like the fire had turned into thousands of knife blades and pins, constantly raking his skin…

_Whoa, now it's really hot,_ Char thought, wanting to see how bad it would get and hoping his elemental immunity wouldn't let him down.

He didn't last long. The pain never stopped escalating, until…

Char realized he was standing in a frying pan, cooking himself alive.

"_AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"_ Char cried, jumping blindly out of the torch fire and hitting the floor head-first with a _thunk_. "_AHHH! AHHH! AHHH! HOT! HOT! HOOOOOOOT! AHHHHHHHH!"_

His vision tingling with pain, he glanced back at his body. It was not on fire, even though it now felt raw and sensitive as if he was still standing in the flames. He writhed around on the floor, wanting to caress the pained parts of his body but feeling them explode with sensitivity every time he did. Eventually, he simply laid on his back, moaning softly in agony.

Fortunately for him, the pain didn't last long. He was a fire Pokémon, after all, so his body was able to soon recover from the experience of getting burned, and he found himself feeling relatively back to normal.

"_Ohhhhhhhhhhhh,"_ Char still moaned, not having the strength to move, still feeling half his body tingling.

_I guess I learned another lesson today,_ Char's exasperated mind told himself. _I'm not completely immune to fire, just resistant to it. Too much, and I'll burn just like any other Pokémon. Only… it looks like my body is fireproof, so I'll never actually catch on fire, but… fire can still hurt. Ughhhh…_

Char looked over his body once more, and noticed something amazing: his skin had all turned black on one side.

He'd been charred. Burnt to a crisp.

He slumped his head back onto the floor and fell asleep soon afterwards.

… … …

Char's consciousness stirred at the sound of a voice.

"Chaaar! Time to wake up!" it said.

He heard his door opening.

"The fire will never—_AHHH!_ By ARCEUS, what HAPPENED to you?!"

"What's wrong? What's wrong?" a second voice shouted worriedly, hurrying closer. "CHAR! What on EARTH?!"

Still feeling a little woozy, Char decided to stir and lift his eyelids. Ray and Saura stood above him, both gaping.

"You didn't!" Saura gasped, rushing to his side and nudging him. "You rolled over into your fire, didn't you?! Oh, Char! Are you okay?!"

"I feel fine," Char said, trying to sit up. "I feel fine. I'm okay."

"Let me see this," Ray said, crouching next to him and inspecting the black streak that covered the entire right side of his body from head to toe. "Wow, that's a pretty serious burn. The worst they come… You're lucky you're a Charmander. Anyone else would need to go to the hospital ASAP. I think you'll be okay… you'll just look a little discolored for a while."

Char climbed to his feet and tried to act as though nothing was wrong, but Saura's gaze was still glued to him.

"It didn't hurt too much, did it?" Saura asked sadly.

"Not for very long," Char replied. "I'm just fine. I promise."

Saura was not convinced, and kept casting concerned glances at him.

"Well, let's get started on our mission," Char instructed, trying to shrug off Saura's worry. "Blackriver City, you said?"

"Yeah, that's the place," Ray replied, sharing a little bit of Saura's sympathy. "Okay, let's go get Scythe and get this over with…"

The team collected their items and ascended one floor to wait outside of Team Remorse's hall for Scythe. When he appeared, Char was dismayed to see that his mood hadn't changed much since the previous day. He looked better rested than last time, but that dreadful glare remained in his eyes…

"Ready to go?" he asked. "Two bags of items this time? Are you sure you'll be needing that much?"

"No," Ray explained. "We decided to split the load in half from now on instead of taking turns. It'll be much easier on both of us."

"Ah, smart," Scythe said with a nod. "Although, it could impede your ability to react quickly to a fight—"

Char cringed, realizing that Scythe had noticed his physical affliction.

"Char, you really have to learn _everything_ the hard way, don't you?" Scythe sighed. "Please, don't abuse your fire. I worked very hard to give that to you. Don't make me take it away."

"It won't happen again," Char said ashamedly. "I'm sorry."

"If you want to have a greater capacity to enjoy fire, wait until you evolve," Scythe said. "Let that be incentive for you. Now… I hope the mission you chose today is short—"

Scythe stopped again, but Char couldn't tell why. Char looked into his eyes, and was surprised to see a little bit of the same vulnerability he showed Char the night in the hallway. He looked almost… hurt.

"You told them," he muttered, not angrily, just matter-of-factly. "They know everything."

"How did you know?" Char asked.

"It wasn't hard to tell," Scythe said. "They told me with their eyes. You'd be surprised at how much a Pokémon can betray of themselves without having to speak."

"Scythe, I—" Char started.

"Forget it, forget it," Scythe said, turning to look into the eyes of Saura and Ray. "It's none of my business how much you trust your friends, especially after what I told you the other day. Just… understand something… understand that you can betray things without speaking, without even meaning to. Are you _sure _you know how trustworthy your friends are?"

Char didn't answer. A very difficult silence hung in the air between the four of them, Team Ember looking especially guilty of themselves.

"The mission," Scythe said, reminding them. "Let's go. I guess all three of you are aware of how much we must get done today. Let's get it all started."

* * *

**Blackriver City**

The mission was a relatively dangerous one, but then again, most of them were; Team Ember was now choosing their tasks from the real task lists, the ones which involved real danger, required real effort, and offered substantial rewards. The mission that Saura and Ray had decided upon was at a place called Blackriver City, where they'd be tasked with finding a thieves' hideout. The hideout had been known about for a while, and was hopefully abandoned, leaving any remaining valuables free for the taking. In fact, of the three similar missions the team had taken in the past, only one of them—Team X's hideout at Empirical Falls—was still occupied.

But it would not be an easy journey. Blackriver City was a brutal place. Once a military-based town, it was destroyed by spatial distortions and now lay in crumbling ruins, inhabited only by Ghost Pokémon. The city was composed of countless, evenly-spaced square towers built from black bricks, with a grid of streets surrounding them. Unfortunately for travelers, Most of the buildings were crumbling, and a lot of streets were blocked off by rubble. It would be a tough area to navigate.

That, and a Mystery Dungeon began not one block into the city.

"This place gives me the creeps," Ray admitted as they entered the city boundaries. "I've been here three times already, and it never gets any easier. But I think I feel a little better now that you guys are with me, and you too, Scythe…"

"Have you done your research?" Scythe inquired. "Do you know what dangers lurk here?"

"Ghost Pokémon," Ray said with a shudder. "And some water Pokémon, since a river runs through the center of town. But the ghosts are the worst. It could wind up being just as bad as traveling at night."

"No," Scythe said. "Nothing is as bad as traveling at night. Believe me. The Watchers are not like normal ghost Pokémon. They're unnatural. They wield powers that no Pokémon should. When we travel at night, we spend little of our time fighting them and much of it running away from them. Don't fear normal ghost Pokémon as you would fear the Watchers. Just remember not to attack them physically. Just rely on the elements you are affiliated with, your fire, your electric power, and your vegetation, and they will fall like any other Pokémon."

"Alright, we'll give it a shot," Saura said with some confidence. "We always have you to give us a hand if things start to go wrong, anyway."

"Well, not so much," Scythe said. "I'm not particularly skilled at fighting ghosts. It'll mostly be up to you."

"Oh…" Saura said, looking a bit disillusioned. Suddenly lighting back up and forming a smug grin, shouted, "Well, in that case, bring it on! Ha-ha!"

* * *

**Blackriver City S1**

This was, admittedly, the most intimidating dungeon Team Ember had seen yet. It was a maze of city streets through an endless forest of ruined buildings. The sky was a strange color, like there was a weird transparent cloud hovering over the city and darkening the morning sunlight, reminding Char of the light from the black torches the previous day. Just knowing that there could be ghosts hiding around any corner didn't help to instill a sense of confidence, either.

As soon as Char entered into the anomaly, he felt his empty stomach groan in protest. He'd forgotten to eat breakfast. He quickly dug through his small, lightweight bag and passed out a meal to the group. He munched on a Rawst berry, hoping it would help his charred hide to regenerate faster.

An evil laugh echoed from somewhere nearby. The group froze.

"A ghost," Ray said, stepping forward and glancing around. "Get ready."

Char waited, holding his Rawst berry still and readying his fire for a fight. There was silence, all except for a tiny wind that blew through the town.

Nothing happened. Char shivered.

"I think they saw us," Ray said. "They're watching us. Be on guard."

Finding the road blocked by rubble, the group took a detour through a dark alleyway.

"I've never fought a ghost before," Char admitted, keeping very close to his friends and lighting the way with his tail. "Domo let me train against all sorts of Pokémon, but I never trained against a ghost…"

"Ghosts have a habit of playing tricks," Scythe said. "When they fight you, they rely on your fear and uncertainty. They're less fond of attacking than they are of trying to confuse you, infuriate you, scare you, or use their spiritual power to disable you in unnatural ways. That's just their nature."

_Um… why did we choose this mission, again?_ Char wondered.

"If you want to learn how to take down ghosts, that's one of Daemon's specialties," Scythe said. "There is a sort of dark power, some way to channel your energy, that the ghosts abhor, and Daemon has learned how to control that power. It comes natural to him, being the kind of Pokémon he is. But, if you're lucky, he can teach you some useful techniques."

Another haunting voice came from somewhere close. The group picked up their pace.

"Ghosts can also turn invisible," Ray added. "They're probably surrounding us right now, just laughing at us, and waiting for the perfect opportunity to attack. That's just what they did the last time we were here…"

* * *

**Blackriver City S2**

A little less than an hour later, the team was very deep into the city. Somehow, they'd managed to avoid enticing any ghost Pokémon to attack them, but that didn't make Char feel any more comfortable. He found himself nibbling on an apple, but mostly from nervousness rather than hunger. Sometimes, eerie howls and groans would emanate from the dark windows or cracks in nearby buildings…

"Remember, we don't have to go through the whole dungeon," Ray reminded everyone. "Just head to the southwest and we should come to the end, that's where the hideout should be. If they don't see us coming, it should be easy."

"Just like Team X," Saura said. "Hopefully it'll be that easy."

"Hey, Scythe…" Char said, suddenly remembering something. "Do you remember that feral-shard that we found when we raided Team X?"

"I do," Scythe answered. "Why?"

"Where is it?" Char asked. "I checked storage for it, but it wasn't there. Morrik said that you didn't have it, either…"

"That's because it was never put in storage," Scythe explained flatly. "It was returned to its rightful owner, just like all the rest of the items we pulled from their hideout. What, you think we would just take it for ourselves? We'd be no better than Team X."

"Well, that's dumb," Char said, folding his arms. "I was really hoping… I had one of those on hand, for when the time comes…"

"Hah, get in line," Scythe laughed. "Many Pokémon have been wanting to evolve lately, now that feral-shards completely disappeared from the market. If you find one now, it could be worth millions—"

"_Eeeeeeeeeeah!"_

A voice shrieked, starting Char out of his wits and causing him to toss his apple in a random direction. The whole group tensed, expecting a confrontation.

"Here we go," Ray said, looking up in the air.

Sure enough, a ghost Pokémon materialized in the air above them. It was small and purple, with hair-like tendrils covering its head and bright red eyes. A Misdreavus. It jittered and smiled evilly at the group, releasing another chilling scream and shifting around in the air in anticipation of an attack.

The ghost's eyes locked on Char, and he froze in fright. It had become interested in him. It grinned and circled around his head.

"Char! Watch out!" Ray cried.

Char heard the warning, but he was frozen in indecision. He really didn't know what to do. He watched as the ghost's body began to glow with energy, ready to release some kind of horrible attack… Char could only cringe and cover his eyes…

_ZZZZap!_

Ray released a great bolt of lightning from his body, hitting the ghost dead-on and overloading it. Its eyes drifted off into a daze, and it evaporated into thin air. When Char looked, the ghost was gone.

"Don't mess with Char!" Ray yelled victoriously.

"Thanks," Char said oddly. "I… guess I didn't know how to react."

"Don't let them intimidate you," Ray said. "They're easy. Just pretend they're Butterfree."

Scythe congratulated Ray on his good aim and reflexes, and Char went to retrieve his apple, resolving to actually be of some use next time.

Unfortunately, as they continued, there was still a feeling he couldn't quite shake… the feeling that he was being followed…

* * *

**Blackriver City, S4**

"Are we there yet?" Char wondered, wanting the haunting excursion to be over as quickly as possible.

They'd walked for a few more hours, but there were no visible signs of any more ghosts wishing to fight. There was only the looming feeling of danger just around the corner, the thought of fifty ghosts jumping out and swarming him at a moment's notice. They'd crossed through the center of town where the river ran and engaged in battle with a wild Buizel, but other than that, no other battles presented themselves…

"I keep forgetting, you weren't at the planning session last night," Ray said. "We're almost there. This should be the last block before we can ambush the thieves. I'm surprised we haven't met with much resistance. Maybe it's the weather?"

"Could be," Scythe speculated. "Sunny weather like this tends to chase away the ghosts."

Char looked to the sky. _Sunny?_ The weird black clouds hovered over the whole city, casting everywhere the sun touched into dim shade. He wasn't sure what Scythe was talking about, it looked like a perfect habitat for ghosts to him…

And then, Char heard something odd. It wasn't the sound of a ghost, it was more like… a voice. A voice that suddenly yelled out it pain.

"Um… did you hear that?" Char asked. "That didn't sound right."

"Yeah, I heard it, too," Saura said. "That was weird. Maybe it's just another ghost… they make the weirdest noises, you know."

"I'm not so sure," Char said warily. "That didn't sound like one. Scythe? You heard it, right?"

"I'll have to agree with Saura," Scythe said. "Sounded like a ghost to me. It's their nature to frighten other Pokémon, so I wouldn't put it past them to produce any sort of sound. So… let's just move along, and get this over with…"

"One problem with that," Ray said, examining the path. "We're stuck."

It was true. They'd walked right into a dead-end. One of the buildings had downright collapsed across two others, leaving no open way forward unless there was to be climbing involved. Char was disappointed; by turning and trying to find an alternate passage, they'd run the risk of losing their sense of direction and getting lost in the dungeon, possibly trapped within the city walls until they'd braved its whole length. They had done a great job of walking to the south and to the west, they couldn't blow it now…

"We could climb," Char suggested, gazing up at the monstrous pile of rubble. It was jagged and dangerous; every visible foothold was slanted, and the top protruded far from the base, making it very clear that climbing would not be an option.

"Maybe Scythe could carry us," Ray suggested. "Can't you, Scythe? That wouldn't be too hard, would it?"

"Hah, yeah. Good idea. Here, hold my hands," Scythe said sarcastically, offering the sharp ends of his blades to Ray. "But no. I don't think that would be possible. I can barely keep myself in the air for long. I wouldn't try carrying someone."

"Well, that's stupid," Char declared. "We came all this way, and now we're trapped by this stupid wall… unless…"

Char walked over to one of the still-standing buildings that blocked the way. He peered inside the window.

"Oh, no," Saura groaned. "You want us to go in there?"

"It's a clear way," Char told him. "Just in one window, through a few rooms, and out the other."

"Awfully dark in there," Saura commented, peering up to the window.

"Since when has dark ever been a problem with Char?" Ray laughed. "It's a good idea. Let's go."

"What if it's full of ghosts?" Saura wondered. "That's where they live! They could ambush us too easily in there!"

"Then we fight back," Char said confidently. "C'mon! We're almost out of the woods. Let's do it!"

So, with a burst of courage, Char hefted up his bag, lifted himself onto the windowsill, and propelled himself into the building through the pane-less window.

As his friends were following his lead, Char took his tail in his free hand and explored the deserted structure. There wasn't much of interest to see; there were only empty rooms cluttered with small rocks, stairs leading up… and not much else. It was odd to imagine that Pokémon once lived in here, or even found any use for the structure whatsoever. Was it an apartment of some kind? Or something else? Char couldn't tell.

As far as he could see, there were no ghosts. Thankfully.

"Hey, wait up!" Ray called, leaping in the window. Saura was not too far behind, using his vines for support to pull himself up. Finally, Scythe buzzed his wings and perched on the windowsill, lodged both of his blades into the inside wall of the room, then ducked and thrust himself in.

"Weird," Saura said, commenting on the barren cells which made up the floor of the structure. "I wonder what this building used to be?"

"A storage facility, most likely," Scythe guessed. "Though, remember that we're still in a dungeon. This building could really be a combination of two or more. Also, keep an eye out for abandoned objects. If we wanted, we could try exploring this place to see if any useful items were left behind…"

"Let's not," Char decided. "We have to keep our sense of direction and get out of here. Go that way. Find a window over there somewhere."

Char lead the way through the darkness with his flame, walking through tiny corridors from room to room. He and the rest of the team always kept a wary eye at the darkest corners of each room, halfway expecting a Gastly or some other feral spirit to lash out and spite them…

After traversing a few empty rooms, Char was worried that he wouldn't find the desired way out. Was the building itself like a miniature dungeon, subject to the same rules of random placement? It seemed so; it didn't seem like any Pokémon, or even a human, for that matter, would have constructed a building to be so nonsensical and impractical. Doors led around in circles, multiple doors led to the same room, and Char even found a door that opened up into a solid brick wall. It started to get quite frustrating, as well as creepy…

But then, Char spotted something. At first, it looked like just another dislodged brick that had fell to the ground and sat in the corner, but Char saw how it glimmered in his light…

Remembering what happened the last time he was distracted by a stray item laying on the floor—and remembering to actually heed the warning of his gut instinct this time—he diverged from his path and, with the utmost caution, approached the item.

It was a small object made out of plastic, or metal, or perhaps both. Its main body was thick and wide, bearing two red-colored lenses. Two metallic tabs protruded from the sides.

A rush of familiarity flooded Char's mind. This was a human object! It was… a pair of glasses? No. It looked like glasses, but it was much more mechanical, heavy-duty…

"I found something," Char announced, drawing the attention of his friends. He picked up the glasses and felt them with his claws, amazed at the object's existence in the world of Pokémon. He bent down the flexible tabs in amusement.

"Incredible," Scythe marveled upon seeing the object. "Excellent, excellent find. This must be something left behind by a different team. Those are goggles. And what luck to find them in a place like this! Char, these goggles were designed for seeing the invisible. They're based on the sound-vision that Zubat use to navigate in the dark. But they don't use sound to work, they use something else, some kind of energy. But in effect… they should allow you to see invisible ghosts."

"Awesome!" Ray shouted. "How lucky! Char, try them on! Now we can see the ghosts coming!"

Hesitantly, Char fit the goggles onto his head and lined them up with his eyes. They were heavy, and they fell frequently, so Char dropped his bag and held them up with both hands. He tried adjusting the frame so that it would clamp to his head and stay on, but to little effect; the goggles were too large.

Curious, he peered through the strange red lenses. He saw the room as clear as ever, if not a bit discolored.

"Interesting," Char said. "Too bad I have to hold them up to see through them. Too bad they—oh, no…"

"What?" Saura asked. "Do you see something?"

Yes, Char saw something.

Char noticed a mischievous Haunter hanging in the air directly above Saura.

And behind him, there was a Gastly.

And another one behind that.

And next to that, a Duskull.

Gazing around the ceiling, Char saw that the entire room was filled with them.

Ghosts. Dozens and dozens of them. All watching the group amusedly. Evilly. Invisibly.

Char's heart fell into his stomach. The goggles struck the ground.

"_WHAT?!_ What is it?!" Saura demanded, growing very worried. "You saw a ghost, didn't you?"

"Saura…" Char gasped, nearly without a voice. "We've got to get out of here."

But that was it. The joke was over. The ghosts sensed Char's fear and realized that they'd been spotted. In a matter of a few seconds, they all allowed themselves to become visible. Scythe, Ray, and Saura all gasped as they appeared to fade into reality, surrounding the group and outnumbering them at least ten-to-one, backing them even further into the corner.

Almost in unison, the ghost Pokémon descended from the ceiling and faced the team at eye-level. Many of them giggled and howled in sinister anticipation, their eyes glowing red in the dark…

"Char," Scythe muttered, eyeing the ghosts and trying to keep his calm, "now would be an excellent, excellent time to use the Escape Orb…"

Char couldn't argue. His hand scrambled into the bag and searched for the item that would save them all.

There wasn't one. Char couldn't find a single orb in the bag, only a pile of apples and berries.

"Ray," Char said quickly. "You have it. I only have the food."

"I thought you had the Escape Orb," Ray said, his face turning white. "…didn't you?"

Scythe succumbed to a cringe, hanging his head in painful despair.

"We have anything capable of clearing out a room?" Char asked desperately. "Spurn Orb? Foe-Hold Orb? _Anything?_"

"Uh, no," Ray said regretfully. "We used those all up… and they were too expensive to buy more…"

The group fell silent, realizing their fate.

"We fight," Saura spoke, trying to swallow his fear as he felt the many piercing, red eyes burn into him. "That's how Team Ember operates. We fight until the end. Because there's always a chance we could make it. Are you guys ready for this?"

Char clenched his fists and fueled his fire. It wasn't like he had much of a choice; they were trapped in an abandoned building, all escape routes blocked by the enemy. They had to fight, for better or for worse.

He felt it when his fire was ready. It filled his insides to the brim, hanging at the very edge of his throat… Then, stepping forward to confront the ghosts, he bellowed…

"_The __**FIRE **__will __**NEVER DIE…**_"

"_Until the __**LAST! EMBER! FADES!**_" His teammates answered at the top of their lungs.

"Heh, heheheh," Scythe laughed. "Right you are. Frivolous optimism can be fun sometimes… Alright. Let's see these ghosts bring their best! _En guarde_!"

Char started the battle by spewing a great stream of fire, sweeping it across as many ghosts as he could manage. The ghosts jumped back in shock, realizing they were being attacked, and they began to _swarm_.

Char had to halt his flamethrower to breathe, so he dove behind his friends for cover. Ray loosed a wave of electric power over the ghosts, missing all but two as they flowed aside like a gaseous substance to dodge it. Saura pelted them with all the leaves he could muster, but the ghosts' evasiveness was impressive, and they dodged his attack as well. When Char was ready, he mustered his breath and released a ball of embers from his mouth which struck the ceiling and exploded, but it had no effect. The ghosts moved like oil atop a pond, reacting to the slightest disturbance and impossible to touch.

Sounding a feral screech from the depths of his lungs, Scythe zipped forward and swiped with his blades, which were now shining with a strange dark power. With some impressive acrobatics, he sliced through one, two, three ghosts, all of which appeared to drift apart in multiple pieces with no interest in fusing back together. They faded out of visibility.

"Hey, I thought you said you weren't good at fighting ghosts!" Char called to him.

"I'm not," Scythe answered with a grin, "but I never said I couldn't do it!"

The ghosts were not amused, and several of them at the front of the crowd prepared a counterattack. A Haunter charged a dark ball of energy between its hands, while another zoomed forward with its hands opened wide to grab hold of its victim. With a snap of Saura's vines, the second was sent careening away, but the first let loose its attack upon Char, knocking the wind out of him. It was a weak attack, but it left him feeling shaky…

"Hey! I told you not to mess with Char!" Ray yelled angrily, discharging a spark that connected with the ghost and zapped it senseless.

Four more ghosts floated forward in replacement. At once, they began to circle around their prey, suddenly growing to twice their size and releasing a shriek to startle the team out of their wits. This time, Char held steady and took the opportunity to strike back, darting underneath the ghost before him, a Shuppet, and jumping into it to crunch down with his white-hot fangs. It screamed in disgust and vanished. Saura threw an energy ball, which took out a Gastly, and Ray leapt into the air and allowed his body to explode with lightning, frying the two remaining Misdreavus in the group.

"See?" Ray said, panting in excitement. "Easy enough! Just pretend they're Butterfree!"

But that's when the battle started to go awry. The cloud of ghosts was clearly displeased. After what looked like a unanimous nod, they _all_ rushed in for attack. At the sight, Ray's expression of confidence turned to one of dread.

Char tried to blast fire at the first ghost he could see coming, a Haunter, but it was no use. He soon felt the whole cloud of ghosts piling onto him, and at once, he felt sick, terrified, and confused all at the same time. He tried swiping with his claws to get them off, but they laughed as his effort passed harmlessly through them. He tried backing away, but he was already backed into the corner. He felt as the long, sticky tongue of a Haunter was slapped across his face, and as multiple balls of shadow energy collided with his sides, and as his body began painfully tingling.

"Char! NO!" Ray cried. "Char! Fight! Fight it!" Burn them!"

Char blasted fire, only to realize a second later that his attack had only collided with a bare wall.

"I can't do it," Saura moaned. "I'm gone! I'm done for! I think I'm confused! I can't attack!"

Char wanted to help his friends, but his vision was filled with a tornado of ghosts, all taking turns biting at him, scratching him, licking him, and flying right through his body. His actions all seemed to happen in slow motion, and no matter what he tried, he couldn't fend them off… He was ready to give himself up for lost…

Scythe battled furiously and took down a dozen ghosts with his skillful agility, but he was ultimately powerless against them. They piled onto him and unleashed their supernatural attacks, causing him to slump to the floor in exhaustion.

"I'm finished," he announced grimly, feeling his consciousness fade away…

Laying on the floor, his last vision was that of Char, Saura, and ray covered in ghost Pokémon, suffering the same fate as he…

"SCYTHE!" Saura cried, catching a glimpse of him. "Scythe! Not you, too!"

And then, Scythe's vision went black.

It was over. Char resigned himself to the same fate, realizing he was about to be expelled from the dungeon and fail the mission… He simply let himself go limp and slump to the floor, covered in ghostly curses and spent from weakness…

What happened next was the last thing Char would have ever expected.

There was a flash of blue, black, and orange. The ghosts scattered.

"Alright, playtime's over," an unexpected voice yelled.

There were another flash. A clenched fist collided with several of the ghosts in rapid succession, pulverizing them.

The ghosts rose from Char, directing their malice toward the new threat.

A streak of red. It slashed a Misdreavus right out of the air.

It took Char a moment to comprehend what he was seeing.

"Enough of this!" another voice hissed. "Gahhh! Die, die! Die, you infernal…"

Char blinked. He didn't believe his eyes.

A Seviper and a Croagunk were fighting off the ghosts. And _winning_.

The Croagunk waited until a multitude of ghosts had attached to him. With an angry grunt, a dark shadow of energy pulsed from his form, annihilating the ghosts upon contact. The Seviper coiled and twisted, crunching upon a Gastly with his mouth while swinging his tail like a scythe to slice apart a Duskull.

Char gasped for air. He felt like there were fifty things wrong with him, but he was going to be okay, now that the ghosts were no longer interested in him…

Like a knife to a cutting board, the Seviper's tail took out the last ghost—a Banette—and the room was clear. The two newcomers proudly inspected their handiwork.

"Hey, you guys alright?" Croagunk said gently, walking up to the fallen team. "Take it easy, and you can still finish this mission…"

"Ugh… I don't know…" Saura answered absentmindedly. "I feel like… Whoa, whoa, whoa!"

Suddenly wide-awake, Saura leapt away from his rescuers. Ray's eyes also snapped open in reaction, and he scowled.

"What?!" Croagunk cried. "Look! We just saved your rears! Can't we have just a little hospitality for once?"

"How!" Saura stammered, looking very confused. "This is a dungeon! How did you find us inside of a dungeon?! How did you get here?!"

"We followed close behind you," Seviper said coolly. "Not only that, but we've been helping you the entire way. We drew all the ghosts away from you and fought them off."

"Here," Croagunk said, offering Char a Heal Seed. "Get back up. You'll feel better in no time. Here, you, too, Bulbasaur. We brought these just for you."

Char's fire broiled. For once, his view of Team X was fuddled. _Why_ were they helping him? _Why_? To gain his trust? If so… Why had they chosen to do it this way? Char ate his Heal Seed, wondering how to react to this gesture…

"Look," Croagunk said. "We decided something. We understand that our efforts to get into your base have been a little… too forward, huh? So, no more of that. We don't want into your base anymore. Instead, we're just going to just hang around the region and give you a hand from now on, and in return, we'll ask for one or two supplies from you now and then, okay?"

"All we want is to fight a certain regime of the Master's forces that has been giving us trouble," Seviper said. "That is all. We mean you no harm of any sort. We mean your resistance force no harm of any sort. We simply wish to take advantage of your resources, however lightly or indirectly, to help further our ends. In return, we'll be happy to assist your team whenever the situation arises."

"And what… _regime_… would this be?" asked a deep voice.

Seviper and Croagunk turned to see… to their utter horror… Scythe standing at the far end of the room, perfectly healthy and uninjured.

"No…" Croagunk gasped, emitting a croak from his cheeks. "No, no! We saw you fall! We saw you pass out! Where'd you come from?! How'd you…"

"Apparently, my students have decided this mission was important enough to have brought their Reviver Seed," Scythe explained, looking extremely displeased at their presence. "So… tell me. What's _really _your business here?"

"Scyther, _please_ hear us out," Croagunk pleaded like a baby. "We want to join your resistance force. Honestly. We're actually part of a faction that's about to split away from the others, and our master plan is to spring a trap for… you know… _her._"

Scythe's expression changed. Surprised, yet angered at their words, he stepped closer to them.

"Who's 'her'?" Ray blurted out.

"Enigma," Croagunk said powerfully. "Enigma, the Mismagius. One of the Master's elite commanding forces. She's corrupting the empire from the inside, and she needs to be stopped."

"Oh, really?" Scythe said, a strange and frightening evil force now behind his voice. "And what, exactly, are you planning to do about _her_?"

"We were… hoping… for your hospitality… of… your base," Croagunk said, shuddering in fear as Scythe's eyes gleamed at him. "We need cover… safety… supplies… but… we can't… let… her know… what we're doing…"

"_QUIET!_" Scythe boomed in anger, raising his blades. "Enough! Your voice is grating on my nerves! You're both about to get expelled from this dungeon. Would you prefer to go painlessly, or painfully?"

"Painlessly, if you would," Croagunk squeaked. "I mean, we _did_ just help you out…"

"Fair enough," Scythe sighed. "Now, go away, stop bothering my students with your fast-talking lies, and _never show yourselves again!"_

Faster than light, Scythe zipped forward and thunked the Croagunk and the Seviper upside the head with the blunt ends of his scythes, knocking the consciousness right out of them and letting them to slump to the floor.

"Idiots," Scythe muttered to himself. "Talk about a misplaced effort. I don't know whether to laugh or to cry."

Team Ember looked oddly to one another, trying to wrap their minds around the series of events that just took place.

"Thanks," Char finally told Scythe. "I was almost getting ready to believe them."

"Not a problem," Scythe said. "That's why I'm here. But I'll tell you something: their story was convincing. It could very well be the case that part of their story is true. But in the end, it's not what they're saying, it's what they're not saying that really matters. If I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that their intentions were pure, I'd let them into the base. But… it's too risky to make that call. My instincts cry out to me that they're filthy liars, so I do what I think is right. Besides… I have a bothersome hunch that underneath it all, they could be working for Adiel…"

"Did you ever figure out what Adiel's up to?" Char asked him. "Did you find out why he was in Iron Town yesterday?"

"Oh, I've known what Adiel's doing for a while," Scythe said honestly. "I figured out his plan quite a while ago. It just took a little piecing together of the clues. The hard part is going to be trying to stop him… without letting everything else I've worked hard for fall to pieces…"

When the Heal Seeds had taken effect and cured all the nasty effects the ghosts had placed on them, and when the Oran Berries had healed them enough, they pushed forth to finish their trip. Now that the ghosts were finally assaulting them at every turn, they picked up the pace, and they soon arrived to the thieves' den.

It was empty. Not a single treasure remained. With a collective shrug, Scythe and the team turned to head back for the base, their trip completely fruitless save for the hefty bounty offered by the division as well as the mysterious pair of goggles that Char had acquired…

…All the while, Char had to wonder just what had gotten into Team X…

* * *

**Division Base**

After recording their victory at the registry and dropping the bags off for Morrik, Scythe told the team to return to their rooms and wait for him.

"I have to get some things straight with my team," Scythe said. "When I'm done, we'll start packing for the big trip. Be ready."

The mission had been brief, and it was not yet lunchtime, so Char retired to his room for a quick rest while Scythe took care of his business.

"Well, there goes our Reviver Seed," Saura sighed once they found themselves back in their hall and closed the door behind them. "Seems a little bit unfair that we used it on Scythe… think he'll give us another one?"

"I think we need to make sure we're not missing vital supplies next time," he said, showing his friends a lighthearted glare. "But, whatever, it's fine for now. We pulled it off. We won the mission, all's well. Good job, you guys. As usual."

"It's an absolute pleasure to be of service to you," Ray said. "I'm very ashamed of myself for letting some supplies slip through like that. But, it won't happen again! I promise! I can't let you down!"

Suddenly, there was a hard rapping at the door. The threesome spun around in surprise to answer it.

"Scythe's back already?" Saura wondered. "That wasn't very long of a rest…"

Saura shoved the door open, and sure enough, Scythe was standing on the other side.

"Guess what," he said. "Alakazam just contacted me. He told us not to worry about preparing for the trip. He's going to take care of everything for us."

"Sounds good," Saura said.

"So, the rest of the day is yours," Scythe said. "Do whatever you want. Tomorrow, we'll be getting our supplies from him. And, yes, I made it clear that he would need to pack for _four_ travelers."

Char smiled.

"Have a good day, you three," Scythe said, turning to leave. "See you tomorrow."

The door closed again, and Saura sighed happily.

"Well, that's good to know," he said. "Makes sense that Intelligence would be providing for us since they're forcing us to go on this trip. And Scythe's been in a better mood today."

"Not really," Char said. "He was only doing better at pretending. He's still hurting on the inside."

"Really?" Saura asked. "He looked fine to me! How could you tell?"

"It wasn't hard to tell," Char said oddly. "He told me with his eyes. You'd be surprised at how much a Pokémon can say without even speaking…"

… … …

Deciding to take a short nap, the trio returned to their respective rooms.

Char found himself gazing at the brilliant yellow fire beside his bed.

He touched his burn. It was painless, and it was already starting to fade away.

He held no grudge against his fire for doing what it did to him. The fire was still his friend. Only, he had a slightly greater respect for it this time around. It was raw power, a force of nature, and it did not discriminate against friend or foe. It simply burned. Yes, it was his element, but it still had to be controlled. Just like the fire within him, his Ember, he couldn't get reckless with it.

Why Char found himself thinking these thoughts, he didn't know. He was alone again, with nobody but the fire to share his thoughts with.

"_Ugh!_ … … … _Urf!_ … … … _Ugh!_..."

Saura's voice came from outside his door. Curious, he dropped from his bed to see what the matter was.

"_Urrrrrrrf!_" Saura groaned. "_Ugh!_"

Before Char could cross his room, his door slid open. There was Saura, his vines fully extended… pulling something?

It was his bed.

"Saura, what are you doing?" Char cried.

"I'm…_ ugh_… moving in!" Saura replied, focusing solely on pulling his bed through Char's doorway. "I decided it wasn't fair to… _urrrrrf…_ leave you alone every night…"

"Saura, no," Char said. "You don't have to! Are you sure? I'm fine on my own!"

"But you're lonely!" Saura insisted. "I know you are. I saw you… yesterday… And I saw it… in your eyes… I know you… _urrrh_… too well…"

"Saura, really! I'm okay!" Char said. "I'm just getting used to being in my own room…"

"You burned yourself!" Saura grunted, pulling harder. "And I wasn't there! You were all alone! And you burned yourself! And I… wasn't there! I wasn't there… to share… the pain."

"Saura, stop!" Char commanded suddenly.

Saura dropped his vines and turned to face Char. Tears were welling in his eyes.

Char was suddenly flooded with… an utterly indescribable emotion. He stood for a moment, his eyes broken with something like pity and sympathy, looking deep into the eyes of his friend.

"Saura," Char said gently. "Why do you try so hard?"

"Because I want to," Saura answered, trying to pretend he wasn't crying. "I never had a friend like you. Ever! Not even… back at home… Not even any of my brothers… not anyone. And then you came… and… I really… I don't really know what I'm doing, Char… It's just… You did so much…"

Char smiled warmly.

"It means a lot to me, Char, just as much as it means to you," Saura said sincerely. "Since, you know, I'm your friend… I just want to be… I just want to make sure… I'm a really, really good one."

_You are,_ Char wanted to say. _You're a perfect friend. You couldn't possibly be a better friend if you tried. So stop trying so hard!_

Instead, he knelt down by Saura's side and gave him a great big hug until he stopped tearing up so much. He said nothing; he didn't have to for Saura to understand him.

"I thought you were afraid of the fire," Char said humorously, glancing nonchalantly back at his giant torches.

"My best friend is a Charmander," Saura said with a sniffle. "I can't be _that_ scared of fire, now can I?"

Once the bed was moved in, Char and Saura lounged in the room, half-asleep, Char telling the story of just how he got his burn, when Char heard another voice from outside his door.

"_MMMMMMMMMMMPH!" _Ray grunted, trying to silence himself but falling short. "_URGHHH!_"

_Ray, too?_ Char wondered, jumping up from his bed to answer the door.

Yes, Ray was there, pushing his own bed into the room. When he saw Char, he smiled.

"Uh… hi," Char said. "You're moving in, too?"

"Well, yeah!" Ray said. "You expect me to, right? That's what Saura's doing, and you made it clear that you wanted me on an equal level as him, so I thought… yeah."

"Um… not really, but come on in," Char said oddly, giving a hand with the bed and helping to pull it through the doorway. "Well, actually, I think it's better like this. It's just like the old days with Scythe! As long as nobody snores…"

"Scythe is the one who always snored," Saura laughed. "Nah, we'll finally have peace and quiet now…"

As Char helped to lug the bed across the room to the position opposite of Saura's, he hesitated. With a gleam in his eye, he glanced at Ray.

"What?" Ray asked.

"Ray," Char asked, "Why do you try so hard?"

"What, me?" Ray said. "I just… do what I can, I guess."

"No, really," Char said, sitting upon the bed and waiting for an answer that satisfied him. "You're the most zealous Pokémon I've ever met. Why? What drives you?"

"I'm flattered," Ray said. "But really, I'm just working so that I can make as many Pokémon happy as I can. It's just what I always wanted to do. A long time ago, when I was a Pichu, my older brother took care of me. I guess he did something right, because one day, Team Remorse noticed him and let him join the team. But they wouldn't let me into the base because I was too young, so he pulled double-time, working for the resistance and taking care of me at the same time. When he was away, I learned to live on my own, and I got stronger. But when he was there for me…"

Ray grew starry-eyed, immersing himself in his memories.

"He used to say to me… 'There are a lot of Pokémon in this world, and a lot of them are unhappy. But it only takes one Pokémon to change that. To make someone happy. One Pokémon, and all that unhappiness can go away. And for a lot of them, that Pokémon can be you.' "

Ray smiled fondly.

"And he told me, 'There are hundreds of Pokémon in this world just waiting for you to make them happy. But it's your choice to make them happy. It's everyone's choice. Everyone has the same choice.'… And one day, when I was a Pikachu, he finally let me into the base. But that day, he told me he was retiring from Team Remorse, and he had to go live somewhere far away… I realize now, that he could have gone off to a dangerous mission, and died, and didn't want to tell me about it. Or he could have been telling the truth. But it doesn't matter now… He's gone, he left me here in good hands, and from that point on, I promised to say 'yes' to that question. I wanted to make lots of Pokémon happy. Because… that's just the way I am."

"Wow," Saura said. "That's very touching. I understand now why you want to join Team Remorse so much. Your brother probably made a lot of Pokémon happy, whatever he did. And I bet you are, too."

Ray laughed nervously. "Well, I'm not so sure anymore," he chuckled.

This caught Char off-guard.

"What do you mean?" He asked. "You don't want to make Pokémon happy anymore?

"No, no, of course I do," Ray said. "But I've been thinking a lot lately about myself, and Team Ember, and everything. And I… think maybe… I don't want to join Team Remorse anymore. I'm happy here with you."

Char frowned.

"Really?" Saura said in disbelief. "You're joking!"

"No, really!" Ray said. "I thought about it, and I realized that it's an honor to serve under Scythe, but it's an even bigger one to serve under a human! And besides, you heard that Scythe wants Team Ember and Team Remorse to be inseparable. So, it wouldn't really matter what team I'm on anyway. I figure, I stay here, and…"

"Stop," Char said. "Ray, stop."

Ray blinked. "Huh?" he uttered.

"Stop this," Char said. "For one thing… d_on't _compare me to Scythe. Just don't. I'm not Scythe. I'm not _better_ than Scythe. I never will be. He's wiser than all of Team Ember will ever be, put together! Just because I'm a human doesn't automatically make me a hero. Scythe is a hero. I'm not. Get your priorities straight! You'll go a lot farther in life working for him than for me. So don't quit on him! Join Team Remorse! It's been your lifelong dream! You can't change your lifelong dream just because I said something! That's… no better than Fern was!"

Ray bit his lip. He didn't know what to say.

"And for another thing," Char continued, his voice softening, "Look. When I told you I was a human, this wasn't the way I wanted you to react. Stop acting like this. Stop acting like I'm… your master. I'm not. I'm not a Pokémon trainer. I'm your _friend_. Your _equal_. Not your superior. But now you're treating me like a king, and it really makes me uncomfortable. I hate it when Scythe does it, and I hate it even more when…"

Ray nodded. He looked a little hurt, but he understood what was being said. He looked ashamed of himself.

"Okay, fine, so you respect me more because I'm a human," Char said. "In that case, can I make one request of you?"

"Anything," Ray said meekly.

"Could you be the Ray that I made friends with?" Char requested. "Could we go back to being friends?"

Ray hung his head and stared at the floor for a few moments. Then, he took a deep breath and nodded to Char.

"I'll try," he said. "You're right. I thought maybe you'd like it better if I acted more humble around you, but I guess I didn't really think about it like that. So… okay. I'll try not to be like that anymore."

Wearing a wide grin, he extended his paw.

"Handshake?"

Char didn't hesitate for a moment, despite his instincts telling him to. He grasped Ray's paw and shook it forcefully, this time feeling no electric feedback whatsoever. He returned the grin.

_It's done,_ Char realized. _Now this team is finally the way I want it to be, after all this time. Here we are, all together…_

Nobody admitted to being hungry enough for lunch, and the team spent a good deal of the afternoon simply taking a lazy nap in the room that now belonged to all three of them.

_Tomorrow might be our last mission together here at the Gold Division,_ Char realized, watching his two best friends sleeping peacefully. _Tomorrow might be the last "normal" day I've ever known…_

_After that, who knows what the future will bring?_

Char rested his head on the edge of his bed near the fire, knowing that, for the moment, everything was okay. He really didn't care what the future would bring; he knew he'd face it proudly and confidently, for he was anything but alone.


	34. Special Episode: Brave Bird

**"Brave Bird"**

"Everyone! Quick! You have to come see this!" shouted a Taillow as it burst in from the floor hatch and flapped wildly to get the room's attention.

The room was a small oval-shaped hall, its two long walls lined with tiny alcoves and long ledges. At one end of the room, a couple bird Pokémon where perched on the ledge and were chatting about the day's accomplishments as the Taillow barged in.

"Oh, great," a Pidgey said, rolling his eyes. "This had better be good."

"What is it?!" a Staravia replied in annoyance. "I'm not budging unless the entire wing is on fire."

"Relax, he probably just saw something in the news," a Spearow joked. "We'll see it tomorrow if it's anything important."

"No, no! You don't understand!" The Taillow said as it fluttered closer, not even stopping to perch. "Master Karow—"

"Look, do you have any idea how many miles I just flew today?" the Staravia shot angrily. "I had to fly to Fort Temper—and _back_—without resting. I'm done for the day."

"_HEY!_" the Taillow shouted. "The new kid _beat up_ Master Karow!"

A gasp arose from the room, followed by stunned silence.

"You're joking." the Spearow said. "You can't be serious."

"No joke!" the Taillow insisted. "I just saw it happen! Guys, you have to come!"

"Master Karow?" the Pidgey gaped. "That can't be! No way!"

At once, the birds rose from the ledge and flocked behind the Taillow to come see.

"I always knew that new kid was crazy," the Spearow squawked as the group landed before the entrance to the team's training chamber. "I've always been scared to battle him. It's like he doesn't know the difference between training and trying to kill you."

"Are you kidding? That kid still thinks he's in the wild," the Taillow said. "Remember what he did to Midoh? And Spear? You can't say anything to him without getting his feathers ruffled. And now this?"

"He's crazy," the Pidgey said. "Do you ever look him in the eyes? Whenever he looks at me, it always looks like he's plotting to rake me open in my sleep. He's _evil_. And he's always so quiet…"

"Wow, look at us. We're getting all ruffled up over a Pidgey," the Staravia said. "This is actually a little bit sad. He's the one who should be scared of us."

"What happened to Master Karow?" The Pidgey said. "Is he okay? It wasn't _too _bad, was it?"

"I saw the whole thing," the Taillow said. "I was in there with Master Karow, and I was watching the catmatch he was having with Otto, Master Karow won, boom. Pulled a fairy glide over the top, got him in the tail feathers. Otto kept fighting like he didn't know he lost. And he just kept going. Knocked the old man onto the ground, kept mobbing him… He just wouldn't stop! I was too afraid to help, but I couldn't stop watching."

The group collectively shuddered at the Taillow's description.

"Wow," the Pidgey said, ruffling his feathers. "That kid needs help."

Preceded by an infuriated screech, an elderly Honchkrow half-tumbled, half-flew down from the training chamber portal. The birds' breaths were taken away at the sight: the old crow was missing many feathers, and patches of exposed skin were covered in fresh, bloody scratches, the white down beneath his black coat stained with patches of red…

"Master!" the Spearow cried. "Master, you're hurt!"

"Leg's broken," the large crow grumbled. "That little wretch broke my leg… And my left wingtip… I… need to see a doctor. Get me a berry. By Lugia, somebody get me a berry. Please."

Without hesitation, the Staravia beat its wings and made for the medicine stock. The other three gathered around their elder and tried to support him, but he angrily batted them away.

"By Lugia… what was he trying to prove?" Master Karow moaned, looking over his injuries and carefully preening out a few of the damaged feathers.

"What's going to happen to him?" the Spearow asked curiously. "Do you think we should throw him out?"

"From the moment I first saw him, ERK!" he yelped, accidentally hitting a raw nerve with his beak. "I never would have let him into the guild. Not even for as much as they're paying us. You can see it in his eyes… he has no sense of authority, no will to obey, no reason to… UUURK! By the blazes, how am I supposed to fly to Boulder Pointe tomorrow like this?… But no… it's not up to me… Syr was the one who let him in… and by the blazes of Moltres, He's going to need to do something about that wretched little demon…"

The Swellow, the Pidgey, and the Spearow were both frozen in awe. They had never seen their most respected leader and trainer so filled with rage, not to mention covered in wounds. They watched as he simply hopped and limped down the hall, fluttering sometimes to gain distance, but having to rest constantly due to his injuries…

Once he was gone, a second bird swooped down from the training hall. It was small and brown, much smaller than the Honchkrow. Its coat of feathers was ruffled and disturbed, but it seemed mostly unharmed.

Its talons and beak were spattered with blood.

The Pidgey landed on the floor and stared the other three birds in the eye… first the Spearow, then the Swellow… both of which shirked back at his glance.

"What's the deal with you?" the Pidgey screeched in his face.

"Otto, what did you do?!" the Spearow yelled. "Are you insane? That was Master Karow! Our team coordinator! He's the one who _runs this place_! You don't _tear his feathers off_ like he's some kind of wounded prey…"

Otto said nothing. He continued to stare at them as if completely ignoring their words. He lifted a talon to lick it clean of blood.

"You're going to get expelled from the team now," the Swellow said. "You know that, right? Do you care? Otto?"

Ignoring them, the blood-stained Pidgey flew off down the tunnel and out of sight.

"He scares me," the Pidgey said.

"He doesn't even care," the Spearow said. "Look at him. He's probably just going to go take a bath, just like he does every night. He has no idea what just happened. What is he doing here, anyway? He's still wild. After all this, he's still wild. The daycare didn't do their job."

"The daycare did everything they could do," the Swellow said. "Believe me. I asked. They used all the tricks they knew to civilize a Pokémon. And I heard he ate five times his allotment of gummis. For all it's worth, he should have been a normal Pokémon by now."

… … …

That evening, as the wing's members rested in their nesting chambers, it seemed that every bird in the room had an eye on Otto. Word spread quickly of Otto's deed toward the team coordinator, and he quickly became the talk of the entire team even moreso than he was before. Otto perched on his designated ridge and rested, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he had lost the trust and respect of everyone in the team. He stood and stared, watching them all, like he would do every night, until his eyelids would seem to close all on their own…

Having an odd inclination, another Pidgey, a slightly smaller and younger one, came to rest on the ridge next to Otto.

"Hey, Otto," the Pidgey said carefully. "Um… I heard about what you did today."

Otto didn't reply.

"I know nobody likes you, but I thought… maybe we could be friends? You could tell me what's bothering you."

Otto briefly glanced at the newcomer, then back to the rest of the room.

"My name's Brace, if you don't remember," the other Pidgey said. "I'm next to you at the meetings a lot. Look… are you okay? Maybe it's just because we're brothers of kin, but I'm worried about you."

Otto glanced at Brace again, and then at the floor.

"Why don't you ever talk?" Brace asked. "Didn't they teach you how to talk when you were at the day care? Why don't you talk?"

Otto looked Brace in the eye, and surprisingly, he opened his beak to speak.

"Nothing to say," Otto managed to squawk out.

"I think you have a lot to say for yourself," Brace said. "You have to talk so that people can understand you. Right now, Otto, nobody understands you. You've only been here for a few weeks, and you already put some birds in the hospital. Why? What bothers you? The team's here to help you!"

Otto paused for a moment. Then, he opened his beak again, not to speak, but in a gesture of hostility. Likewise, he raised his wings above his head. It was a gesture with very clear, primal meaning which every bird knew—_Go away, leave me alone, or I will fight._

"Geeze! Fine!" Brace cried in frustration, launching himself into the air and flying away. "Be by yourself, if that's what you want."

Brace returned to his place at the far end of the room. He glared back at Otto for a few moments before pivoting his body and facing away from him. Otto stayed awake for a few more minutes after that, then fell asleep when he couldn't keep his eyelids open.

… … …

The next day, when Otto awoke, he was surprised to see that the roosting chamber was completely empty. There was a call to attention each morning, which he was used to, where he would follow the flock out into the main team chamber for the daily meeting. But this time, it seemed, the rest of the flock was somehow ahead of him.

"Sleep well?"

Otto jumped in fright and turned his head upward. On the ledge just above him stood a massive gray and white raptor, many times his own size. The big bird glared down at him with piercing red eyes, unsetting him a little.

"I sent the wing on a field trip today," the bird said, fluttering down and landing next to Otto. "After you knocked down my best bird, I figured he deserved the day off."

Otto said nothing in reply, but watched the mighty raptor, and prepared himself to flee at a moment's notice.

"My name is Syr," the great bird said. "I am known as a Staraptor, and I am the leader of Team Silverwing, the team that feeds you and gives you quarter. And you… you are Team Ember's recruit. When you were first brought before me, I had very high hopes for you. You looked strong and capable enough to become a good bird. And such an unparalleled ferocity… Indeed, for such a legendary team as Char's, I knew from the moment I first met you that you would be perfect addition to our team, and theirs."

Otto tilted his head, but said nothing.

"But," the great Staraptor said, "It appears as though I was wrong."

Feeling uncomfortable with the Staraptor's proximity, Otto fluttered away and set himself down on the opposite side of the room, still watching Syr intensely.

"My friend Karow has lost his faith in you," Syr sighed, wondering how much of what he said was making sense to the little bird. "The rest of the team wants nothing to do with you, either because you frighten them, or because they simply don't care. Yet… this means nothing to you, does it? But I… I do not intend to give up on you. If I did, it would mean giving up on Char and his team, Scythe and his team, and ultimately the division itself. So… while I am usually not one to train recruits, I would like to spend some time with you today. I want to understand you, so that I may help you. I want to know who you are."

Otto began to preen his itching feathers, listening indifferently to the team leader as he continued to speak.

"But, apparently you do not want to tell me who you are," Syr said thoughtfully. "Maybe you don't want me to understand you. Maybe you don't think it's important enough to care. But, as they like to say, actions speak louder than words. And if there's something you have shown us that you can do, Otto, you can act. So… if you will not tell me who you are, I want you to _show _me. Take your time… make sure your feathers are all clean… I can wait. We have all day."

… … …

And then, as soon as noon had passed and Syr had fed Otto with his daily allotment of gummis and seeds, he led the little bird to the training chamber.

The training chamber was the most spacious chamber of Team Silverwing's lair. The center of the room boasted an extremely high ceiling and completely unobscured airspace, a perfect place to practice complex flight maneuvers. But the perimeter of the room was lined with pillars, crossbeams, fences, winding tunnels through the walls… obstacles of every sort, representing any complicated situation a bird in flight might encounter. It was a room used frequently by all the team's members… with the exception of Syr, who was not in the habit of working closely with the Team's members.

Otto and Syr stood face-to-face in the center of the room, Otto with a blank stare on his face.

"I have commanded many birds to battle in my time," Syr said, beginning to pace around Otto. "Every bird has its strengths. Pidgeot have the strongest wings of any bird. Fearow boast the strongest and deadliest talons and beaks. Staraptor like myself are known for their excellent sense of sight, and their undying perseverance through strain and suffering. Swellow have the lightest frame of any evolved bird, and thus are usually the fastest and most agile. Honchkrow are weaker in several areas, but possess the capacity to command dark power offensively, as well as psychic power, and can learn an entire range of specialized attacks, something that other birds can only dream of…"

Syr circled closely around Otto, carefully inspecting his form.

"But you are different, I see," Syr said. "Your wings are clipped… they are small for your size. You have difficulties flying long distances. And you have the talons and beak of a Pidgeotto. Nature has endowed you with great offensive strength… most likely something you have learned to abuse."

Completing his final circle, Syr stopped directly in front of Otto once more. Mere inches away, he stared into his eyes.

"And… you are a wild," Syr said in a deeper voice. "The wild has raised and trained you. That is all you have known. You do not yet understand why you are here, even though you came here by your own choice. Your instincts and habits serve you well, for the most part, so you see no need to change them… you see, I was also a wild. In some ways which I sometimes consider… I still am."

Otto's expression changed, as if something that Syr said had touched him on a deeper level than normal. He seemed captivated by the Staraptor's looming presence.

"To understand you, then, I must speak the only language you truly understand… the language of the wild!"

Syr opened his mighty wings and parted his beak, signaling that he wished to duel…

Otto reacted instantaneously, launching himself nearly straight up and then swooping at his opponent from an unexpected angle. Syr assumed the attack would fail to factor his own momentum as he rose into the air, but to his surprise, it struck… Syr witnessed a flash of redness replace his vision, followed by a searing pain across his forehead.

"Ahh, a well-executed hook dive," Syr proclaimed as he flapped to recover from the first hit. "But I am an old bird. You were ready before I expected you to be. But now that I am ready, how will you do?"

After waiting patiently for his instructor to finish speaking, Otto circled around for a second attack. Sensing an opening, he swooped low and zigzagged around to throw off his opponent's expectations before launching himself at a high speed straight at the raptor's underbelly. Syr dodged, but Otto predicted the move and deftly swerved toward him, plunging his small talons into the raptor's chest and raking them forward before breaking off and escaping.

Syr grunted. The attack had connected with feathers, and went no deeper.

_I will learn nothing if I simply take damage_, Syr told himself. _What I need to do is see how he reacts to defeat. That's when his true character will rise to the surface…_

Syr propelled himself quickly, taking the offensive. But Otto was small and fast, rapidly darting in circles just beyond his range of attack. He focused, letting his hunter's instinct detect a subtle pattern in his attacker's movements, and found one. Not hesitating, he banked sideways and dropped into a steep dive to gain extra distance… sending Otto tumbling through the air off the brunt of his wing. Otto screeched in protest.

Surprisingly, in the course of just a few moments, Otto had recovered and was once again in pursuit of his target, circling around him and waiting for a vulnerability to present itself. The same pattern coming to his attention, Syr banked and dived just as he did before…

But to his shock, he felt a pointed beak slam him in the chest. Pain flashed before his eyes again, and he found himself falling backwards towards the ground far below.

_He learns,_ Syr realized.

Otto swooped down fast, his spiked talons aimed directly at Syr's neck. Syr pivoted and righted himself, quickly dodging the impending attack. But then, he thought quickly and pivoted again, striking Otto in the wing and throwing him off-course, foiling his attempt to change his aim at the last moment.

_But so do I!_ Syr said to himself.

Otto darted away, but Syr followed his form quickly and tracked him. Pushing forward faster and faster, slicing the air with his wings just right to preserve his speed, he gained distance on the agile little bird. As he came closer, Otto started trying to throw him off with unexpected swerves and pauses in his flight path… none of which had much effect. Syr followed him closely, preparing to capture him in his front talons and detain him.

…But Otto was far from done. He escaped to the far end of the room, diving behind the cover of the pillars, swooping over and under several horizontal beams and other obstacles which hung in the air. Syr, being a larger bird, had to fly much more carefully; he lost ground on his target who disappeared into the maze of obstructions soon after.

"Smart," Syr called, banking out of the obstructed airspace. "But you aren't accomplishing anything if you just hide from me. You have to fight!"

Syr lazily flew around in a small loop, waiting for Otto to re-emerge, hoping that his predictable flight pattern would tempt him. Sure enough, Otto darted out from the maze, but Syr was ready. He positioned himself in midair and flapped his wings powerfully, creating a strong current of wind that engulfed the little Pidgey before he even had a chance to close the distance for an attack, sending him careening backward into a stone pillar. As soon as the wind died down, Otto peeled himself off and retreated once more into the cover of the maze.

_He has an advantage in there,_ Syr told himself. _He can out-maneuver me. But I can out-last him. _

Thus, Syr made the decision to enter the maze and chase him. As soon as he saw a brown flash between pillars out of the corner of his eye, he made a quick calculation of his opponent's future position, and propelled himself in.

What resulted was a very long, tiring chase. With so many corners to turn and collisions to avoid, Otto did not have the particular advantage of flying in an unpredictable manner. Occasionally he took an unexpected turn, but Syr kept a careful eye on the Pidgey's tail feathers and eventually grew to expect how he would act in most given circumstances. Thus, he slowly but steadily closed the distance to him…

As they made a complete lap around the perimeter of the training room, Otto was starting to slow down. Syr knew, with his smaller-than-average wings, that they were starting to burn, while he could easily fly for another several hours without having to rest. So, he kept up the chase, noting how the Pidgey took nearly the same path through the aerial rubble as he did the first time…

_Now…_ Syr told himself, _it is time for this to end, so that I can proceed with Otto's lessons. It is time for him to accept defeat._

As Syr flew, he touched upon a stream of internal energy which seemingly flowed from his rapidly pounding.

It was his favored technique, one which he had learned while in the wild and carried with him for all his life. He didn't know how it worked, exactly; he just knew that he had to charge it, causing his body to be consumed in a flame-like aura of redness… and when it was ready, all he'd need would be a clear shot at the target… the energy would propel him forward and do the rest.

On the second lap, he knew just where his window of opportunity would be. Otto would opt for a long, curved tunnel… and if he could just maneuver correctly, he could use it to his advantage…

Not seeming to take any notice that the predator which chased him now resembled a flaming fireball, Otto dove between two pillars and banked a hard right, shooting down the tunnel just as Syr had predicted.

That's when Syr unleashed his energy. His bright aura of energy became blue, propelling him forward through the tunnel at an incredible speed, far faster than he was capable of flying himself… And with a left, a right, a hard left, and a difficult bank straight up, he channeled himself through the tunnel just right, gaining all the distance he needed on the now-helpless Pidgey…

And then, just as Otto was about to escape the tunnel…

_WHAM._

Syr's charged field of energy broke as he slammed beak-first into an inconveniently-placed pillar. Otto flew away.

A moment passed before Syr found he could once again think straight, the brutal pain of the concussion rippling through his head with each heartbeat. He lazily drifted down to the ground, where he stood and waited for the world around him to make sense.

_So close,_ Syr said to himself. _But he outmaneuvered me at the very end… Ugh… a good fighter, this one… Ugh… I'm too old for this…_

"Errrrrrrk!" Syr moaned in pain, teetering on one talon when he realized he was about to collapse to the ground.

What happened next was something he would have never seen coming.

As his vision regained its focus, he caught sight of Otto approaching fast. Of course, the little bird would fight in a crazed frenzy until the death, or close to it, just as he had done with Karow. But somehow, that wasn't the part which bothered him.

Otto's body was engulfed in a red flame.

"No," Syr mouthed. "No. That's not possible. How could that… be possible?"

The red flame burst, and Otto's body was suddenly surrounded in a field of ice-like energy.

Syr did not attempt to dodge. He didn't see the point.

As soon as the attack struck, reality became a blur to Syr, and the next thing he knew, he was lying somewhere… he had no idea where… sprawled out across floor of the training chamber.

_SLASH._

_How did he know that technique?_ Syr's thoughts looped. _That wasn't supposed to be possible. How'd he know? How?_

_SLASH._

_I was beaten by a Pidgey… I'm too old… I'm…_

_SLASH._

As Syr's consciousness finally began to return to him, the horrible realization dawned on him that Otto was not yet done. The little bird hovered just above his fallen form, continuously striking at him… Again and again, Otto raked his talons across the Starraptor's crumpled form, each time tearing out more flesh and feathers…

"_EEEEEEEEEKE!"_ Otto cried triumphantly.

"Otto… stop," Syr pleaded.

_SLASH._

Otto didn't seem to listen. He swooped again, putting a gash in Syr's thigh.

"OTTO!" Syr cried. "This is enough! Let me go!"

_SLASH._

Syr was beyond pain. But such a situation, he knew, was the greatest strength of his species; he could endure pain and abuse far beyond what most other Pokémon species could handle... so he continued to plead…

"Otto…" Syr pleaded again. "If you don't stop… I think… you will… regret… yourself…"

_SLASH…_

_Fine,_ Syr said. _Don't stop. If that is your choice…_

Out of nowhere, the entire training chamber was flooded with a brilliant white light. Otto found himself blasted backward by an unimaginable, incomprehensible force; a force he had never encountered in his life.

_CRASH._

The strength of Syr's Hyper Beam cut through the air, tearing down at least two of the stone pillars at the opposite end of the room which collapsed to the floor with a mighty crash. Otto fell out of the air and plopped to the ground, completely spent.

… … …

A minute later, Syr lifted himself from the ground. Inspecting himself, he found his injuries to be, contrary to what he had believed in the heat of the battle, relatively mild. As soon as his heartbeat slowed and he was able to think straight, he found himself to still be rather strong and capable of sustaining himself. It was not nearly as bad as what happened with Karow, who'd approached him with body parts practically hanging by threads.

Otto was another story.

Syr crossed the room on foot, approaching the place where the little Pidgey was laying on the floor like a little lump of feathers. He was still awake, surprisingly, but he had no will to move. He was done.

"So," Syr said. "This is what you were looking for all along? You wanted to lose in a fair fight, rather than one with silly races or rules about touching tail feathers to win? There. You have it. You have lost, fair and square."

Syr took a step closer. Otto squeaked in pain, watching his every move.

"I understand the way your mind works," Syr said. "In a way, I always have. You are wild, and that is all you know. You are not stupid. No, on the contrary, you are intelligent. Perhaps too intelligent. Especially after hearing about the mountains of gummis you consumed down there in the center, I can't bring myself to believe that you are a stupid bird. No… in fact… I believe that you are a genius."

Syr stepped even closer, bending down to face Otto's cringing, pain-filled face in the eyes.

"When I was a hatchling, like you," Syr said, "They took me from my home in the wild and brought me here, and trained me to be a civilized bird. But as they trained me, I couldn't take it. I thought it all to be a lie. That's all I saw. A lie. A terrible, convoluted lie to cover up the rules of the wild, the rules which I had lived by up until then. For a long time, I saw through the lie… It's been so long, but there came a point where I began to accept the lie as truth, and I don't remember why…"

Syr lifted his right talon and placed it gently on Otto's chest.

"And you, in all your little brilliance…" he grumbled with force, "you see through the lie. You refuse to accept it. So, you continue to live by the rules of the wild. The rules of pride. The rules of survival. We have not yet given you reason to care. Well… now is the time, little Otto. Now, it is time for you to choose: what is the lie, and what is real?"

Syr brutally forced his talon down upon Otto's stomach until it pierced his flesh.

"_KEEEEEEEEE!_" Otto squealed in agony.

"If you wish to live by the rules of the wild, then so will I," Syr proclaimed. "If you wish to beat upon a fallen ally because they have hurt your sensitive pride, then so will I."

"_KEEEEEEYAAAAAAAAAH!_" Otto squealed again as Syr brought his weight down upon his lower legs.

"If you wish to believe that the victor makes the rules, and the victim suffers by them, so be it," Syr yelled louder. "I am a wild, just like you. I can live by those rules. But what do you say now, little bird? How do you like it when I am the victor, and you are the victim?"

"_EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!_"

After adding several fresh wounds to Otto's body, Syr simply backed away. Otto writhed on the floor.

After a second, Otto almost looked surprised at the fact that Syr was not continuing to inflict pain. Instead, he simply stared down at the incapacitated little Pidgey, as if waiting for it to make a move…

"Well?" Syr asked calmly. "Do you have anything to say?"

Otto did not respond.

"Fine," Syr said. "In that case…"

Syr rose a wing into the air, as if to beckon to some unseen presence. Immediately, another bird, a large, black-feathered form, approached and landed by Otto's side. It was Karow.

"You once lived in the wild," Syr said, "But no longer. Now, you live in civilization. And in civilization, The birds of a flock are there to help one another. We teach you to fight, not so you can preserve your pride, but because it is needed for the flock to survive. Your allies are one with you. Your strength is theirs, and their strength is yours. Their pride is also yours."

Otto cringed when Karow positioned his talon straight over his face, but no further harm came. Instead, a tiny item dropped from his clutch… an Oran Berry.

"See," Syr said, "how the one you have harmed yesterday has forgiven you, and does not desire revenge. Instead, he wishes for you to be stronger. And see how you have also harmed me, but I… I wish the same."

Otto looked baffled. He looked at the Oran Berry, then at Karow, then back at the berry…

"Do you think it will mean anything to him?" Karow asked skeptically.

"Yes," Syr said. "He learns."

Otto pecked at the berry and picked it up in his beak. Unable to fit it in his mouth, he bit off a chunk and dropped the rest to the floor.

"Now, Otto," Syr said, "What I offer you is a place among my flock. A place where we do not live by the rules of the wild, but by the strength of brotherhood. You must accept our rules if you wish to live here. After all, you were not placed here against your will. You came here by your own decision, and it's a decision you can't just change. So, join our flock. Help us, and we will help you. Fly with us, and we will make sure that someday, you can be called a good bird. Do you understand?"

"Yes," Otto answered.

"Well, then," Syr said. "If you desire it, my flock will teach you the avian arts. Do you want us to teach you? Do you want us to help you?"

"Teach me," Otto replied. "Help me."


	35. Chapter 31: To Hatch a Plan

**Chapter 31**

"You're awake too, huh?"

It was some undetermined hour of the early morning when Saura's voice rose from across the room.

For yet another night in a row, Char found himself staring at the ceiling of his chamber. No, he couldn't sleep. How could he? With the Temporal Tower expedition only a day away, and with the looming thought that everything he'd ever known was about to be challenged and overturned, it was impossible to relax. As the flames in his stomach violently churned, Char knew this time that he wasn't ill at all; it was only a manifestation of his repressed fear that was making him nauseas and sleepless. Trying to fight it would be hopeless; there was nothing left to do but lay awake, bearing the agony of his racing mind and pounding heart, until the sunrise would come…

Well, almost. This time, at least he had someone to talk to.

Rolling over in bed, Char turned his attention to the source of the voice which had just called to him. Saura returned his gaze from across the room, his weary yet sympathetic eyes gleaming in the blue firelight. Now that he was awake, Char knew he'd struggle against all odds to stay up as long as it took to keep him company. It was a rule he'd established for himself long ago, and as guilty as it made Char feel to see his friend woozy from exhaustion and fighting to keep his eyes open, he could never turn down this gesture of kindness. He appreciated it far too much.

"Yeah," Char replied quietly, peering over the rim of his large nest-like bed. "How'd you know?"

"You were facing the ceiling" Saura said, not repressing a small, weary smile. "You never sleep on your back."

Grunting softly, Char pulled his body up by the rim of his bed and slung himself over it, burying his face into his claws.

"I need to sleep so bad, but I can't," Char groaned. "It's like I'm too scared to sleep. I feel like I'm about to be thrown off a cliff."

"It's discipline," another voice suddenly said, catching Saura and Char by surprise. They both turned to see Ray lying comfortably on his bed with his eyes closed tight, even though it was obvious he wasn't asleep.

"You're awake, too?" Saura laughed in disbelief. "Wow, I wonder how this happened?"

"This is… what happens… when you sleep during the day too much," Ray mumbled. "You get… bad discipline…"

Char suddenly felt like banging his head against a wall. In his bout of self-pity, he'd completely forgotten that they'd slept most of the previous day away, ironically hoping it'd make the time pass faster. Indeed, his insomnia was no fault but his own.

"Somebody has to go down to storage and get us a few Sleep Seeds," Char joked bitterly. "We could use them right about now."

"Storage isn't open," Ray replied. "Besides, seeds don't cure sleeplessness…"

"Hey, Ray," Char said nonchalantly, in hopes a conversation could bring him comfort, "are you worried at all about going to Temporal Tower? You seem… so happy all the time. You don't seem as afraid as… I don't know… me."

"I'm really afraid," Ray admitted, still not moving any part of his body but his mouth. "But I can't whine about it. It wouldn't help anybody if I complained about it. Best thing to do is to get ready and keep trying to smile."

"Maybe it'd help you feel better," Char suggested. "Sometimes your feelings need to be discharged, you know? Kinda like your electricity, I guess. Sometimes you just need to tell someone else how you feel. I know how much it's helped me."

Ray stirred. He opened his eyes and sat upright in his bed, his gaze shifting from Char to Saura.

"Well, you have a right to do that," Ray said softly, surprising Char a little bit. He wasn't used to the Raichu speaking so calmly and straightforward. "You're Char, after all. When dragons start bothering me in my sleep and showing me Poké Balls, and when everything happens to me that's happened to you, then I can have the right to complain. But I'm the one who's supporting you right now, Char. It wouldn't be proper for me to whine about my own problems when I'm helping you with yours… does that make sense at all?"

A moment of silence followed, the gentle roar of Char's fireplaces the only sound filling the air. Char lifted his head and peered about the room, watching the gentle blue glow of the fire dance across the far walls, almost like a personification of the tension that filled the air and flooded his heart. His eyes eventually rested upon Ray, who was now returning his gaze in the same manner Saura was, his own sleepiness and displeasure apparent in his eyes.

Honestly, Char didn't know how to take the reply he'd been given. He'd made it clear the previous day he wanted to be treated as an equal, not as some kind of king or hero. But now, as Ray's words still echoed a sense of inferiority, he wondered if the handshake they'd shared had truly changed anything.

"You know, Ray, you sure know how to take things seriously," Saura commented, breaking the silence.

"Well, when you put it that way," Char replied, settling upon the words he wished to use, "if you ask me, it would make me feel a lot more comfortable to know that my friends share my fear."

"Wrong," Ray said simply, shaking his head. "It's always better to act courageous with a friend than to be cowardly. Being in the company of the confident makes it easier to be confident yourself, and it makes you feel more secure. Just having company for your cowardice doesn't accomplish anything. That's one of the lessons my brother taught me. Imagine if Scythe acted unsure of himself all the time. Do you think we'd feel even half as comfortable with him?"

Char was going to answer with a reluctant "no," but a disturbing thought struck him: Scythe wasn't acting like himself lately, either. Ever since he'd taken the chance – or, perhaps, was taken by chance – to reveal a little of his weakness to Char, something about him had changed. Some part of him _was_ acting unsure of himself. He wasn't getting sleep. His voice wavered at times when speaking about the upcoming expedition. And that lingering, regret-filled glare never disappeared from his eye. Indeed, it _was_ making Char less comfortable in his company.

_Could Scythe be sitting awake right now?_ Char wondered. _Is he sleepless, too? Could he be afraid?_

"You could be right," Saura said. "But still, it doesn't hurt to be sympathetic. You know what they say, right? Courage isn't the lack of—Char? What's wrong? Where are you going?"

"I don't know," Char muttered, crossing the room and heading for the door. "Maybe upstairs. I haven't decided yet."

After exchanging a concerned glance, Saura and Ray unenthusiastically climbed from their beds and followed behind.

… … …

"I don't understand," Shander said, fretting his claws against the floor, his voice full of sadness and astonishment. "Scythe… what are you planning?"

Scythe stood at the opposite side of the hall, staring shamefully into space… trying not to look his best friend in the eye. Shander stood behind him, saddened and shaken. It was the middle of the night, and the two had retreated around the corner from their team's front door. It was a dark and secluded corner, with only one tiny torch casting a blue tint upon their forms.

"I can't tell you," Scythe said solemnly, drawing another heavy breath and closing his eyes. "I can't tell anyone. Not even Intelligence. If just one Pokémon knew… it could all come crashing down. And after everything that's happened… and everything that's about to happen… I just can't… afford any mistakes. This has to work. Against all odds… it has to work."

A pause hung in the air. Scythe held his breath, yearning to hear his friend's response… while his friend struggled to produce one. He was speechless.

"Scythe…" Shander gasped. "I'm sorry… I don't know what to say. I've always assumed you'd be there. For as long as I've known you, I've always known that you were the only Pokémon who could make this work."

"This team can handle it." Scythe asserted, gritting his teeth and straightening his spine back to its full height. "I did as much as I could. I helped set the stage. Believe me, Shander. If I could have it any different way… I have always factored Basin Canyon into my plans. It was always a top priority. Always. It was my promise. And I never overlook the promises I make."

After listening to his own words, Scythe gathered the courage to meet the Sandslash eye-to-eye. When he did, what he saw pained him. Shander gazed up at him, looking deeply hurt. Betrayed. Lost.

"I trust you," Shander said, clenching his claws and forcing a sincere tone into his voice. "If this is what you say must be done, then I won't stand in your way. You are the greatest Pokémon I've ever known, and there's nothing for me to say, but… thank you. Thank you, for everything you've ever done for my father, and for me. And for the land we both call home."

In reply, Scythe approached him. Then, he lowered his body, until he was kneeling before his friend in a gesture of deep respect.

"Listen to me," Scythe said with tremendous strength, his piercing gaze locked with his friend's. "Today, on the day I have broken my promise to your father, I will make a new one. Shander, by the veins of Ambera, by the sacred plate of Arceus, I promise you that Daemon and the rest of our team will lead you and your people back to your homeland."

"I'm afraid we might not be skilled enough," Shander admitted. "What if something goes wrong?"

"The rest of the team will be there," Scythe said, his voice rumbling in and out of a whisper. "Daemon, Marrow, everyone. Everyone but me. And Team Absolution will be there. All of them have been over the plan dozens of times. They will not let anything go wrong. I would bet my life on it."

"Fine, then," Shander said with a sigh. "Fine. So be it. I trust you."

"Thank you," Scythe hissed. "And tell nobody else about this. Don't imply that I told you anything. Act surprised when I announce I'm not going. Understand?"

"Yes," Shander said. "This talk never happened."

"Thank you for understanding," Scythe said, slowly rising back to his feet. "Believe me, keeping all this from the rest of the team hurts me more than I can tell. It's unbearable. I had to tell you this much. I felt you deserved it."

Scythe turned once again and walked deeper into the shadows, motioning for Shander to leave. The Sandslash gave a final nod of understanding, then plodded off back in the direction of their rooms.

"Shander," Scythe called once more, as they were parting. "I'm sorry. I'm very sorry."

"Scythe," Shander responded, "When I was young, I watched my father murdered before my very eyes. I have since come to terms with the fact that the life we live is not always pleasant, or ideal. There is nothing for me to forgive."

Shander said nothing more, and Scythe hung in the shadows until the last of his footsteps passed beyond the realm of his hearing. In truth, he did not know how to take Shander's last words; he knew, in his heart, that even though it had simply been an unfortunate accident, that the loss of Jahzara was on his own shoulders. He realized that his relationship with Shander had begun with a failure…

…and, perhaps, would end with one as well.

His heart too weary to return, Scythe stood for a while longer in the shadows, staring at nothing but his own thoughts projected into the darkness around him.

Then, he drew a deep breath, and sounded a quiet call down the hallway…

"Char... it's okay. You can come out. Saura, Ray, all of you. Come here."

Char jumped, feeling a powerful jolt of adrenaline rush through his system. It subsided a little as he realized he had nothing to fear, but the feeling of embarrassment at his own stupidity didn't budge. How, he asked himself, did he think he could get away with sneaking up on Scythe, a trained hunter who breathed the tiniest details of his surroundings like the air? In truth, he didn't know why he was eavesdropping, it just sort of happened. For a second time, he felt like banging his head against the nearest wall. Instead, he took a heavy gulp and reluctantly revealed himself in the light of the hallway, his claws still clasped firmly around his tail flame to repress its light.

"It's okay," Scythe said again, his voice exhausted and defeated. "Just come here. I'm not angry."

Saura followed behind Char. His expression was one of exasperation; through his unfaltering dedication to his best friend, he'd been dragged along for this silly and accidental eavesdropping, something he would have voiced his disapproval of if Char had taken the time to ask for his opinion. But Ray was a different story; he cowered behind, last in line, almost looking as hurt and betrayed as Shander had moments ago. He approached his hero with a trembling form and wavering eyes.

"How much did you hear?" Scythe demanded, but gently, as he stepped back out of the shadows.

"Enough to understand," Saura answered for the group.

"I'm sorry, but it really must be asked," Scythe said, approaching the group and shaking his head. "What are you doing awake at this hour? You should be resting for the tasks set ahead of you. All of you should be."

"I was sleepless," Char submitted, just a little bitterly. "Were you?"

Scythe didn't answer right away. He only closed his eyes and bowed his head a little, as if trying to wade through a torrent of emotions for the proper answers. Before he had a chance to respond, though, Ray broke the tense silence.

"Scythe… what's going to happen?" Ray spoke in a broken voice, slowly stepping to the front of the group. "You're going to be okay, right? Everything's going to go as planned… right?"

Scythe opened his eyes to glance at Ray for a few moments before falling closed again. He remained silent.

Finally, with a shallow sigh, he raised a blade to push past the three young Pokémon as he started back to his room.

"Whether or not you trust me is your decision," he finally said as he walked away. "Whatever you decide, it is not something I have the power to change."

"We trust you," Char called to him. "We always have, and we always will. But do we need to worry about you?"

Scythe stopped in his tracks to glance back at the Charmander, giving him an odd gaze for asking such a question, and wondering what kind of answer he expected. Somehow, the gaze gradually melted into a pleased smile, until Scythe was staring fondly at the three Pokémon companions whom he'd trained well enough over the past several weeks.

"Come," Scythe beckoned again, this time in a friendly manner. "Walk with me. I have something I would like to tell you."

So they walked. For a while, Scythe led the three in silence down some hallways on the same floor of the base, leaving Char with no idea where they were headed. But he knew the destination was not important…

"Do you want to know who I am?" Scythe said inquisitively, turning to the three once they were a great deal away from the door of Team Remorse. "Do you want to know who I really am underneath the masks I wear?"

"Who are you?" Char asked without hesitation.

"I am a servant," Scythe declared. "And that which I submit to… is Ambera herself. Everything I've ever done… every war I have ever fought, every… every lie I have ever told… It has been in the service of Ambera. When joined the Master, I did it in service of Ambera. When I made the decision to break from the Master's will, I did it in service of Ambera. When I began Team Remorse, I served Ambera. Everything… It's all for the homeland which I serve. The homeland strangled by such a force that… wishes to destroy it."

By the gleam in his eye, and the power of the statements he made, Char knew that Scythe could not have sounded more honest than he was now. He was speaking from the heart.

"You must understand something," Scythe said, taking turns looking deep into the eyes of the three Pokémon who listened. "Listen well, understand well, because this is important. This is the most important lesson I will teach to you. The nature of being a servant… when one is a servant, it is not their own well-being which matters, but that of which… whom… he chooses to serve."

Scythe stopped the procession in front of a small balcony which overlooked the spacious main chamber of the base. But Char never bothered to take notice of his surroundings, as the true purpose of the lecture began to dawn upon him.

"When you are a servant… you own nothing," Scythe continued. "Everything you own belongs to that which you serve. And everything… when the time comes, you must be prepared to sacrifice everything. In the end, a servant who is not willing to sacrifice everything… is worth nothing."

"What are you planning to sacrifice?!" Char blurted. "You sound as if you're headed off to your death! If something bad is about to happen, why do—"

"No!" Scythe snapped. "No, not me. What I am planning to sacrifice should be no concern of yours. The real question is: what are _you_ willing to sacrifice… human?"

"You expect me to know that?!" Char snapped back. "You know who you are under your masks. But me? I don't even know who I am! I don't even know why I'm here! How am I supposed to know what I have to do?!"

"It is my hope that Dialga will be able to clear that up for all of us," Scythe muttered. "Pray to him, that we will reach him safely, and when we do, that he will have good news for us. At this point… It's all we can hope for. Let us hope that Dialga will have the answer to all of our problems."

After that, Scythe sent the bewildered team back to their rooms, while he himself stood at the balcony to the base's main chamber and watched the darkness below for some time.

… … …

"Who am I?" Char muttered out loud, staring at the ceiling again from atop his bed.

It was a question that bugged him every now and then, and one that most deeply mattered to him. Now, more than ever, as his confrontation with his destiny grew closer, he wondered about this soul that was trapped within these little red claws, this tiny yellow belly in which an endless fire burned, this little round head… these tiny confines he came to know as his body. Who _was_ this human he had been? What kind of life did he have? Did anybody miss him? Where did he belong?

What, if anything, should he be willing to sacrifice? Or… had he already sacrificed everything he had?

"You're Char, the kindhearted Charmander. You're sensitive. You have a heart of gold, but sometimes you lose your temper when something bothers you. But even when you're angry, you always seem to make the right decision. You're not too brave and you're not too cowardly, your courage is about just right. You _really_ hate doing things alone, so your friends mean a lot to you. You're learning about this world for the first time, so you feel lost almost all the time, but everything's better when you're with your friends. Um… Your favorite things in life are enjoying the beauty of nature, fire, and getting your reward for hard work. You hate the cold, you hate conspiracies and dishonesty, you… hate the idea of letting people down. And you hate peanut butter, even though you try to pretend you like it."

Char winced, and almost laughed at Saura's response. He sat up in bed and found himself in the same position he'd been in before visiting with Scythe; Saura's bright red eye gleamed at him again, a well-deserved smirk stretched across his face.

"I think that sums you up. Did I miss anything, Ray?"

"You're important," Ray, laying on his belly with his eyes closed. "You mean a lot to a lot of Pokémon. You're special. You're learning to be a very determined leader of our team. Um… I'm done. I think Saura covered it."

"Well, is that what you wanted to know?" Saura said, still grinning widely. "That's who you are. But, if you want to know who you _were_, I have no idea. But if you were anything like you are now, I bet you were a very good human."

"Then why'd I end up here?" Char wondered. "If I was a good human, why didn't I stay a good human? Why'd I have to turn into a Charmander? Was this some sort of punishment? Or maybe… maybe I made a big mistake."

"Or maybe you chose this," Saura offered. "If you did, I bet your human self would be very proud of you right now."

"There are a lot of legends and stories about people turning into Pokémon," Ray said thoughtfully. "Most of them were made up so we can just tell fun stories around the fireplace. I don't remember very many, but there is one that sticks out in my mind… It's about a Pokémon trainer who was so horrible to his Pokémon that Arceus turned him into a Pokémon himself, so he'd get some perspective."

"Hey, come on," Saura said with a scowl. "That doesn't help things at all."

"Hey, I'm just brainstorming," Ray said, offering a shrug even while collapsed on his bed. "But hey, even if that was Char's story… I think it worked well, don't you?"

"Well, I don't like it," Saura returned. "Hey, another idea: what if you came from the future? You don't have any memories because they haven't happened yet! Maybe you found out you had the Call, so you turned yourself into a Charmander and then came back to save the world from the Master so that your future could be better?"

"Wow, if that's what I did, I must have been a brave one," Char said. "I don't feel that brave. Besides, if I had the choice to turn myself into a Pokémon, I'd become a Lucario or… I don't know, something else. Why a Charmander?"

"Well, if you're going to learn how to be a Pokémon from scratch, maybe you thought it was best to start small and learn things just like everyone else," Saura said with a shrug. "You are going to be a big strong Charizard one day, you know. Maybe you had that in mind."

They were all very fun theories, but not one of them rang a bell. Char's memories were still as blank as ever, except for the recurring visage which haunted his dreams from time to time. And the Poké Ball. Why a Poké Ball? The question tugged at him endlessly. How could his destiny revolve around an object he had yet to see with his own eyes in the world of Pokémon civilization? His theories were endless. Was he supposed to _find_ the Poké Ball? Was he supposed to _capture_ someone with it? The Master, maybe? Where would he even find such a thing?

"I think we should sleep," Ray moaned. "Char, you should try to feel better. It's like Scythe said. Don't worry about things. We're going to Dialga. He'll have the answers for us. Try to go back to sleep. So that I can sleep. I know I'm supposed to keep you company, but… it's getting tiring."

Char flopped back onto his bed and tried to relax. Thankfully, in due time, sleep came.

… … …

When morning came, it seemed way too soon.

"Char, time to get up!" Ray called. "The torches are already orange. We're running late!"

"Ugh… I'm coming," Char moaned, barely moving. "Please, just don't zap me."

"Well, are you going to get up?" Ray insisted. "C'mon. We have a mission to run."

"Tired…" Char said, rolling over.

"Hey, that's your own fault, you know!" Ray said accusingly. "You're the one who decided to go and bug Scythe last night. But hey. No more sleeping in! This is our LAST DAY!"

Char's eyes popped open. He was right. It was the very last day at the Gold Division's base. He didn't want to waste a minute of it.

"Now… CHAR! WHY DO WE RISE?" Ray shouted at the top of his lungs.

Char squinted back at him. "So that he—uh…"

"Oh… wait. Sorry," Ray laughed, shaking his head. "Wrong motto! I just woke up from a dream that I was on Team Remorse… What I mean is… until the LAST EMBER FADES…"

"The fire will NEVER DIE!" Char shouted back excitedly, jumping up into a victorious pose. His grin turned into a frown, though, when he saw Saura's form still sprawled out across his bed.

"Oh, yeah, Saura's not up yet," Ray said, twiddling with his paws. "He's still out. I tried to zap him already, but it didn't do anything. Maybe you could help?"

… … …

Once Char managed to rattle Saura awake, the three grabbed their barely-stocked bag (there would be no Mystery Dungeons on the mission, so a few snacks would cut it for supplies), and headed upstairs to summon their overseer. Char was anxious to see if Scythe's condition had worsened or gotten better after the previous night's events, and hoped that letting him sleep in rather than getting him up on their usual schedule, an hour before the all-clear, would have helped him…

But as soon as Scythe emerged from his doorway, it became painfully clear to Char that his condition had worsened. His eyes were slightly bloodshot, and his posture was slouched. But, he greeted the team with a nod of the head, and came with them as if nothing was wrong.

"So, what's the mission for today?" Scythe asked, succeeding at sounding reasonably enthusiastic, as they made for the main floor and south-eastern exit of the base.

"A fun one," Char replied, trying not to sound worried. "We have to help build a house in Iron Town. We picked it because the job had a big reward."

"Sounds reasonable," Scythe said with a nod. "But how do you plan to help? We aren't exactly the best construction Pokémon…"

"Oh, the house is actually a burrow. And underground den, for some Phanpy, to be exact. Two of them, brother and sister. They hired some Pokémon to dig their den and help them move in, and we're included."

"Ahhhhh," Scythe said oddly, nodding his head. "Preparing an underground home for its inhabitants. I think I can help you with this. It has been my job for several years now…"

Char cringed. Completely on accident, he'd created an unsettling reference to Scythe's problem, and deeply regretted it. Indeed, he was right: their job that day would involve preparing a den for Pokémon settlement.

"Hey, who's hungry?" Saura quickly shouted. "Anybody want breakfast?"

… … …

After braving the impossibly long staircase once more, Char and his friends approached Slaking for admission to the Cliffside Academy, unaware that a disturbing bit of news awaited them…

"Eehhh, late start today, huh?" Slaking said warmly. "At least by your standards. Have a good 'un. I mean… hey! Wait!"

Just as they were about to leave, Slaking called them back. Char obeyed, turning to the gate guard in surprise.

"Uh, you should know something, before you go out today," Slaking told them in a concerned tone. "If you go to Iron Town… they uh… well, last night we found out what Adiel told the Iron Town council. Or at least part of it."

"What's the news?" Scythe demanded, his voice turning serious.

"Well, as it turns out, there's a new law, or something, a summons, I guess you would call it," Slaking explained. "There's an order that any Bulbasaur found in Iron Town should be arrested and thrown in prison. We don't know why. Arceus knows what they have against the poor things, hopefully they're just asking questions or something. But since this is that Adiel's doing, it can't be good for us, so just lettin' you know, especially since you've got one of 'em with you anyway. I can't believe I almost missed that. So yeah. I hear they already have some locked up."

Char didn't have to wait for the lump to form in his throat. His horrible suspicion had been right all along… _Adiel was still looking for Saura!_

"I see…" Scythe said. "Char, it seems that you now have a couple of decisions to make. What do you say to this?"

"Saura stays," Char said without hesitation. "Saura, you stay back at the base. If there's anything we can get done before the trip, do it. But I don't want you to get captured."

"Fine by me," Saura said, shrugging it off. "That's actually a little bit scary. I wonder what they're doing to all those Bulbasaur? I hope they're alright."

Saura nodded and turned to head back, his only regret being that Char would have one less helping hand with his task.

* * *

**Iron Town**

Char kept a wary eye to the townsfolk around him as he followed the directions to the site of construction. He spotted no less than three Growlithe actively patrolling the streets amidst the early morning workers who were all headed for their jobs. The order must have been issued very recently, he determined, for the city's guards to be so vigilant, even in the first waking hours of sunrise. He did his best to ignore their presence; as long as Saura wasn't there, they didn't matter.

After navigating the sprawling city for almost a half hour, they located their destination: a city park, of sorts, where the quantities of steel structures parted to reveal a more serene landscape of green grass dotted with small trees and lakes. Char knew that it was not a city park at all, but a habitat for the type of Pokémon who dwelled in grasslands…

_Knock, knock, knock, knock._

Char knocked on the door of a small, dome-shaped dwelling which sat in the middle of the grassy region next to a little pond.

"It's the right place," Ray confirmed, checking the directions from the job listing. "But I don't see anyone."

"They're probably not awake yet," Scythe grumbled.

Char sighed. Sometimes, no matter how many missions he ran or clients he served, he forgot that civilian Pokémon were ten times lazier than the division ever let itself be.

"Just let me in there," Ray joked evilly, letting his cheeks sizzle with yellow electricity. "I'll wake them up. Just watch."

"Good idea," Scythe said, laughing along and positioning his blades as if he were about to violently pounce at the house. "They don't need their door. They're getting a new house anyway, right?"

As Scythe and Ray joked around with each other, Char wandered around to the back of the house. Sure enough, there was already a trench dug at the lakeside where the new den would be. Char knew right away that it would be much more open and spacious than their current residence… but, as of right now, it was only about one foot deep. There was a lot of work to be done.

A lot of boring, back-breaking work.

Char rebuked his pride this time. _It's worth it,_ he told himself. _The reward is amazing. Twenty-five thousand Poké for just a day's worth of work, compliments of the client. We'd be stupid not to take this opportunity._

"Oh! … … … … … Hi?"

A new voice arose, and Char realized that the Phanpy had opened their door. He hurried back around to the front of the house.

"You're here to help with the burrow?" the Phanpy said groggily. "Wow. You're… … … … … _really_ early."

"If you provide us with directions, we can get started any time," Scythe said. "By the time the others arrive, we might have it half complete."

"Uh… … I don't think you should," the elephant replied, yawning. "We can't do anything anyway until the Diglett get here. They're doing most of the digging. You guys have to help with the rest."

_Ah… I get it now,_ Char realized. _No wonder they can pay us so much. Diglett have no use for money!_

"Come back in a few hours… when there's more sun… then we can… do stuff," the Phanpy said. "Sorry…"

With that, it shut the door and left Char and his team standing on the doorstep.

"What now?" Char wondered. "What do we do for a few hours?"

Char turned to Scythe for ideas, trying to ignore his burning, stress-filled eyes. Scythe looked thoughtful, and glanced around the field.

"Maybe we could find another mission?" Ray suggested. "If it's an easy one that we can get done in a few hours, we could do two in one day!"

Scythe didn't reply. He trudged around to the back of the house, just as Char did, and inspected the pathetic attempt at starting the trench.

"Hmmmmm," he sighed softly.

"What are you planning?" Ray asked. "You want to dig without them? Even without their permission?"

"No," Scythe replied simply, continuing to pace around the dent in the ground.

"Then what?" Char asked. "What are we going to do with it?"

"Nothing," Scythe replied. "Nothing. We'll do nothing. Just like they told us."

"Well, let's go find another mission, then," Char decided. "If we can get even more money today, great…"

"I have an idea," Scythe finally said. "I know of a mission we could do."

"Awesome!" Ray cheered. "What is it? What's the plan?"

"Well, it's not the kind of mission you might be expecting," Scythe replied. "There wouldn't be any reward. And we couldn't get it done in time to come back and help with this ditch. It'd take us all day to finish. And we might need more help than what we have now. But, if you'd like to do something more exciting than building a ditch, I do have an idea you could consider."

"Wait, you want us to neglect the job we signed up for?" Char asked. "Are we allowed to do that? I don't think the division would like us very much for that…"

"I think the division would agree that these are extenuating circumstances," Scythe said. "Besides, you don't have to if you don't want. If you want to stay here and dig, fine. Nothing wrong with that. I'm just saying…"

"Well…" Char said warily, "what do you have in mind?"

"Char," Scythe said, wearing his favorite smirk, "would you like to help me break the Bulbasaur out of captivity?"

… … …

Char felt absolutely elated. He didn't give a second thought about helping the Phanpy—his last mission with the Gold Division would be thrilling, substantial, and… perhaps best of all… worthy of Team Remorse. The threesome made a few visits around Iron Town to gather information, send some messengers back to the base, and plot their plan. All the while, Char eagerly did whatever was asked of him, and waited for the opportunity to witness Scythe's brilliance firsthand.

"A little quick to act, are we?" Markov laughed as he listened to Scythe's idea. "We just saw the report in the news this morning. Alakazam made sure to let everyone know as soon as he found out."

"Nothing wrong with catching 'em by surprise, especially this soon," Marrow remarked.

After summoning a few of his team members, Scythe called a huddle with them in an alleyway to discuss his plans. Char listened intently, and Ray also seemed very pleased at the sudden swerve the day had taken.

"Exactly," Scythe said. "The more I think about it, the more I'm sure that Adiel doesn't even care about the Bulbasaur he's locking up. I think he's just trying to direct a gesture of insolence at me. Perhaps tug on the heart strings of Char here for stealing his recruit."

"Besides, there's no way we'd just walk into something like that," Marrow said. "News like this spreads quick around the base. We're the first to know everything. Adiel couldn't have thought he could actually capture Saura like this. And even if he did, we could bust him outta trouble in two seconds!"

"Exactly, which is why I think this is nothing but an inconvenience, to us and any Bulbasaur that happen to get caught up in this," Scythe said. "Obviously in a few hours there won't be any more left to pick off the streets, and if the messenger guild does its job, Clefaria and Fort Loyal and all the other surrounding cities will know not to send their Bulbasaur to Iron Town. There'll be nothing left but a bunch of Bulbasaur senselessly locked up in some cells."

"All the more reason they deserve to be free," Marrow said.

"Wait, so Adiel really isn't still after Saura?" Char asked. "He's just trying to make fun of us?"

"If my instinct is correct, then yes," Scythe said. "I'm sure that he's still a little bitter over Saura getting away."

"Aye, and when Scythe has a gut feeling about Adiel, I tend to trust it," Marrow added. "Sometimes I think their minds are one in the same."

"Now… I'm certain that's not _all_ he accomplished when he was here the other day," Scythe affirmed. "Odds are that part was only an afterthought. His primary goal has yet to be seen. But for now… we can throw the joke back in Adiel's face by blowing it open mere hours after it has begun. What do you say?"

"Sounds great," Markov said. "What's going to be our plan?"

"Well, from what I've garnered, the Bulbasaur are being kept in Iron Town's holding facility, which is positioned literally on the back doorstep of city hall," Scythe explained. "It's heavily guarded, both by Pokémon and technology, but most of the security is on the inside, rather than the outside."

"More concerned with keeping Pokémon in than out, I see," Marrow said. "Sounds like we can launch a good insertion with some effort… But how do we get the Bulbasaur out?"

"That's the hard part," Scythe said. "The Bulbasaur are being kept down in the third floor below the ground, one of their halls with weaker security. I'm thinking… we're going to need, for one thing, an electric Pokémon. Ray… how do you feel today? Think you can take a few hundred volts to your body?"

"Pah, that's nothing!" Ray scoffed. "I've taken whole lightning bolts before."

"Good. Also, we'll need a civilian Pokémon," Scythe continued. "We'll need to pull someone off the street. There are a few of our operatives already in this city, but they won't do. We need someone with no connection whatsoever to the resistance."

"Char and I might be able to help with that," Ray said. "We know of somebody. I think she'd be happy to help us out."

"Fair enough," Scythe said. "Char… I think I'm going to have a very special role for you to play. You'll need to come with me. Understand?"

"Whatever you say," Char said, drawing a heavy breath in excitement.

"Well," Scythe said, drawing a deep breath of his own, "I think we have all the resources on hand we need to accomplish this, so… here's our plan."

… … …

In the late hours of the morning, before the sun had reached its peak in the sky, the streets of Iron Town were filled with Pokémon going about their daily errands. The town was already abuzz about the strange proclamation which had gone into effect that morning; it was posted on every bulletin board and street corner that any and all Bublasaur should be turned in, no questions asked. It was a strange law, indeed, but there wasn't a Pokémon in all of Iron Town who was ready for their city council to openly defy the will of the Master...

In the streets, a figure quickly dashed behind the cover of a building.

Keeping a careful eye on the steady stream of pedestrians, the scared little Bulbasaur cowered in the shadows and waited for an opportunity to hide himself in a crowd and progress further into the city. Using its vines, it held a small white pouch secure onto its back.

"Just stay calm," a voice seemed to whisper into its ear, making the Bulbasaur wonder if it was just its own mind talking. "Stay focused. You'll be fine."

Taking the voice's advice, the Bulbasaur swallowed hard and emerged back onto the streets, quickly darting through the surprised crowds and into the next safe haven.

"Hey, what's this now?"

As soon as the Bulbasaur had ducked into the next dark alley and focused his sights on the streets, a voice suddenly arose from behind it, causing it to jump halfway out of its wits. The Bulbasaur turned in fright, meeting a large Raticate who'd been lounging in the alley.

"Bulbasaur, huh?" the big rat said. "I take it you know the new law today? I guess you do, why else would you be so sneaky?"

The Bulbasaur gulped even harder, his thoughts flashing wildly through several possibilities of an escape route.

"Hey, don't worry, I'm not gonna turn you in," the Raticate said, still lounging in its spot. "Why don't you just get outta town while you can? Why risk getting caught?"

"I… need medicine… for my mommy…" the Bulbasaur said. "We live in the outskirts… she needs medicine fast… I have to go to the store…"

"Whoa, poor little you," the Raticate said indifferently. "I wouldn't want to be in your place today, that's all I can say. My advice? Get someone to buy the medicine for you. It's not gonna be me, though. They'd never sell medicine to a dirty street rat like me… 'Course, if you ask somebody, you risk them turning you in… hmm… tough one. I'd say you're better off just praying to Arceus…"

In a flash, the Bulbasaur was gone again, quickly taking the first window of opportunity it found.

"Ehhh," the Raticate grumbled when he realized the Bulbasaur was gone. "Fine. Be that way. Leave a guy while he's trying to give you advice. See if I care…"

… … …

"Um… are you sure I can do this?"

"Just keep that tail close. Don't burn my wings. That's all I ask."

"How can I hold my tail when I'm trying to hold on?"

Char and Scythe were inside of a small abandoned building not too far from the holding facility where the Bulbasaur were being held. Char was wrestling with himself, trying to position his body securely on Scythe's back in a manner suitable for riding. It wasn't happening easily. Char tried holding his tail in one hand and holding onto Scythe's shoulder with the other, but he simply slipped off. He tried to hold his tail in his mouth, but it wouldn't reach in any manner that wasn't quite painful…

"You've got to stay perfectly centered," Scythe reminded him, kneeling on the floor as Char repeatedly attempted to mount him. "My wings move faster than the speed of sound. They could potentially slice you open if you came in contact with them from the wrong angle."

Char shuddered at the thought of being torn to ribbons at the slightest slip of his position.

"Scythe, I don't know. I don't think this will work," Char said, jumping down to the ground again.

"There's a way," Scythe insisted. "We can find it. We still have some time to figure this out. But now do you understand why I don't appreciate taking passengers? Even then, we won't be able to stay in the air for too long. I can't take the weight."

Char looked over Scythe's form once more, wondering if there was anything he was missing. _No wonder Scythers are never trained to carry people_, he realized. _There's no easy way to do this! I'm smaller than a person, and I can't even figure this out…_

Scythe peered around the room, analyzing it, as he would usually do when puzzled. He glanced out the window toward the far-away portal which was his ultimate destination—several floors above ground level.

"Char, try this," Scythe instructed. "Face me from the front. Hold my neck."

Scythe knelt down to Char's level again, and Char did as directed, hugging his short little arms tightly around the Scyther's neck.

"Good, now hold on with your legs," Scythe instructed.

Leaping up from the floor, Char tucked his miniature legs around behind Scythe's lowest body segment. To his relief, his grip was secure, even as the weight of gravity was constantly tugging down on him. As Scythe stood up, Char's flaming tail hung harmlessly out of the way.

The air seemed to fill with the sound of hundreds of angry Beedrills as Scythe suddenly opened his wings. Char cringed, hoping that his claws or feet wouldn't accidentally collide with the transparent field of motoring membranes that covered Scythe's back.

With a forceful grunt, Scythe thrust himself upward and succeeded in hanging in midair for a moment.

"I think this will work," he reported.

… … …

"Hey! You!" a voice barked. "Hey! Stop!"

At the sound of the voice, the Bulbasaur didn't waste a moment breaking into an all-out run.

The chase didn't last very long; the Arcanine pounced blindingly fast, and in just a matter of seconds, it caught up with the fleeing Bulbasaur and cut off its escape route.

"Hey there, little guy," the Arcanine said kindly, but forcefully. "You know I have to take you in, right? By order of the council…"

"Please!" the Bulbasaur pleaded. "Please… I just need to get some medicine for my family… that's all I want… I'll get out of here, I promise! Please, just let me go!"

"I'm sorry, little guy" the Arcanine said, approaching the cornered Bulbasaur. "Rules are rules. I'm sure we'll let you go in no time, but right now—"

The great dog paused for a moment, a puzzled expression dawning over her face. The Bulbasaur held its breath.

"Hmm," the Arcanine grunted, repeatedly sniffing the air. "Weird…"

"What is it?" the Bulbasaur asked oddly.

"I don't know…" the patrol dog admitted. "You don't smell right… You don't smell… like a Bulbasaur…"

"Uh… some Cubone live with me in my den," the Bulbasaur offered. "Maybe that's why?"

"Hmm, well, whatever," the Arcanine said. "Anyway, you'll have to come with me, sweetie. I won't detain you if you want to come peacefully…"

… … …

_Knock, knock, knock…_

A Furret opened her front door, and was suddenly face-to-face with a rather menacing Feraligar.

"Hello…" the Feraligatr said cordially. "Are you Fern?"

"Yeah," the Furret replied. "Why? Who are you?"

"Do you, by chance, remember meeting a small group of Pokémon, specifically, a Charmander, a Bulbasaur, and a Raichu?"

"I'd never forget them," Fern replied. "Why?"

"I'm here on behalf of their team," the gator said. "They want your help."

… … …

The containment facility was a very strange place compared to most of the other Pokémon architecture in the vicinity. While most houses in Iron Town, like the majority of Pokémon civilization, were lit using live torches or open windows, Iron Town employed a very human technology: actual electric wiring and circuitry which ran through the walls and powered things like florescent light bulbs and elevators. To Pokémon who were not used to technology, the glowing bulbs in the ceiling and the walls were a real spectacle…

As the Bulbasaur waited in the lobby of the prison to be checked into a cell, it gaped at the building's electrical system and wondered how many lightning bolts—or Pokémon—it took to sustain the entire facility.

The Bulbasaur nervously sighed as a burly Primeape confiscated his little pouch, which was revealed to contain nothing but a couple of coins.

"What's going to happen to mommy…?" it wondered out loud, appearing devastated. "Can somebody send her the medicine? Please?"

"I'm sure we can arrange something," the Primeape told it. "Besides, you'll be out in no time. I think that Adiel just wants to come back and look you all over…"

The Primeape led the Bulbasaur down a short staircase and into a long hallway. The gray bricks which made up the walls seemed to emanate a ghastly purple aura as the weird blue light from the ceiling reflected from it.

Near the end of the hallway, several doors began to appear in the walls. Using a rusty, mutilated-looking key, the Primeape opened the door and directed the Bulbasaur to enter.

The following room was a very frightening sight: it was a long, long corridor lined with steel panels for walls. Each panel had a small window, a hefty latch, and a keyhole. They were the holding cells. The Bulbasaur nervously peered into the tiny little glass peepholes, and his breath caught at the sight—staring back at him were several of his own kind, all looking distraught…

With a loud creaking noise, the Primeape opened the door of an empty cell.

"In yah go," it said. "You'll be number eight, I think. Hold tight in there…"

And the cell door closed, locking the Bulbasaur in the rather dark chamber, completely alone. The only light source was the tiny window in the huge metallic door.

The Bulbasaur blinked. Moments passed. Finally, the distant sound of a door slamming rose from down the hall. The Bulbasaur crept up to the door and peered out the window.

"Alright, he's gone," a voice reported. "You alright in there, Saura?"

"I'm fine, yeah," Saura replied. "It's kinda stuffy in here, though. What about you?"

"Almost didn't get to the bag before they did," the disembodied voice replied. "But we're good to go, I think."

"Hey, Marrow?" Saura called. "How do we know when to go? Is there a sign?"

"Oh yes, there's going to be a signal," the voice replied. "Just wait. Until then, might as well get these guys ready…"

The voice cleared its throat.

"HEY! LISTEN UP!" it blasted down the hall. "Yeah! Listen to me, the invisible Marowak! Believe it or not, we're about to bust every last one of you out of here, alright?"

Saura listened intently, and he could hear the faint, muffled voices of the other Bulbasaur as they voiced their surprise.

"But you've got to do exactly as I say," the Marowak said. "We only have one shot at this. Well, two, actually, but hopefully I won't get sloppy. But you've got to listen! Alright?"

"What do you want us to do?" a Bulbasaur called back. "Do you have a key?"

"Are you going to let us out?" another asked eagerly.

"No, no key," Marrow answered. "Afraid it's not that easy. But I want you to position yourself exactly as I tell you, and, just to let you all know, this might sting…"

… … …

It was a couple hours past noon as Fern approached the front entrance to the Iron Town city hall. She paused for a moment, taking in the gorgeous spring weather and the gentle breeze as it filtered through the city; she needed to calm down, her chest she was bursting with nervous excitement. She knew that nobody would believe a word she said if she didn't look like she meant it.

Once she thought she was ready, she held her breath and burst into the front door.

"Somebody! Anybody!" she screamed. "I need help! Police! Anybody!"

"What's the matter? Calm down!" a Growlithe on duty cried, quickly approaching her. "What's wrong, ma'am?"

"I just heard something horrible," the Furret gasped. "I was in my house, and then this Feraligatr came, and told me that a bunch of Pokémon were plotting to burst all the Bulbasaur out of jail!"

"I'm sorry, what?!" the Growlithe responded. "Slow down! What are you talking about?"

"The Bulbasaur that all the police hounds have been capturing today," she repeated. "They're going to bust them out of jail, unless you do something! You have to be quick, I think they're going to act quickly…"

"Ma'am… you're not making a shred of sense," the Growlithe grumbled. "What… why would a Feraligatr tell you this?"

"Because… a long time ago, I did some business with some Pokémon, and he… he wanted me to help them!" she rambled, jumping around in front of the dog. "But… I couldn't. It's not right. I don't want to be a criminal! I have to do my civic duty! I have to turn them in! You've got to stop them before they get away with it!"

The exchange went on for another few minutes, and as it went on, the Growlithe became more convinced that the Furret had simply gone nuts… until a Poochyena burst in the door, looking horrified.

"Something's going on at the prison," it said between gasps of breath. "Something knocked out the power generator! All the lights went out! We think there are intruders in the building… get backup over there, now!"

The Growlithe's eyes widened.

… … …

"Move! Move!" Barked an Arcanine to his pack of dogs as they pushed through the dark halls of the prison complex. "Third basement floor! We've just been tipped off that there are intruders trying to free the Bulbasaur. Guard that hall! Pack three, guard the rear entrance. No Pokémon enter or leave! Pack five and six, split up and search the entire floor for any signs of intrusion. Pack Alpha, guard the cells. As long as the Bulbasaur are still in there, we've got nothing to worry about."

Through the complete darkness, the hounds scattered to take their stations. In less than a minute, the alpha pack navigated down the stairs and into the hall where the Bulbasaur were held.

When they arrived, the lights flickered back on.

"Thank Arceus, I can see again," a Poochyena muttered under its breath.

"I heard it was a short," a Growlithe answered. "Something crossed the electrical cords. Live electrical cords. What could do that but an Electivire? Glad they fixed it…"

"Torturous human technology, so confusing…" the Poochyena said.

"Now, get to those doors and make sure _nothing_ touches those Bulbasaur!" the Arcanine ordered. "Obviously, the intruders tried to shut off the lights so they could get down here without being seen. But it looks like they're too late."

The pack viciously guarded the Bulbasaur for a whole, minute, then two, then three… until the Arcanine, the leader of the pack, started to become uneasy. _Something_ didn't smell right…

And then it hit him.

On an odd inkling, the Arcanine ordered all the cells checked, and to his horror, he found there were no Bulbasaur inside any of them. They had underestimated their enemy. They had been too late.

Their tracking skills were of no use; the scent of Bulbasaur still lingered all around the room, the same trail they'd followed to get in for the first time. After all, several of the creatures had traversed the same halls all morning long, leaving a powerful trail of the same smell all the way from the entrance to the hall in which they stood.

The Arcanine roared in fury, not able to believe his prison had been compromised so quickly and easily by unknown, unseen enemies…

And then, when it seemed things couldn't get any more confusing, a Growlithe found something strange inside one of the cells. A hole, about an inch and a half in diameter, had been drilled into the side of the solid steel, all the way through to the next cell. Upon further inspection, there were holes in just about every cell wall…

… … …

With a thrust of his feet, Scythe leapt from the open window of the building, Char hanging from his chest for dear life. Their target was an equally tall tower, several hundred yards ahead. Their flight would last for less than a minute.

"We Pokémon have a saying when we're first learning to fly," Scythe said. "Don't look down."

"We have that saying, too," Char muttered, feeling his arm muscles starting to cramp with terror just after ten seconds. He knew that if he fell, Scythe would have no chance to catch him.

"Do you?" Scythe said in surprise. "Then why are you looking down?"

Far below, Char saw the base of the prison compound, the building they'd just leapt from… it was absolute madness. Hundreds of Pokémon surrounded the building, frantically guarding it, ready to nab the intruders. He knew that somewhere inside, Saura and the other Bulbasaur were making their escape…

"Do you think any of them will see us?" Char wondered.

"You'd be surprised how many Pokémon fail to look up," Scythe replied. "Now, get ready…"

_CRASH!_

With a swing of his bade, Scythe shattered the glass window of the seventh floor of the city hall building. He ducked his head and zipped inside, setting Char down as soon as possible.

"Here we are," Scythe said, "This is the private room of Ervin the Arcanine, the head of security. Guess where he is right now?"

"Down in the prison, trying to figure out what the heck just happened," Char nervously laughed, glancing out the broken window. "Look at them all down there."

"Now do you know why Vanish Seeds are illegal in most of the known world?" Scythe laughed. "Because they're unfair, in every sense of the word. Oh, look. The cavalry has arrived."

Char looked up into the sky to see a flock of birds descending down to the entrance of the complex. The police force would notice them, but they'd be able to swoop down and capture the invisible Bulbasaur in their talons before anybody would suspect anything. They were, after all, the city's messenger guild, who secretly worked for the Gold Division. They were expected to arrive at the scene at the slightest hint of an incident and carry the news to the rest of the surrounding area—to the city's police force, they would simply be doing their jobs.

"Ah," Scythe sighed, smiling wide at the scene down below. "It is done. We got away with it, and everyone involved has a proper alibi. There is nothing more pleasing in this world than seeing a plan fall into place just as intended."

"That was brilliant," Char said. "I can't believe it. You did it just with a Pierce Band and… what, three Invisify seeds? Four? I had no idea Pierce Bands worked like that!"

"Ah, hah," Scythe said happily. "Yes, they're very useful, especially if you don't have as many supplies as you'd like. Just line up your targets, and throw something right through them all… If you've got good aim, multiplies the effects to every teammate. Granted, sometimes it's painful, but it works… You might want to consider investing in one sometime in the future. Very useful tool."

"Think Ray will make it out safely?" Char said, not worrying too much. "He had a dangerous job. That generator was, what, eight floors down?"

"Hah. Hahah. But he had Markov with him," Scythe laughed even more heartily. "Markov is what you would call a juggernaut when it comes to battling. Ever find it funny how the dog Pokémon who make up the police force in this place are all fire Pokémon? Heh, heh, heh, heh…"

"Wow, didn't think about that," Char said, returning a laugh of his own. "But wait… where are they going to take the Bulbasaur? To the academy?"

"No, that would actually be the worst place to take them," Scythe explained. "It would draw unwanted attention to us. No, we're taking them to a city about ten miles away called Clefaria. They can spend the night here safe and sound, and we can assign missions back at the division tomorrow to have them escorted back to their homes."

After watching the messenger guild fly away safely, Scythe and Char turned their attention to the room they'd just broken into. It was a rather prestigious room, reminding Char of his own in many ways. There was a large crimson-colored rug underfoot, several pieces of gold-plated furniture, a brick fireplace next to the outside wall, and a quite spacious worktable—which was currently covered with important papers.

"So," Scythe said, exploring the room and setting his sights upon the cluttered desk, "I brought you here because I need a pair of hands to work. Ervin is a member of the city council, the circle of Pokémon responsible for making laws in this place. In fact, just a few days ago, he, along with the other members of the council, met with Adiel himself and were forced into complying with his demands. I was hoping… to find… what those demands were. Char, if you please?"

Scythe motioned toward the desk, and Char jumped up onto the edge to wade through the papers. He began to individually present each one to Scythe…

"No," Scythe said, as he observed the papers and scrolls which passed before his face. "No, not that. No, no. Useless. Useless. THERE! That one! Show me!"

It was a shiny black book which had been sitting open on the desk. Char clutched the book and stood tall on the tabletop, careful to keep his fiery tail from touching the desk covered in flammables. He held the open book up to Scythe to read.

Scythe squinted at the page.

"This is it," he confirmed. "This is the council chamber log, conveniently opened to the last entry! Now, we will see… what he was up to…"

Char struggled to keep the book aloft for long, as it was quite heavy. After a minute, Scythe asked Char to turn back a page, and his eyes continued to scan across its lines…

And then, Scythe released a prolonged breath and bowed his head in shame.

"W—what?" Char asked concernedly, bringing the book to his eye level and trying, without the slightest hope in the world, to decipher the runes himself.

Rather than answering, Scythe walked past the desk and over to the solid brick wall, where he proceeded to slam his spiked forehead onto the hard surface.

_Thump._

Char cringed.

"What? What happened?" Char cried, dropping the book back to the desk.

_Thump._

"Scythe, I'm pretty sure that's not healthy for you to do!"

"I'm sorry," Scythe said, shaking his head in what seemed like humiliation. "I couldn't help myself. Adiel is… well, I don't know whether to laugh or to cry. You see… when he was here… he proclaimed that he'd return in… three weeks from now… to begin working on building his newest military fortress… right here in Iron Town."

"Oh, you're kidding!" Char cried. "That's horrible! What would happen to our base? How would we operate with the Master living next door?"

"No, it's not horrible," Scythe chuckled. "It's ridiculous. It's a joke. All of this was just one, big… It's a beggar's diversion. What do you do when you know your opponent is too smart to fall for a cheap trick? You throw their allies into confusion. You throw a stunt like this…"

"I don't get it," Char said. "How do you know it's a joke?"

"A base could never be built here!" Scythe squeaked, still completely incredulous, "For one thing, the Master could not lay the cornerstone without us sabotaging it. And for another thing… it's not about _what_, it's about _when_. You see, if we had remained clueless to this whole farce, and didn't have three weeks to realize that it _was_ a farce, we might have found out about it, what, three days in advance? And then we'd be much more likely to fall for it. Then we'd be all up in arms, ready to defend Iron Town from Adiel's return, when in reality, there would be none…"

"And you're sure there's none?" Char said. "Are you absolutely sure?"

"Absolutely sure. Positively sure. In all the ways it would be possible to be sure, I am sure," Scythe said, his voice beginning to sound like an insane person's rambling. "Because if, if we would have fallen for this, it means Adiel would have just spread me thinner than I already am… because… three weeks… is when… Basin Canyon… settlement… is planned!"

Scythe sat down on the floor, looking both amused and distraught.

"Adiel," he muttered. "I don't believe you… Hah… you're going to be the end of me, yet…"


	36. Chapter 32: Don't Stay the Same

**Chapter 32**

**Clefaria Town**

Late that afternoon, a flock of Pelipper and Pidgeotto, members of the messenger guild, emerged from the clouds far above the humble town of Clefaria bearing incredible news about a small group of Bulbasaur who had escaped from Iron Town's holding cells…

…As well as, ironically enough, the Bulbasaur themselves.

There were eight of them in all, including residents from Iron Town, inhabitants of the grasslands in the southwest, travelers from far away cities, and, of course, Saura himself. Since other Bulbasaur had been rare to see in his line of work, Saura expressed a desire to fly with them to Clefaria and visit with them while he had time to spare.

After being dropped off at the entrance to the underground den where the escapees would be staying the night, Saura waited impatiently for the invisibility effects to completely wear off and for the other Bulbasaur to arrive.

The den was a cozy little place. It had a very low clearance, perfect for rodents and other small Pokémon such as Bulbasaur. A design of smoothed rocks embedded in the ground and the placement of a couple tiny candles in the corners gave the place a very homely feel, even though it was really nothing more than a rough ditch in the ground. It definitely wasn't a permanent habitat for any townspeople, Saura guessed, it was probably just built as an emergency shelter from the Watchers.

As he breathed the welcome odor of fresh dirt which filled the room, anticipating the company of the other Bulbasaur, Saura found his thoughts taken back to somewhere he once knew, a place which this little den reminded him of. Before he knew it, he found his mind led back to a distant thought he hadn't touched in a very long time: his family.

It had been many weeks since he'd fled from his home back at the Tiny Meadow, and he'd come a very long way. But through it all, he'd made a point, ever since stumbling upon Char and devoting himself to the resistance, to forget about it. Perhaps it was out of regret; it caused him a twinge of pain to remember everything he'd given up so eagerly when he and Char agreed to join the Gold Division. Suddenly, he remembered the days he spent exploring the meadow and the forest with his brothers, who helped him learn how to defend himself in the wild. He remembered the time he got too courageous and tried to go exploring without them, only to get trapped in a nearby Mystery Dungeon until they found him. He remembered the days he spent walking his little sister back and forth from Ivy Bluff, just so she could see her friends. He remembered his mother and father, both lazy old Venusaur, who loved and cared for their children more than anything. He remembered how he could always count on them for support, whether he'd scraped his leg on a thorn, or gotten his vines tied up in a horrible knot, or simply couldn't reach far enough to get the berries on the top branch of the tree. Yes, he could count on them for anything. Anything, that was, until one day when some Pokémon visited them…

_No… _Saura said to himself. _I don't want to remember that part. There's no need._

He remembered his own friends, the Pokémon he liked to spend his time with. He remembered the Nidoran boy, who had no name, and all the afternoons they spent together trying to find the treasure at the bottom of Tenfold Pond, absolutely convinced one existed. He remembered the time the Nidoran somehow got wedged between a rock and a tree, and Saura had to defend him from a vicious wild Ekans while he struggled to free himself. He remembered the time they found a fallen Pidgey and spent the rest of the day getting it back into its nest, only to have the mother Pidgeotto suddenly fly home and relentlessly mob them. He remembered the Nidoran's wonderful yet twisted sense of humor, the most unique personality he'd ever met. He remembered all the adventures they had together, and how he could always just cross the meadow and visit him whenever he felt bored or frustrated with something… until one day, when he came to find that the Nidoran and his mother were not home anymore. He never saw them again…

_I never even said goodbye,_ Saura thought sadly to himself. _You, of all Pokémon, deserved a goodbye from me. I hope, wherever you went, you're okay…_

He remembered Clari, the Chickorita who first showed him the secret entrance to Gravelrock Tunnel and dared him to find his way through the cave. He remembered her fiery, adventurous, daredevil personality that always had them into trouble with someone. He remembered how they always played hide-and-seek, but he never won once, because she always peeked. He remembered being endlessly jealous of her ability to sling razor-sharp leaves around, and how he unsuccessfully struggled month after month to copy the trick, relishing the thought of finally getting even with her. But not even that came to be, because one day, she said goodbye and moved far away, where it was safer for their family to be…

_Everything ends, _Saura reminded himself. _Every sunrise ends with a sunset. I shouldn't be upset about what I left behind. I have a new life now, and I'm proud to have it. Heh… I knew, from the moment Clari showed me the Gravelrock Tunnel, that my future was somewhere on the other side! I just could never get the courage to enter it… and I never would have guessed that someone would have to chase me in!_

Despite the significant effort Saura was making to convince himself he didn't have to be ashamed of anything, a strange sense of disgust welled up in his belly. There was still something he didn't feel comfortable about, and it wasn't going away.

_I had to run away!_ Saura told himself harder. _Mom and dad betrayed me! Well, I know they didn't think there was anything wrong with me joining the Master… they thought it would be a good future for me… but they… they didn't listen when I said I didn't want it… They didn't protect me… But if they protected me, they would have gotten punished… That's why I ran away… _

But just then, Saura had to cut his painful reflection short as the first Bulbasaur entered the den. He knew the rest would be arriving in mere moments, so he put on his best smile and got ready to greet them.

The first one was very young—only a little sprout—and it looked scared to death. It made Saura's heart just melt looking at the poor little thing…

"Hi!" Saura said, quickly running up to the tiny Bulbasaur. "Are you going to be okay? You're safe now. Nobody's going to capture you here."

"Are you a bad guy?" the little sprout replied, backing away slowly.

"Hah, no, I'm not," Saura laughed, albeit a little oddly. "I'm a really good guy, I promise. I helped you escape!"

Seeing the little thing so shaken, Saura just wanted to give it a big hug and tell it everything would be okay. But as he tried to do so, the little sprout yelped and backed away into the corner, panting in fright.

"GO AWAY!" it screamed. "Mommy said I should NEVER let strange Pokémon constrict me!"

"That's… good advice," was all Saura could think of to say before deciding to leave the little thing alone.

Next, three more of the Bulbasaur descended the stairs and entered the dugout. They were a lot bigger and older than him; they were late-bloomers, Saura determined, being surprised that they were not Ivysaur yet. But then he remembered that evolution was currently not available, so he decided not to criticize it—especially since _he_, after all, didn't have any plans to _ever_ evolve.

"Hey, guys," Saura said to the older Bulbasaur as they came in. "Happy to be out of that place? I know I am. That was a really stupid law, it just came out of nowhere."

"Yeah, and you want to hear the punch line?" one of them responded. "Bulza here was in prison for a week before that law even came out. He's a _real_ criminal!"

"Nah, be quiet, I didn't do anything real horrible," Bulza insisted. "I just got caught stealing some food. No biggie. I won't make the same mistake again."

"Do you mean that, as in, you won't try to steal anymore, or you won't make the same mistake and get caught again?" Saura asked jokingly.

"Probably both," Bulza replied. "I'll probably quit the habit for a week, then I'll break down and go back to doing it, and I'll be better at it too! That's the way it always works."

"Oh…" Saura said, halfway disappointed, before brightening back up. "Well, you can't be a bigger criminal than me! I'm the one who helped break you out just now!"

"Oh, well, I guess we owe you some thanks," one of the other Bulbasaur said, nodding. "It was fun being invisible for a while. I wish I could'a gotten away and done something with it, though. But those stupid birds kept us…"

"Hey," Bulza said, his voice dripping with genuine interest. "Got any more of those invisible maker things, by chance? Huh?"

It was then that Saura decided he wasn't really interested in further conversation with this group of Pokémon, so he politely cut short the chatter and awaited the next newcomer.

When he saw the next Bulbasaur descend the staircase, his jaw hit the floor.

It was about his age, if not a little older than he. There was something truly incredible about it: the seed it carried on its back was the deep, dark color of evergreen, and its skin had an unnatural yellowish-green tint to it. It stared at the ground as it entered the den as if trying not to meet Saura's gaze, but it cast a glance at him as it passed.

"Whoa, hey!" Saura cried, finally gathering himself. "Look at you! You're—"

"Yes, yes, I _know_, I _know_, I **_know_**_!_" it exploded in Saura's face. "I **_get it! _**Okay?! I'm discolored! By Shaymin, you say it as though it was something new to me! Do you know how _annoying_ it gets when _every single Pokémon you ever meet_ greets you by _pointing out your color?!_"

"S-sorry!" Saura stuttered back, following it as it tried to walk away from him. "I-I didn't mean it like that! I was just—"

"You were just surprised at seeing such a freak of nature like me," it sneered flatly. "I know. Get in line. By Arceus, why me? I was actually glad to be invisible for a while back there, I'm so tragically sick of every Pokémon who sees me getting _distracted by the shiny…_ Arceus, what a bad day this has been…"

It sulked over into a corner and said no more.

Saura started to eye the yellow-green Bulbasaur again to gaze at the spectacle, but then decided it was best to be polite and turned away. He was astounded that someone could have something so special and rare, but think of it as a curse!

_Well, at any rate, I'm not doing a very good job of making friends,_ Saura realized. _Let's see who's next…_

"Saura?"

When the tiny voice sounded, it pierced to the core of Saura's heart. His breath caught.

For just a moment, it seemed to Saura that time had stopped, or that he was plunged into a dream. It was a voice he knew well, but didn't expect to hear, especially in a place like this…

"Saura! It's you! I knew it was you!"

He turned to the den entrance. He had to know if it was true.

It was. At the bottom of the stairs, overcome with just as much disbelief as he, stood a little Bulbasaur no greater than half his size—his little sister.

"Saurlee…?" he mouthed.

The two broke into a run and bounded across the floor towards one another, practically collided head-first. Sooner than he knew, his vines were squeezing her tightly and his forehead was tenderly pressed against hers. It was not relief, or excitement, or even joy that washed over him as he embraced her, it was something like pure love, mixed with the shame that came with knowing he'd been the one to withdraw that love from her. For just that moment, he didn't care why in the world she'd gotten herself in prison or why she was even in Iron Town to begin with, he was just happy to see her.

Although Bulbasaur were difficult to tell apart from one another, this was one that he'd never forget—it was Saurlee, his little sister, the second-youngest member of their family. Being a middle child and the one always stuck with the babysitting, Saura had become the best of friends with her, and she'd always looked up to him. This was the reason he felt regret for having run away from home, he realized: his family still loved him, no matter how much he'd try to convince himself otherwise. He knew in the back of his mind that, by leaving them, he had broken their hearts.

"It's really you!" Saurlee wailed, not daring to part with him. "I thought I heard your voice, but I didn't know it was you because you were invisible. Are you okay? We were all so worried when you just disappeared. We couldn't find you anywhere! You almost gave mommy a heart attack! I thought I was never going to see you again, Saura!"

"What in the world are you doing here, Saurlee?" Saura gasped, trying to avoid answering her questions. "You're so far away from home! How did you get here?"

"Me and Saurvor went down to the Seaside," she explained. "When we came back, we stopped to rest in Iron Town and they threw me in jail! I don't even know why!"

"You didn't do anything wrong," Saura assured her. "It's okay. It's just some stupid law they made up yesterday. You're safe now. You're okay."

"Saura, what _happened_ to you?" Saurlee demanded, staring him in the eyes. "Why did you go away? Mommy and daddy are worried that you're lost! We searched for you for weeks! Even in the dungeons! Saura, we were so scared. It made mommy cry…"

"I'm just fine," He assured her. "I have a very good life now."

"Did you go to work for the Master?" she asked. "Just like the Flareon said?"

It was another memory he wished to repress as quickly as possible. Early one morning, his family woke to the summons of a Flareon, backed by a team of powerful soldiers, who picked him from the rest of his siblings to serve the Master. That day was like a nightmare to him; he already despised the Master, and felt that he would have rather died than given into his demands. And worse was how he spent the rest of the evening trying to convince his parents to help him, to say he didn't have to go, to shield him from such fate… and how they refused his every plea…

"Saaauraaaa!" Saurlee whined, drawing out his name just as she always would. "Did you join with the Master? Do they make lots of money there?"

"No, no, I didn't," Saura said, breaking himself away from his mental image. "But it's okay. I'm fine where I am. I make money, I have friends… I'm happy."

"You have a job now? What is it?" Saurlee inquired. "Is it fun?"

"Sometimes, yeah," Saura replied. "My job is… I help a lot of very important Pokémon do the things they're supposed to do."

"But what about the Master?" Saurlee cried. "Isn't he upset at you? Won't he punish you for running away?"

"Saurlee, I'm _fine_," Saura said again. "He's probably just going to pick another Bulbasaur. I think I'm off the hook."

While it wasn't completely the truth, it needed to be said.

"Oh, Saura, I missed you so much," Saurlee sighed again, leaning in again and resting her head against his neck. "C'mon, let's go back and get Saurvor, he's still in the city! He'll be so happy to see you! Tell us everything you did!"

Saura bit his lip. He just couldn't believe this. His heart leapt at the thought of spending all night with Saurvor, his older Ivysaur brother, and Saurlee, but…

"I can't," he sighed, "I don't have enough time. I have to go soon. Where I work, we're going to be taking a big trip tomorrow morning! And they need me there to help get things ready. I'd love to stay here all night, Oh, Saurlee, I'd love to. But I can't."

"Saura, please! Please don't go again!" Saurlee pleaded, wrapping her tiny vines around his leg to detain him. "I just found you! Don't leave!"

"I wish none of this would have happened in the first place," Saura grumbled. "I wish that Flareon never came to our home. But… this is how life is. Things don't stay the same. Even when they're the best things in the world"

"But I don't want you to leave again," Saurlee said again, on the verge of tears.

"Listen to me, Saurlee," Saura begged her, looking into her eyes again. "Please, don't cry. Listen. I want you to rest here for the night, and try to get along with all the other Bulbasaur. Tomorrow morning, some nice Pokémon will come and make sure you get back to Saurvor. I want you to go home with Saurvor. And when you do, I want you to tell mom and dad everything I just told you, okay? Tell them I found a place to live and they should be happy for me. Tell them that I'm safe and sound and there's nothing to worry about, okay? Can you do that for me?"

"Okay," Saurlee whispered reluctantly, starting to cry. "Promise you won't be gone forever?"

"I promise," Saura told her.

"I love you," Saurlee whispered.

"I love you, too," Saura whispered back, gently wiping away her tears with his nose.

He stayed with her as long as he could, until the sun in the sky started to dim and the afternoon began to turn to evening. Then, they said their final tearful goodbyes, and Saura was flown back by a Pidgeotto to the place he was obliged to be.

* * *

**Division Base**

"That… was… _AWESOME!_" Ray cheered loudly as Team Ember, led by Scythe, Marrow, and Markov, finally returned from the day's mission. "That was the _best mission I ever did!_ Scythe, how in the world did you think of such a brilliant plan so fast?!"

"Well, to tell you the truth, it's not a new strategy to me," Scythe admitted. "I've actually done it once before, when we made a slight error in our plans and got Raon locked away for fraud in Boulder Ridge."

"Heh, but let me tell ya', that one didn't turn out all too well," Marrow added humorously. "We got Raon out, but Scythe forgot to think of a way to get himself out, so he ended up stuck in jail—with heightened security, even—for two whole weeks!"

"Well, we got it right this time," Scythe reminded them. "I figured the right way to pull it off was to have a civilian alert the police, that way their story isn't considered _as_ suspicious. And besides, I only got caught because I had to suggest they open the cell door to check and see if Raon was still in there, so he could sneak out. But this time, those dumb mutts did that all on their own. And I think we have Ray to thank for it."

"It was nothing!" Ray laughed. "And besides, that was awesome feeling all that electricity. With lightning bolts, I can only hold them in for a second before I have to discharge. But that generator? I had to hold those wires for _twenty whole seconds!_ I felt like an electrode about to blast off to the moon!"

"Wow…" Char said. "Turning the prisoners invisible, then getting somebody to open the cells so they could escape. It's like they let them go by increasing the security. That's so ridiculous, I can't believe it worked. But it did!"

"That's often the best type of plot to spring," Scythe said. "Let the opponent know _exactly_ what you are doing—no tricks there—but then, make sure their attempt to counter you will actually help you. If set up properly, you end up with a scenario where you will succeed if they fail, or if they succeed, you will still succeed. Let me tell you, there is no sweeter victory than to watch your opponent cross the finish line for you!"

"Ah, but all the mere mortals such as me and you can't hope to concoct witty enough plots to accomplish that," Marrow joked to Char. "Only the wits of the legendary Pokémon known as the Scyther are great enough-"

"BLAST IT ALL!" a voice screamed. "Not one! Not one more! Where is the order from Porcelain Town? BLAST IT!"

They were passing by Kecleon's shop on the way to storage to drop off their excess baggage when a surprisingly blustered voice erupted from inside, shouting curses that surely Dialga could have heard.

"Not to worry, not to worry," said another, calmer voice. "In sixteen days, we will have more orbs. I contacted them today and they said they were behind!"

"AUGHH!" the voice shouted again.

The pink-colored Kecleon brother appeared in the doorway, looking a little winded. His put his salesman's face back on, though, as soon as he spotted the passersby.

"Uh… what's going on in there?" Char couldn't help asking.

"Oh, it is nothing, really!" the Kecleon assured in his usual cordial manner. "My brother is just a little red at the moment, mostly because somebody got away with robbing him earlier today, and in Iron Town, no less. Can I do anything for you this fine evening?"

There was a noisy _clack_ as Marrow struck his bone against his skull helmet. "Oh, wonderful. Almost forgot," he murmured almost silently under his skull. "Scythe, might need your hand here. I might need backup."

"Uh-oh," Scythe said concernedly. "Is this going to involve a battle…?"

Hefting the supply bag, Marrow entered the store, followed closely by Scythe. His curiosity getting the better of him, Char peeked his head through the doorway to spy on the happening.

Marrow calmly approached the front counter where the other Kecleon brother was furiously flitting through things like papers and supplies, leaving boxes and crates littered all over the ground. Char noticed that the pink-colored Kecleon wasn't kidding—he really _was_ red, as in, the color of his scales had changed, making his appearance resemble some sort of horribly mutated Charmeleon.

"Uh, Kecleon sir, if you wouldn't mind," Marrow said.

"Sorry, sorry, terribly busy at the moment," the Kecleon replied in a very agitated manner. "Very sorry. My brother will serve you…"

_Plink!_

Marrow dropped a small sack filled with Poké coins onto the countertop. Char recognized it as the supply of Poké they'd withdrawn from the treasury that morning, namely, the extras left over after putting some in the tiny pouch Saura used to sneak the Vanish Seeds into the prison.

Kecleon's head turned. He eyed the sack of money.

"What is this?" he demanded. "What are you purchasing with this?"

"Nothing," Marrow said calmly. "This is interest. And this…"

Reaching into the bag, Marrow produced the Pierce Band which had allowed him to throw the Vanish Seeds straight through the solid steel walls of the prison chambers. He placed it next to the money.

Kecleon was floored. He was still furious, but shocked enough to listen for a minute.

"Marrow, how could you?" Scythe said in fully sarcastic astonishment. "This poor salesman's served you unconditionally for years, and you have the audacity to betray his trust and _steal_ from him?"

"Our team rightfully owns two of them," Marrow explained, "but I forgot that Daemon took them both earlier this week. And I needed one for our job today, so… I made do."

Char held his breath, and it looked to him like Scythe and Marrow were doing the same. The lizard picked up the Pierce Band and appraised it, as if to inspect it for scratches.

"Well, then," the Kecleon finally replied, "In that case, have a wonderful evening, and thank you so very much for your business!"

_Whoa, he's letting them off the hook?_ Char wondered. _I wonder if Kecleon's faking being all polite, or does he really have such a one-track mind?_

"I'm very sorry if I've caused you any distress," Marrow said humbly.

"No, no, the pleasure's all mine, really," the Kecleon replied with a little bow. "It makes my day to know that I have customers like you, Team Remorse. A thief who willingly returns what he steals can hardly be called a thief at all. I can't thank you enough. Always happy to be of service!"

_Oh, no wonder,_ Char realized. _Right. They're Team Remorse. They can get away with anything if they pull some strings. They've probably spent millions and millions of Poké here over the years, no way Kecleon can turn them down. But it really makes me wonder… just a few moments ago, Kecleon was screaming like some kind of enraged, rabid… monster. Makes me wonder if they're always hiding such a horrible temper underneath those smiles that are always plastered over their faces…_

… … …

Once their supplies were unloaded, Team Ember relaxed downstairs and had a nice big dinner, telling one another about their day's experiences. Char explained where Scythe had taken him, and how they discovered the underhanded trick that Adiel was trying to pull. Saura and Ray gave the same reaction that Char did at first, wondering how Scythe knew that it was a bluff.

"He thinks that Adiel somehow found out when he's planning the final effort at Basin Canyon, and even though Scythe wouldn't fall for the trick, he knew that most of Iron Town would, so it would be really distracting. He called it a beggar's diversion."

"Wait, what?" Ray gaped. "Adiel knows the settlement date? That's awful! That's one of the things he's been trying to keep hidden from him. If Scythe meets with too much resistance, he'll fail really bad! I wonder how Adiel found out?"

"If Adiel's almost as smart as Scythe, maybe it wasn't so difficult for him," Char considered. "But I think Scythe's got things covered. He seems to know what he's doing."

"You're right," Ray said with a nod. "Maybe he's pulling one of those win-win plots he was talking about earlier. If that's the case, I bet Adiel's going down!"

Next, Saura told of his meeting with his younger sister. Char was really surprised. For as long as they'd known each other, Saura never talked much about his family aside from some brief comments now and then. He figured, since the day they met, that Saura held some sort of repressed resent toward his family and simply preferred not to talk about them. But now, as Saura told of his relationship with Saurlee, Char's view of him started to change.

"She was the _last_ Bulbasaur I expected to see in that room," Saura rambled. "She told me how scared I made my parents when I left. I almost wish I could just…"

Saura's expression changed, and he cut his sentence short.

"Just what?" Char insisted. "Stay with her for the night? Go see your family again? Do you… want to?"

"I can't," Saura said, giving the biggest fake shrug Char had ever seen. "I have prior obligations. Besides, I'll see them again someday."

"I had no idea you felt that way about your family," Char said.

"Hey, Char, I'm fine," Saura claimed, wearing a big smile. "Okay, I'll admit, I've always felt a little ashamed of myself for leaving them the way I did, but I think today I made it a lot better. Saurlee's going to go home, and let mom and dad know everything's alright. So now I can stop worrying so much about them, when I know they're not worrying so much about me. But there's nowhere I'd rather be than here."

Char decided to leave it at that. He knew that, regardless of what inner conflicts Saura was keeping to himself, he'd made his decisions and was glad to stick to them… not to mention that the thought of going to Temporal Tower without him was just nightmarish.

Finally, just as Ray was telling the story of how he sabotaged the generator, Scythe approached their table.

"Eat well?" he asked.

They nodded.

"Good," he said, "because it's time to come. High Intelligence is calling for us now. Let's go."

Team Ember promptly cleared their dinner table and followed Scythe downstairs.

… … …

The next thing they knew, Team Ember had been granted entrance to Intelligence's lair. They stood at attention near the room's central table as Alakazam gathered himself, preparing to address them. Saura was impressed at the room's grandeur, and Ray was spellbound by it all, unable to tear his eyes off the collections of books, instruments, and maps that covered the walls and tabletops of the whole room. Char eyed Metagross, still standing silently at the far end of the room and watching the meeting intently. It hadn't budged an inch since Char had last seen it.

"I can't believe we're actually in here," Ray gasped. "I don't know whether to feel honored or unworthy…"

"It is settled," Alakazam said from the other side of the table. "It was a challenge to get everything arranged on such a short notice, but it is done. It is all set in place for tomorrow morning. Your transportation will be waiting for you just outside the western gate. Be there at the first crack of sunrise, and you might make the flight to the Emerald Division in only two days if the winds are cooperative."

_Flight?_ Char wondered. _We're flying there?_

"Scythe, I expect that you are prepared for this mission?" Alakazam spoke authoritatively. "The responsibility of this Charmander remains in your hands. Guard him with your life."

Scythe bowed. It had already gone without saying.

"This goes for you as well, Bulbasaur and Raichu, should you accompany him," Alakazam said gravely. "Your Charmander friend represents more than you will ever know. You must be willing to put yourself at risk for him. He must reach the top of Temporal Tower at all costs, even if it means it must be at your expense. Do you understand?"

"We know," Saura said. "We're going to give this everything we have."

"So be it," Alakazam said, motioning with his hand toward the table. "Now, the evening you arrive from your flight, you will present yourself to Team Regret. They are waiting for you. From there, you will spend a single night in the shelter of their base to further prepare yourself. They have been hard at work with researching Temporal Tower as they await you; they are able to offer you more specific help than I. The following day, once the Watchers have subsided from the sky, you will be flown north to the border of Zerferia. From there, you will continue by foot approximately seventeen miles north north-east, locate Temporal Tower, and enter it."

"Why not just fly all the way to Temporal Tower?' Char wondered out loud.

"The storms of Zerferia will not allow it," Alakazam explained. "Zerferia is a land of bitter snowstorms which never cease. No Pokémon can navigate in those winds, and even those who possess enough agility to ride the air currents would find their wings paralyzed from frostbite in mere minutes."

"Wait, waiiit," Char yelped. "This Zerferia place… it's… _cold?_"

"_Devastatingly_ so," Alakazam said, pointing to the gigantic, white-colored landmass which lied north of Ambera on the map. "So cold, in fact, many Pokémon cannot survive there. Even those of an alignment to ice have trouble finding enough food or shelter to make a home there. Zerferia is barren."

Char felt his hopes drop just a little as he imagined braving the described place, slogging through a never-ending blizzard as sub-zero winds whipped across his body and numbed him until only a stabbing pain remained. He imagined his flame faltering in the wind, struggling to stay alive…

"Don't fear," Alakazam said, addressing Char directly. "You, of all Pokémon, will be envied by your teammates in that blistering place. You are the one with the endless fire broiling in your heart. It will keep you warm."

"Yes," Xatu added, approaching the table and standing at Alakazam's side. "You are a stronger, greater Charmander than you were weeks ago when we first addressed you. You have grown in size and stature, and the ember within you burns brighter than ever. It will sustain you well through this journey."

Next, Alakazam placed a very large travel bag on the table. It was bigger than any Team Ember had used before, and Char could see that it was stuffed with useful items.

"Your supplies," Alakazam said. "We have received the unfortunate news that Temporal Tower carries the properties of a Mystery Dungeon. These are the best items from our holds we could spare to you. We hope they will last you through your journey."

Scythe eyed the bag thoughtfully. "Hmm, may we see what is inside?" he asked. "We'd like to know what we're dealing with."

"Very well," Alakazam said.

He reached into the front pocket of the back and pulled out a bulging pouch.

"Ten Sitrus Berries," he announced. "Use them as liberally as you must to keep yourselves in one piece. And should those fail you…"

He reached in again and produced another bulging pouch, this one embroidered with shiny, golden threads.

"Ten Reviver Seeds," he said. "These are exceedingly rare, and they represent the majority of our stockpile. We hope they will serve you in your upcoming task."

_Ohhh…_ Char mouthed, gazing at the bag. _That's more Reviver Seeds than I'll probably ever see in a lifetime… I hope we don't have to use them all…_

Another pouch was set before them, this one producing a very alluring aroma, making Char's mouth water even though he'd just stuffed himself with food moments before.

"Four Golden Apples," Alakazam said. "One for you each. If you do not squander them, it will be all the food you will need."

It didn't seem like there'd be any end to the wondrous items being placed before them. There came Heal Seeds, Vanish Seeds, Orbs that would petrify massive numbers of nearby enemies and render them harmless, rally lost teammates together, render the whole team invulnerable for a limited period of time, bewitch wild Pokémon into fighting on their side temporarily, and many more. Char lost count. Finally, he produced from the bag some odd accessories.

"X-Ray Glasses," Alakazam said. "to let you see enemies behind walls. A Detect Band, to increase your agility in battle. A Speed Brace, to give you a running start. A Mobility Scarf, if you find yourself cornered and unable to escape."

Char didn't see a reason to mention they already owned one of the latter items. He wasn't going to complain about having two.

In all, the bag was packed with forty-eight items, allowing no more to fit.

"If you wish to bring any additional minor supplies to suit your personal preferences, you must bring a second bag," Alakazam said. "But we have made sure you will not be left wanting. The hearts of all the resistance are behind you."

"This will work," Scythe said, smiling very oddly, in a way that almost seemed devious. "This will work very well. Thank you."

"There is one other issue I must bring up," Alakazam said. "Due to the nature of the tower, it is hard to say what type of Pokémon resistance you should expect within. You could be faced with anything. But, from various resources we have examined, we have constructed some ideas of what kinds are more likely to be there. For one, a mysterious Pokémon known as Solrock has been mentioned in the record books. I have never seen a Solrock with my own eyes, but it is said to be a normally-docile rock Pokémon with psychic potential. For another thing, like Dialga itself, you may meet some true dragons…"

"What does that mean?" Char wondered. "How can we prepare against them? I'm bad at fighting against rock Pokémon…"

"Precisely," Alakazam said. "Though you have your companions to rely on, _you_ are the foremost concern, so you must learn to protect yourself. Thus…"

Alakazam slid a very strange item across the table. It was like a rock, but flat, and circular-shaped. And very, very shiny.

"Whoa," Ray said. "That's a TM disc!"

"Yes," Alakazam said, "And not only a TM, but it is one, among many, which has been personally engineered by myself. With the help of the Kecleon, I have periodically engaged in the hobby of recording TM discs that have not been previously created, even by human hands."

"That's amazing," Saura said. "How do these machines work, anyway? I've always wanted to know that!"

"It is a fascinating hobby, if I may speak my own mind," Alakazam said. "I only regret that I do not have the time to make more. Using Kecleon's equipment, a disc can be engineered by any sufficiently-skilled psychic, such as myself. I need to closely observe the mental impulses of a skilled Pokémon as they perform the technique, then repeat them back into the machine in a way it can understand. If successful, the disc can transfer the same patterns into the mind of another, allowing them to learn the technique as though they had practiced it their whole life."

"I don't have any idea what you just said, but it sounds awesome," Saura said. "I've always wanted to try using one myself."

"Wait," Char said. "What if it's _not_ successful? Can you mess up a disc?"

"Yes, it happens very often, unfortunately. They are not always easy to record," Alakazam said with a nod. "I must thoroughly analyze each one I make, since a malformed TM can have very bad effects to the Pokémon who attempts to use it. At best, it will fail to work. At worst, it could blank a fair portion of muscle memory, turning a skilled warrior into a clumsy fool. But do not worry, I craft my discs to the highest standards. "

Char picked up the TM disc and gazed at his reflection in the shiny surface.

"Now, you must take this disc down to Kecleon to use it," Alakazam instructed. "He has the equipment necessary. He also owns a vast library of standard TMs for you to browse, should you desire to expand your current capabilities. Now, he has been known to charge a very large fee at even the _mention_ of a TM, but you should make it very clear to him that I will cover any costs you infer at his market tonight. We cannot spare any expense for such a vital mission as this!"

… … …

"Hmmmmmm…" hummed the pink-colored Kecleon as he appraised the disc. "Looks like another one of Alakazam's works. Did he tell you what this one's good for?"

"Uh, no," Char responded. "I think he forgot to. He just told me to use it."

"Well, for the record, I take no responsibility for what the disc may do to you," Kecleon warned. "But, if you'd like to use it, I can help you with that. Follow me…"

Char held his breath as he, Saura, and Ray were lead somewhere else they'd never dared explore: behind Kecleon's counter. Careful not to touch a single thing, the threesome could only gape at the museum of packed, cluttered storage rooms which they passed through.

After descending a wide but short staircase, a few torches flickered alive to reveal a room lined with shelves, each containing a long row of TM discs. At the back of the room stood an extremely large metal machine. Upon closer inspection, Char saw that the machine was practically featureless, sitting against the wall like a giant steel brick.

"Well, Char and company, welcome to the fabled TM room!" Kecleon proclaimed. "Not very many Pokémon know this even exists, and it's better that way, if you ask me. Now, Char, let's get you set up! Oh, it always gives me chills watching this wondrous thing work its magic. Technology, glorious technology, crafted by human, perfected by Pokémon!"

Before Char could say much, the pink Kecleon yanked the disc out of his hands, and then led him to…

_SLAM._

Char was locked inside of a very dark, cramped room. Complex circuitry ran up and down every wall, and the ceiling was lined with something that looked like a hundred tiny, opaque light bulbs. It took him a minute to realize he was _inside_ of the TM machine. He suddenly understood that was a chamber, rather than a machine, which explained its dull exterior.

"You okay in there, Char?" he heard Saura's voice call from outside.

"I've loaded the disc," Kecleon announced, interrupting him. "Just say when, and I'll boot it up! And let me know what it teaches you, so I can categorize it."

Char clenched his fists, not knowing what in the world to expect. He gave Kecleon the word to continue.

The machine produced many loud whirring, beeping noises as it rumbled to life, making Char feel as if he was standing inside a roaring fire. Sparks flew from several wires as they filled with power, beginning to glow shades of blue and yellow.

And then, it all disappeared.

Char blinked. He was standing in the middle of nothing. Looking down, he could see his own body perfectly, but there was no floor underfoot. Squinting into the gray void, he could see hundreds of tiny kaleidoscope-like images, but couldn't tell if they were real, or just the effects of his mind's eye.

"It's turned on," Kecleon's voice reported. "Now to begin the program. Stand by, juuuuust a moment…"

Then came the very unnerving feeling that he was not alone, followed by the figure of a Pokémon standing in front of him. It slid out from behind the shroud of nothingness, standing on all fours…

Char's startled cry filled the room. Standing before him, staring at him with deep, sparkling eyes, was…

Eva?

"Do you see the Espeon?" Kecleon inquired. "If you do, it means the program is running smoothly so far."

"Y-yes," Char responded.

"Do you like her? Hmm?" Kecleon asked giddily. "Before, we just had a disembodied voice to give you instructions, so I decided to replace it a lovely young Espeon! Thought it would make the whole experience more pleasant. Now, here we go… Get ready, Char."

"_Welcome to TM-X 024 AKZ"_ the Espeon said in a smooth, comforting voice that didn't resemble Eva's at all. "_This training program will attempt to transfer the knowledge of the technique known commonly as Metal Claw. Do you accept this?"_

"Yes," Char answered, wondering just what a Metal Claw was, but figuring he'd find out shortly.

"_Before we begin, you must be made aware of the risks and warnings associated with Technical Machines," _the Espeon said robotically. _"Technical Machines must be used with care. Improper use of Technical Machine software or use of unapproved or noncompliant Technical Machine software has been known to cause, and may result in: memory loss, blindness, depression, loss of sanity, or paralysis. Do you accept these risks?_"

"Y-y-yes, I guess," Char stammered.

"_Technical Machine software operates by releasing precision-guided impulses of electric, psychic, or aura-based energy, depending on the type of technique to be taught, to imprint the recorded pattern into the mind. There is an inherent risk of corruption or erasure of existing muscle memory every time a Technical Machine is used. Do you accept this risk?"_

"Yes," Char said again.

"_Warning. This Technical Machine is not, in any way, authorized or approved by the Pokémon League Federation. The author of this Technical Machine software is not in any way licensed or affiliated by the Pokémon League Federation. Furthermore, the technique contained herein, Metal Claw, was previously deemed unfit for transmission through Technical Machine, and subsequent releases of Technical Machine software containing Metal Claw have been banned and destroyed at the request of the Pokémon League Federation. Do you understand, and accept the implied risks?"_

"Yes," Char said once more, beginning to sweat.

"_Very well," _The Espeon said, _"The program will now commence."_

Char's heart was already beating rapidly as his surroundings became a strange, surreal cloud of purple and red. He tried glancing around, but whatever direction he looked, the Espeon always stood directly in front of him, like she was painted directly onto his eyes.

"_Throughout the natural course of a Pokémon's life, a Pokémon will learn many ways to defend itself," _The Espeon began to explain. _"A Pokémon's physical weapons, such as its teeth and claws, are usually the most natural and intuitive forces available to them. Next, a Pokémon must learn about the elements they were infused with, and how to harness them to manipulate their surroundings inside and outside of battle. A Cyndaquil is infused with fire. A Totodile, with water. A Treecko, with flora. These strengths are essential for a Pokémon to learn and understand in the quest for self-mastery."_

_Makes sense so far,_ Char told himself.

"_But, there is a third type of power which lives within every Pokémon,"_ The Espeon continued. _"This power mysterious, and not yet fully comprehended by Pokémon or mankind. It is a power that may come from the spirit, or it may stem from unseen facilities in the Pokémon's body. It behaves much like Aura, and may be a subset of Aura. With enough practice, any Pokémon may learn to channel this power, to unleash it in a variety of ways useful in offensive, defensive, or practical efforts. The technique you are about to learn—the Metal Claw—involves channeling this energy into specific points in the body, strengthening them physically. With the right application, the Metal Claw is capable of breaking rocks."_

_Of course!_ Char realized. _This is what Alakazam wanted. Now, I'll have an extra edge against rock Pokémon like Graveler. I can't wait! Teach me this!_

A large cylindrical boulder appeared in the void before Char, sitting on nothing in particular.

"_You will now break the rock with your claw,"_ the Espeon said.

_Okay… let's give this a shot,_ Char said, looking at his claws. _Now, how am I supposed to—_

Unexpectedly, a streak of ice-cold energy shot up into Char's head from the back of his neck. It didn't hurt, but it made him convulse; it felt like somebody had impaled him with a long, thin icicle. The icy feeling remained, and a sizzling, tingling energy began to permeate his body. It spread into his chest, and through his arms, where it seemed to gather into the end of his individual fingers and… solidify?

Another insane sensation washed over Char, and this time, it felt like all the flesh had been ripped from the top of his head and dozens of needles had been stabbed into his brain. It still didn't hurt, but it felt _really weird_, and somehow, Char found he was able to mentally track the impulses he was receiving—no, not just able to, but he was being _forced_ to…

_Ching! Crunch!_

The hollow sound of metal striking rock –_and winning_—echoed through the strange void. Char found that, by a strange impulse, he'd jumped at the boulder and dug his claws deep into it. The rough texture of the rock, and the way his fingernails had scraped across it, sent a chill up his spine. While it didn't cut like a knife through butter, it did good damage.

_Ching!_

Another impulse shot through him, and Char swung his other claw, striking the rock again. The dent in the rock became deeper.

_Crack!_

A third time Char assaulted the rock with the pointed blades at the end of his fingertips, it cut all the way through, causing the top of the pillar to come crumbling down. It soundlessly struck the invisible floor, and the entire broken pillar blinked and disappeared from existence. It was then that he noticed his claws… they were luminous, shimmering like silver spikes dowsed in the sun's rays…

"_It is done,_" The Espeon said. _"This is the Metal Claw technique. The method of invoking the technique should now be clear in your mind. Make note that the effect does not always wear off right away. At times, it may linger, allowing increased attack strength for a period of time."_

-_Pop!-_

With that, the Espeon and the strange purple dimension disappeared, replaced with the cramped interior of the machine as it powered down. Char felt his legs tingle—they were both asleep, as he hadn't actually moved his body physically for about fifteen whole minutes while the machine was active. It was all a psychically induced dream.

The door of the chamber swung open with Saura, Ray, and Kecleon waiting on the other side, concerned yet eager expressions spread across their faces. Char stumbled out of the machine.

"Well? Well?" Saura begged. "How'd it go? Did it work?"

"I think so," Char muttered, sitting down on the floor in a daze. "It taught me Metal Claw."

"Metal Claw?" Kecleon repeated. "That's very interesting. That's been an outlawed TM since the beginning. Something about… something about, they couldn't get it right without making you lose all feeling in your legs. Since some Pokémon use the claws on their feet rather than on their hands, they couldn't figure out a way to differentiate between them. Something like that."

Char's eyes widened. He grasped his tingling legs, and didn't feel a thing.

"Actually, no, that wasn't it at all!" Kecleon yammered. "I remember now. I was thinking of Fury Swipes. The Metal Claw TM was the one that would turn you blind! Yeah, that's why it was so bad. If Alakazam finally made one that worked right, great for him! That's quite a significant accomplishment!"

Kecleon pulled the TM disc out of the machine from a small, previously unnoticed slot at its side. He put the disc in a strange box, wrote some symbols on it, and filed it away on the shelf.

"Ah, Metal Claw," he sighed proudly, "Another great expansion to the library, and probably a first in the known Pokémon world…"

"Wait… you mean you can use it again?" Char said. "I thought TMs only work once…"

"Hah. Well, for the humans, they do," Kecleon said with a wink. "The Trainer's Federation made it that way on purpose. They recorded the moves on these flimsy discs that only worked with these portable machines that trainers had to carry around everywhere. They made them so flimsy, that they'd get scratched and become unusable after just one use!"

"W-why would they do that?" Saura wondered. "Make something bad on purpose? What's the point?"

"That's so the trainers would have to buy new discs whenever they wanted to use them more than once, and so they'd get more money!" Kecleon explained eccentrically. "That's what you call underhanded, if you ask me! So some really smart Pokémon got together one day and they went and reverse-engineered them and made their own. And now, they work as many times as you want, and we even get to record little demonstrations with them! Plus, it's a lot easier to charge per use of the machine rather than per disc! Now, who's next?"

… … …

Saura and Ray also had their turns at the machine, but nobody was willing to go in more than once. Saura learned how to command his seed to produce a powerful poison which could be injected into an opponent, and Ray claimed he learned how to conjure glowing balls of energy which did not behave at all like electricity was supposed to. Not sure whether to feel proud of their new skills or just freaked out, the team decided to head back upstairs.

"Well," Saura said, "If we want any other supplies for the big trip, now's our chance. Is there anything we need that Alakazam didn't get us already?"

"Hmm," Char wondered, looking around at the merchandise. "Probably don't need a Pecha Scarf this time. Probably don't need to worry about poison on this trip. Maybe a Defense Scarf? Or… Aspear Scarf? Wouldn't that prevent freezing? That might be useful…"

"HEY," the Kecleon shouted from the counter. "WAIT JUST ONE MOMENT!"

Char rushed back to the counter, wondering what was wrong.

"I see here," the pink Kecleon said, holding a small note card, "that, according to my morning report, your team's bank account is… empty!"

"Wait, huh?_"_ Char cried.

"Oh, my, that's a problem," the Kecleon said sternly. "That's a problem, indeed! I could have sworn, last time I checked, you were fairly wealthy, certainly wealthy enough to use my machine. But now, how will you come up with the sixty-eight thousand Poké you owe in fees?"

Char's mind began racing. _Our bank account… empty? What caused this?! And… we've gotten Kecleon angry at us! What will we do? What will happen?_

Char was scanning the room for an escape route when Saura spoke up.

"Oh, heheh, yeah, you have me to thank for that," Saura said nervously. "Yeah, this morning, when you left me behind, I figured I'd get some work done. And since you were going to come home with a lot of money from your mission, And since we were about to leave on a trip and all, I… I went and made a big payment on Otto's tuition."

"Hey, _you_ wait a minute!" Ray spoke out to the Kecleon. "Those TMs were supposed to be free! High Intelligence said they'd pay for them!"

"And why should I believe that?" the Kecleon challenged. "I've had teams pull that on me before. 'Oh, yes, I'm buying this on behalf of Team Carrier, just send the bill to them!' Oh, yes, wonderful way to get out of trouble, wouldn't it be? I do _not_ withdraw from somebody's account without their _explicit, face-to-face approval! _That's just _good business for everybody! __**Especially**_ _High Intelligence_! If they had reason to accuse my brother and I of defrauding them, do you have any idea how fast we would lose our reputation?!"

_Oh, man, oh man!_ Char said, feeling even more nervous. _How awkward! We're no Team Remorse, we can't get out of this as easily as they did! That, and they gave a re-imbursement… but we're broke!_

"No, really, I'm serious. Swear on the hooves of Arceus, I'm telling the truth!" Ray insisted. "The TMs were on the house! How else would Char have brought you a disc that _Alakazam_ made, huh?"

Kecleon stopped in mid-sentence, his mouth hanging open. "Oh, hmm," he said. "Well, you do have a point there, good sir. Hmm…"

"Yes, if you really must know, Alakazam is preparing us for a trip to the Emerald Division, and we leave _tomorrow morning!_" Saura said. "He's the one who sent us here with the disc. He said he'd pay for it."

"Well, then," Kecleon said, soon calming himself back down. "If that's the case, I suppose I will simply get their attention at the next possible chance to verify what you said, and… that would be that. I apologize for getting angry, my good customers. My brother and I can be loose cannons when something goes wrong, especially when we have reason to think somebody's defrauding us. Please understand."

Char nearly slumped to the floor in relief.

To make up for the incident, Kecleon offered them the Aspear Scarf he'd been fixated upon, plus a few other useful trinkets, free of charge.

… … …

"Well," said Chansey, "it's a little late, but I suppose…"

Char, Saura, and Ray were down at the day care center, ready to say their final goodbyes to the someday-to-be fourth member of their team. Char hoped the little bird would take the news well of how long they might be gone… that is, if Otto's mind had developed enough to understand anything he said. But even if it hadn't, Char felt obliged to give Otto a farewell.

The Chansey who had been watching over the empty lobby disappeared through the door, and moments later returned with the little brown bird hopping in tow.

"He was getting ready to sleep, but he came running when I mentioned your name!" Chansey said. "Have fun, little guy!"

"How's he doing?" Saura inquired. "Is he learning much?"

"As much as can be expected," Chansey answered. "Oh, but you know what? We already have his interview with Syr, head of Team Silverwing, scheduled for early next week! Once he joins the team, he'll learn so much it'll make his little head explode! Well, have fun! Don't be too long!"

Otto, though tired, was beaming with joy at the sight of Char. It was almost like Saura and Ray were not even there. He eyed them occasionally, but he danced and hopped around Char's feet, valuing his attention the most.

"Hey, Otto," Char said in a high-pitched voice befitting of a hatchling. "How are you doing tonight? Feeling good?"

"GRRR-OOOOOO!" Otto squealed.

Char wondered if he was trying to say "good" or "great", but he got the gist of it, and smiled back.

"Listen, Otto," Char said while he had the bird's full attention. "We're leaving on a big trip tomorrow, okay? And we're not going to be seeing you again for a while."

The bird cocked his head and blinked. Char wondered it if was actually listening.

"We're sorry," Saura added. "We love you, and we don't like to leave like this, but we have to. You take care of yourself, okay?"

"We'll come back as soon as possible!" Ray promised. "Before you know it, we'll be back! And maybe you can be on our team!"

"Okay," Otto said.

Char was overjoyed, and his friends were also very impressed. Otto had understood!

"Wow, you can talk!" Char cheered. "You can talk now, can't you?"

"Yes," Otto answered.

"But I bet you can't say very many things yet, right?" Char guessed.

"Yes!" Otto answered again.

"Well, hah! That's just great!" Char said, rubbing the bird's head affectionately. "Listen to you, you're growing up so fast!"

Char learned that Otto's vocabulary had expanded to about six words, and if he asked the right questions in ways Otto could understand, he could converse with the little guy. It gave him butterflies in his stomach just knowing that he had helped raised him, and realizing how much he wanted see his personality take shape…

…But, that would be for another day. After a short but pleasant interaction with Otto, he had to return to bed…

…And so did Team Ember. Tomorrow would be the beginning of their greatest mission yet.

… … …

"Ah, home sweet home," Saura yawned as they retired to their hall for the night. "It's always so nice to see this place after a long day, you know that?"

"Well, enjoy it while you can," Char muttered a little sadly. "This might be the last day for a long time we get to see this place."

"It's so exciting, I can't wait!" Ray said. "Scary, but exciting! I bet I'll have trouble getting to sleep tonight. Maybe Char's insomnia will strike again and he'll keep me company!"

"Hey, about that," Char said, remembering an idea he'd had. "Storage is still open. Want me to go get some sleep seeds? If we eat them now, we'll sleep all night."

After rejecting several offers from Ray insisting that he wanted to make the errand, Char finally won out when he reminded Ray about the handshake they'd made. Char turned back and left the team's quarters, heading down the stairs for the storage area which would be closing in less than an hour.

… … …

Char took the scenic route down to the storage area that night, not caring whether he'd get there before closing. In reality, he just wanted one more good look at the spacious, sprawling cave he'd come to know as home. The Gold Division base _was_ his home, the only one he ever knew, and if something tragic were to happen on the mission, this would be the last time he'd ever get to see it…

On all fours, he dashed down the rocky spiral staircase, down the wide, torch-lit halls, past the doorway to the base's main chamber…

They were all paths he now knew so well. He'd memorized them, engrained them in his mind. He knew the shortest distance to every last destination, from the cafeteria far downstairs, to the storage area, to the team quarters where his old and new friends dwelled… he knew the way to Team Remorse's room, where Scythe and his teammates would always consider him welcome, and the way to the recordbook room, where Jay and her assistants would chronicle the day's events for him… He knew how to get to the long-beloved meeting hall, which he still intended to tiptoe into the next chance he'd get, and the bank, where he'd transfer funds into Kecleon's account… he even knew how to get to the lair of High Intelligence, who were always quick to remind him that the world's fate rested on his shoulders…

At last, Char stood in the central chamber, gazing up and down at all its different levels, bridges, and passageways, all being traversed by busy Pokémon running the day's final errands or heading to their designated chambers for the night, the room glowing bright red from the hundreds of ghost torches embedded in the walls and the guard rails…

He stood in the same place he had seen the base for the first time, when Scythe had guided him in. He remembered how awestruck and breathless the sight had left him, pleasing his Charmander heart to no end…

…and realized that it still did. All of it did. This was his home, the place he belonged.

_Char!_

Char twitched, thinking he'd heard something. He disregarded it.

_Char…_

It happened again. Something was calling him.

But what? Char stood up like a squirrel and spun around, searching for the source of the voice which had called his name. He saw nobody, not down the halls, or at the opposite end of the great chamber…

_CHAR! Do you hear me?_

Again, Char whipped is head around, but didn't see any hint of who was calling him. That's when he realized he didn't particularly know what direction the call had sounded from… it had been voiceless. Telepathic.

_Oh, you do hear me,_ the soundless voice said. _Good. Now come here. I'm a floor below you, and at the opposite end of the base. Come, quickly._

Wondering about the identity of the unseen caller, Char followed its directions down the stairs and around the halls.

_Down to the end of the hall_, the voice insisted. _I want to talk to you._

Doing as instructed, Char soon found his way into a place he didn't visit very often. All the way down the hall and to the left dwelled Team ARK, in the middle lived Team Shepherd, and at the far right, lived…

_Wait,_ Char realized. _Nobody lives down there. That's another empty space, just like ours was before we moved in. I wonder…_

Char made his way further down the hall to the unoccupied lair. When he turned the corner, the identity of the caller suddenly became clear…

He saw her crouched in the shadows at the end of the hall, her velvet eyes shimmering back at him…

"Eva…" Char gasped. "You're here."

_Hey, no reason to speak,_ Eva telepathically asserted. _Just send me your thoughts. We don't want anyone to hear this conversation. Got it?_

"Why?!" Char blurted. "The last time I did what you—"

_SHUSH!_ Eva blasted soundlessly. _Listen to me, Char. Thanks to Scythe, if anyone finds me here, and I do mean _anyone_, I'll get forcefully removed from the base for treason, or worse, locked up down in the dungeons._

"And why shouldn't you?!" Char almost yelled. "You're—AUGH!"

Without warning, Eva attacked with a sharp psychic spell, sending Char to his knees as he clutched his forehead.

_If you'll just listen to me for one moment, I might be able to tell you._ Eva said angrily._ I know what I did. I made a mistake with you. I refused to look into your mind because I didn't think it was worth my time. I was very wrong. It was a mistake of pride. I'm sorry. But I want us both to forget about that incident._

_Hah. You hid for all this time, just to tell me that?!_ Char returned. _Oh, by the way, I did tell Scythe what you did. So no, you're not forgiven, until you get forgiven by him._

_I knew you would eventually,_ Eva said, nodding her head. _But I knew your conscience wouldn't let you say it right away. All I wanted was to buy some time to get away. I meant no offense to you in the end._

_Okay, fine, whatever,_ Char said with a grumble, sneaking closer to her. _What do you want?! You hid out here for, what, a month? What are you trying to prove?!_

_Char… just now, I found something horrible, _Eva said. _It's something I thought you would need to know._

_What's so horrible?_ Char asked. _There's not much I can do right now, Eva. I leave for the Emerald Division tomorrow._

_That's the problem, _Eva said. _Scythe is going with you. And I just now found out what he's planning to __**do**__ when he gets there! It's the secret he's keeping from you and even the rest of his team. He loves Shander like a brother, but even Shander doesn't know!_

Char felt very uneasy about the direction the conversation was going. _How did you find out?_ He inquired.

_I'm psychic,_ Eva reminded him, swishing her tail. _I can read minds. And I got him just now while his guard was down. I saw everything. _

_And why are you intruding upon Scythe's mind?_ Char demanded harshly. _Even Alakazam has the decency not to do that. Don't you think his thoughts should be kept private?_

Eva blinked at Char. She sat in the corner with a very proud, regal posture, her expression betraying no emotion except for her desire to be discreet and stealthy. Something about her was strange, and Char couldn't put his finger on it.

_Char, I want you to listen to me right now,_ she said, her telepathy strong and serious. _As of now, there is no other Pokémon in this base I support more than you. Not Alakazam, not Scythe, not Metagross. You. I wronged you when I refused Scythe's request. You had the Call. It was a mistake. And now I need to make that up to you. Char, I'm offering my services to you as a psychic. I'll read anyone's mind you wish. Just say the word. I know you're concerned about Scythe. I know he's been bothering you for a while. I can see it in your mind. So, I have read his mind for you…_

_How… much of my mind have you seen?_ Char asked suspiciously.

_Enough to understand, _Eva responded. _I know, for instance, that you're a human. That is another reason I wish to make penance to you. I am a Pokémon. Pokémon serve humans. And I have offended you. And now that I know you are a human, I am indebted to serve you._

_Oh, come on, I get enough of that from Ray, and Scythe,_ Char said. _You too, now?_

_Why, of course,_ Eva said in a gentle voice that sounded sincere. _By now, you must have noticed that every Pokémon you've gone and revealed your secret to has vowed to serve you unconditionally?_

_Unconditionally? I don't know about that,_ Char said. _Saura, perhaps. Ray… well, I told him that I didn't think too highly of him treating me like that… Scythe… Um… well, he does respect me…_

_That's because he serves you as his master,_ Eva said. _Just like Saura and Ray do. And now, it will be my turn to assume the role of your servant. You are now my master._

Eva bowed her head to him.

_But quickly! We are wasting time. You must know what I have discovered! Scythe's plans are very dark and terrible. I fear that you will not survive the upcoming events if you are not prepared._

_Then why are you dancing around the problem and not telling me already?_ Char demanded, crossing his arms.

_Because I respect your decision, _Eva said. _Scythe has told you he cannot afford to have another Pokémon know. I am already one who does know. Do you want to be the second? I will tell you, just so long as you understand the betrayal you are making. If not, I will stay silent. It's your decision. Will you hear it?_

Blindsided by the whole situation, Char took a moment to think it over. Yes, Scythe was bothering him deeply, but now, was Eva suggesting that Scythe's problems could put him in danger?

_He's never given me a reason not to trust him,_ Char thought to himself. _I even told him, I promised him that I would always trust him. He's not going to betray me... is he?_

_I know the answer to that question, _Eva interjected, startling Char and making him realize he had no private thoughts. _I don't blame you for trusting Scythe so much. He has deserved your trust until this point. But now, you have to realize that Scythe is all about playing games. This time, you're part of the game. Ask yourself: do you want to let yourself be part of his game? Do you trust him that well? Or... will you take things into your own hands?_

Char paused for a moment. Then, he shook his head, not wasting his time with any more thoughts that were like an open book to the psychic. He wanted to get away from her.

_No?_ Eva responded, looking a bit saddened as she bowed her head. _Very well. I will not tell you._

_I already betrayed Scythe once,_ Char determined. _I'm not going to do it again. And this time, it really counts. He asked me what sacrifices I would be willing to make. I'll make this one._

_A good choice,_ Eva commented. _But Char, please be careful. Scythe's actions on this mission will surprise you deeply. They may even change your opinion of him. If you will not hear the truth, that is all I can tell you._

Feeling very unnerved, Char began to walk away. Eva's advancements had intimidated him, somehow, and he didn't know what else to say.

_If ever you need me, I'll be right in this hall,_ Eva said. _All I ask is that you don't tell on me, and I'll serve you unconditionally. Because, after all, I can't serve you if I'm kicked out of the base…_

_Goodbye, Eva,_ Char said, leaving her behind.

_Stay on guard, and return safely,_ Eva said. _I'll be waiting for you._

… … …

At last, the long day came to a close.

Char managed to arrive late to the storage area, but after pounding on the door long enough, Morrik conceded and gave him the desired seeds.

But when he settled down in his bed that night, he found he didn't even need a seed to help him rest. He'd risen early, and put in a full day's work… he was ready to collapse. So, he placed the seeds down by Ray's bed, careful not to wake him, and climbed into his own.

He enjoyed his comfortable bed, and the glorious fire which surrounded it; it was the final thing he had to be thankful for. He drank in the comfort, feeling the hot currents of air sweep across him and lull him into a blissful peace. Yes, he would miss them so dearly when he left…

Yes…

… … …

It was happening again. He could feel it coming.

So powerfully… so vividly…

The vision came. When it did, it was so _real_, so colorful, Char couldn't believe he wasn't actually there…

_It's like I can see everything,_ Char realized. _It's like… the memory is perfect this time… it's like it's not holding anything back…_

Dialga stood before Char's eyes.

He saw Dialga in full, ethereal glory. It was beautiful. So much more magnificent than anything he'd seen—his previous visions, the statues down in the meeting hall, or even when the Call activated…

Char felt like he was going to cry just gazing upon the visage of the time god. It was like a living gemstone, its powerful aura pulsing across its sapphire body, shining like many suns. He could feel its presence, how time bended around its body, bowing to its will. Char felt so small in its presence, as it was larger in size than a whole building, staring down at the tiny little creature which must have been him. Its eyes, like deep red flames, betrayed its emotion—a deep humility, or respect, or perhaps… lament?

Dialga began to speak. Char gave it full heed, hoping that this time, he'd be able to understand…

"**_This is not something we wish upon you,_**" Dialga breathed, bowing its head. It spoke powerfully, but so very gently… "**_You bring this upon yourself, by your own actions._**"

_What? What? What is it?_ Char begged desperately, though he could not move or speak. _What have I brought upon myself? What have I done? Why did I come here? WHY AM I A CHARMANDER?"_

But Dialga… fell silent. His words once more became incomprehensible.

_NO!_ Char exploded in grief, still contained within his own mind. _No! Please! Tell me! Tell me more! Please!_

Again, his visage shifted. Palkia stood at Dialga's left side, equally as majestic. A red aura rained from its form, blinding white light gleamed from its silver hide. Its wings were spread, its tail swishing mightily behind it…

Char waited for the thing he knew was coming…

And it happened. Palkia presented Char with the tiny, circular capsule… The Poké Ball…

It floated in the air, hovering between the spatial god's great claws…

_Wait…_

Char noticed something… peculiar.

_That Poké Ball… there's something… about it…_

He stared at the object, clear as day before his eyes, yet he couldn't quite tell what the memory wanted him to see…

_That Poké Ball… it's special. It's very special. It's… very powerful. I don't know why, but… it's… dangerous, somehow… But… why? What's so special about it? I don't know! I can't tell! Why can't I tell?!_

That's when something happened in the dream that had never happened before.

The two mythical dragons took a step backward, as if having been startled. Did they look… scared?

His vision lurched. His field of perception panned down. And, to his horror, he saw…

Claws. Red claws. Pokémon claws. Charmander claws.

**_No! It can't be!_** Char cried to himself. _In this memory… I'm still a Charmander! I'm still a Pokémon! I'm not a human at all! What does this mean? What happened to me? Did Dialga and Palkia just finish turning me from a human into a Charmander? And what's with that Poké Ball? Are they going to… capture me with it?!_

Char's vision lurched again. He was scared. Or, his memory was scared. Either way, he felt deeply panicked. He tried to move. He tried to flee. But…

_I'm stuck! _Char realized. _Not just me, but my memory! It wants to move, but… I'm stuck. I can't move anywhere. It's like my feet are nailed to the floor!_

_Char!_

He struggled, but to no avail.

_Why can't I move? What is—wait! I think I know! Something's holding me back, isn't it? Something's got me from behind! Something's holding me in its grasp! It won't let me go! Why won't it let me go?_

His vision shifted… around…

_Hey, Char!_

And behind him, he saw…

A claw.

… … …

Car's eyes drifted open. It was the middle of the night… but it was dark. So very dark. The torches at his bedside had been put out, as had all the rest of the torches in the room.

"Muhh…" Char grumbled, blinking.

"Char," Saura's voice whispered. "It's time to get up."

Char looked about him. Saura had climbed into his bed and was gently nudging him with his nose. Ray stood at his bedside. Behind him stood Scythe, bearing a packed bag.

"Char," Saura whispered again. "It's time to go."


	37. Chapter 33: Can't Hold On

**Chapter 33**

_Here I am, a candle in the wind  
Just a gleam, a sparkle in the sea  
Now I stand, my heart is overthrown  
As I leave… all I've ever known._

_Even now, it feels like yesterday  
Found a home, a place where I could stay  
And a life, purpose I could fill  
Now I watch… as it fades away._

_And my heart, it reaches for the sky  
For the life, the dreams I leave behind  
For the strength it takes just not to cry  
For the strength… just to say goodbye._

* * *

"No…"

Char vaguely felt the tug of Saura's vine as it gently led him through the darkened corridor. With barely any sense of direction to call his own, he let it guide him forward.

It felt so surreal, like he was still fast asleep and adrift in his dreams. But there he was. The time had finally come. It was time to leave.

"Hey, don't forget the other bag," he heard Saura's voice say.

Now, as he saw his home passing before his eyes, the place he loved so dearly, it looked so cold and dead. The silver ornaments which decorated the walls no longer sparkled in the firelight—they were only shadowy cut-outs in the absence of the torch flames Char never imagined would ever stop burning. The rug which spanned the distance of the hall no longer exploded with beautiful orange and red—it appeared as featureless as the gray stone floor.

"No," Char whispered again.

The aches, the twinges of regret, all started to descend upon him as he watched it all go. He knew he wasn't all that sad about leaving his team's personal hall; after all, he'd only lived there for a couple of days. But somehow, it wasn't just a comfortable living space he was leaving, it was something far greater. It was as if he was leaving his life, his own self behind.

"Easy," Saura's voice hummed gently, so that the others couldn't hear. "It's going to be okay."

"But I… I don't want to leave," Char whined weakly, not even caring who would listen. "I want to stay. Can't we stay?"

"No, we can't," Scythe rasped, hurrying the group along. "This has gone out of our hands and above our heads. We have no choice."

"But… I'm so happy here," Char muttered. "I'm so happy here. I just want to stay here…"

"Control yourself," Scythe grumbled dismissively. "You did not come this far just to be a coward. Dialga would not be proud of you. Take charge of your destiny."

"We're all going to be in this together, just like you wanted," Saura reminded him. "We won't leave you for a minute! And besides, we'll be back someday. I promised my little sister I wouldn't be gone forever. I have to make sure we come back!"

"Do you have a habit of making promises you can't keep?" Scythe asked in an unusually harsh tone.

"Huh?" Saura gasped, a bit surprised at the response.

It was then that Char noticed Scythe's disposition that morning. A hard scowl was spread across his face. His eyes were almost completely red, darting around constantly as if to check his surroundings for danger. His entire form shook with uncertainty, as if he regretted every step he made. And… for a minute, in the light of his own tail, Char thought he saw a gleam from the Scyther's face. It was a gleam he recognized, one he'd seen before. Scythe had been crying.

"Make no mistake, Saura. This will be the hardest journey of your life," Scythe tried to say solemnly, but only succeeded in adding a cutting bitterness to his voice. "There is a very good chance that you, or any of us, for that matter, will not return alive."

Char gulped hard, suddenly feeling very afraid. He understood that whatever petty homesickness he felt was irrelevant compared to Scythe's despair. For some unknown reason he had chosen not to let Eva tell him, this was a hard day for the old warrior… perhaps the hardest in a long while.

…And why, Char wondered, did he sound so sure of an imminent casualty on this trip?

"Sorry… I apologize," Scythe mumbled, shaking his head. "I know I'm not helping the matter. I didn't sleep well last night. Once I have fully roused myself, I promise I'll be able to act a little more polite than this."

"Do you have a habit of making promises you can't keep?" Char shot.

Instantly, Char wished he could recall the words. He'd lost control of his tongue, and it wasn't the first time it had happened. Immediately, he felt his breath catch in his chest and his eyes fall to a close, wishing he could take refuge in the darkness with the dancing remnants of his vision. What was this personality flaw of his, he wondered, which let him stab at his friends with cruel, piercing words? What was it that he lacked? Was it Ray's friendliness? Saura's way with his words? Or perhaps Otto's virtue of silence and brevity? Was it just part of the Charmander, or was it part of his own heart, that let him disregard his respect for his companions? And why, oh, why, did it have to happen now?

Opening his eyes again, he glanced at Saura, if for nothing more than silent support. Saura returned a glance of sympathy, but there was nothing more he could do; he couldn't fix Char's mistake. Char did the only thing he could: he emptied his lungs and awaited the consequences of his words.

In response, Scythe turned a single, bloodshot eye in his direction, causing the trail where the tears had fallen across his face to once again gleam. He closed his eyes, and, after an exasperated sigh, opened his mouth to reply:

"No. I don't."

To that, Char had no desire to reply. His apology was implied.

… … …

Once the door was shut and locked behind them, Team Ember's hall became just like the rest of the unused quarters in the base: deserted. Barren. Devoid of life. Inaccessible, save for the occasional ghost Pokémon making its rounds. And it would stay that way, a memory behind a closed door, a reserved chamber for a respected team, until the day would come when Char and his friends would triumphantly return…

…assuming that day would even come. Char knew he wanted it to, and determined he would keep telling himself it would come until he no longer doubted it.

"Hey, what gives?" a familiar Treecko's voice shouted from just outside the front door as the group emerged into the hallway. "What kind of friends are you, leaving without saying goodbye?"

Char balked. Lined up in front of his door were several… no, _many_ of his acquaintances and friends from the resistance, gathered together to see him off on his epic mission. There was Team Stripes, lead by Taka, Evan, Nohill the Nidoran, Genie the Clefairy, and many others he'd had the pleasure of meeting and working with during his time at the base.

"Have fun at the Emerald Division!" Evan cheered. "Bring back lots of good stuff!"

Behind them stood several members of Team Remorse, Scythe's closest confidants, and Team Absolution, their recent partners in business. There was Ursa, Shander, Kain, Nidoroch, Kyria, Marrow… Even Daemon was there. The dark hound stood in front of them all, offering Char a respectful bow.

"Don't disappoint us," Daemon told him as he passed. "Don't let your fire fade."

"Make sure you come back in one piece, alright?" Ursa said. "We don't know what we'd do without you!"

"You'll do fine," Marrow asserted cheerily. "Scythe's done his work and turned you into fighters. You've got nothin' to worry about!"

"Be sure to keep an eye on Scythe for us," Kyria said. "We don't want to lose him!"

"Please," Shander added, a hint of vulnerability in his eyes. "Don't let Scythe down. He's putting his heart into this mission. I don't wish to see him heartbroken."

"Do not let your enemies stand in your way," Kain said in his deep, powerful voice that always sent chills down Char's spine. "If anyone dares to stand in your way, do not even hesitate. Burn them! Burn them to the ground!"

Finally, at the end of the weird lineup, was High Intelligence. Alakazam and Xatu stood at the end of the hall.

"Be off at once," Alakazam said. "All our hearts go with you this day. May the greatest graces of Arceus be with you, and may you bring peace to our ravaged homeland!"

Char sighed happily. His courage welled, and so did his pride, at seeing so many of his friends take time off from their busy schedules just to offer a fond farewell.

…Or not.

No, there actually wasn't anyone gathered in front of their door that morning. No Team Stripes, no Team Remorse, nobody; they had all been in his imagination. It was something he merely hoped to see, but something which did not come.

In truth, it was an ordinary day at the base. The rocky halls through which they crossed were almost empty, just as they were every other morning at the Gold Division base. Only the earliest of early birds were up and active, marching with their teams to be off for whatever jobs or journeys were in store for the day. Everyone close to Char's heart was either still fast asleep, or just too busy with their daily duties to notice. Even Team Remorse was told that Scythe and Team Ember were only setting off to an extended mission at the Emerald Division; there was not a single other soul in the base, besides for High Intelligence, who knew of Char's true destination. His mission was top secret. He was alone.

Alone, that was, except for the three Pokémon which meant the world to him, the three Pokémon whose companionship gave him more strength and comfort than he could ask for. They would be at his side, he reminded himself, and they would never stop being at his side. Realizing this, Char made the resolution to suppress his lingering sense of self-pity. He knew it was only a waste of energy and emotion, serving to hinder has fire and make him feel weaker on the inside. He knew it only made him more vulnerable.

_The world doesn't revolve around me,_ Char told himself. _Here I am wallowing in my own pains, when my friends have pains of their own… Look at Saura. He turned down an opportunity to be with his family just to come here. I bet that was hard, but he's not complaining. And Scythe… look at how miserable he is! He can barely walk straight! But he's holding on… Maybe that's why he's so much stronger than me. He's not just strong in battle, but he's emotionally strong, even under so much stress. He knows how to stop feeling sorry for himself._

_This doesn't have anything at all to do with pain, _Char determined. _This isn't about my pain, or Scythe's, or any of our pain. This is about ignoring it and doing what has to be done. So, I've got to stop being so sensitive to pain, and the feelings that bring me pain. I have to start making myself stronger, like Scythe._

"I have a favor to ask of you guys," Char yawned, finally starting to feel halfway awake. "If I ever start to whine again, Saura, I want you to tie me up, and Ray, I want you to shock me as hard as you can."

"Hah, but I don't want to send you into a coma!" Ray answered with a smirk. "But I understand. I'll shock you just hard enough."

"Perhaps a shock is what I need right now," Scythe muttered to himself just barely under his breath.

"I think I can help with that," Ray said kindly. "Hold on for just a moment."

Scythe closed his eyes and visibly cringed, expecting at any moment for his body to be flooded with enough electric power to reduce him to a pile of ash. But after the shock did not come for a few moments, he peeked back at the Raichu… who was happily offering a blue, oddly-shaped berry to him, a berry which contained the power to ward away drowsiness for hours.

"You packed Chesto berries, did you?" Scythe said as a pleased smirk formed across his face. "Just what I was craving. Very thoughtful of you. Intelligence would be displeased if we stopped downstairs for breakfast this morning."

"We packed most of our favorite supplies," Saura assured him. "Last night, we thought about all of our missions and tried to remember which things worked best with our techniques, so we filled the bag with stuff we know how to use. That was after Kecleon decided to give us all the cheap seeds and berries we wanted for free."

"Very good," Scythe said with a smile, accepting the berry and balancing it on the end of his blade. "I'm very proud of you. I'll tell you, I find it hard to express how glad I am to see you three develop the way that you have. What I mean is, for as long as I've been around on this world, I've been a warrior. It's been my one and only role to play to Ambera. I have no regrets about that. And I don't think a minute has passed in my life where I didn't assume I would always be a warrior… I certainly never imagined I would end up as a teacher. I think it was a whimsy of mine from time to time, but never a possibility I took seriously. And then, when the time came for Char to appear in my life, it was dropped upon my shoulders… I knew I had to guard you with all my heart, the precious treasure that you are… and so, I would have to train you… Let me tell you, it was a new kind of challenge trying to pass my own experience to a new generation… And I was never convinced I was doing all that well."

"Who are you kidding, Scythe? You're the best teacher!" Ray interjected. "You always challenged us, but you always made sure we had what it took to pull through!"

"And you always set such a good example!" Saura added. "I'm sure we made ourselves a better team just by watching your team do its work. We always have to push ourselves hard just for the honor of living in your shadow!"

"Ah, hah hah hah, you flatter me," Scythe laughed heartily. "I suppose it must mean something that my students approve of my methods, even if some others don't. I really tried hard to do things the right way… many of my sleepless nights were dedicated to digging through my instincts for the answers to what to do with you. But… we're about to be put to the test, and we'll shortly find out just how good of a teacher I really was."

Char frowned. Despite Scythe's streak of cheer, there was still a dark tone lingering in his voice. It was something he wanted to ignore, just to pretend Scythe was being completely optimistic, but he couldn't…

"Let me tell you something else," Scythe continued. "When this trip was first in the works, I was deathly skeptical of everything. I planned for Char and I to travel alone. My instincts told me that taking anyone else would be an unnecessary risk that would just cause tragedy. I tried to think of ways to justify this to you, Char, and the rest of you, in a way that you would accept. But as I continued to mull over it, I realized that it couldn't be any other way. You three are a team. Your greatest strength comes when you work as a single entity, both in heart and on the battlefield. Especially after I saw how Char wasn't keeping any secrets, I realized I had to comply. I had to honor that. And besides… what business do I have tearing a human away from his Pokémon?"

Scythe flicked his blade to send the berry flying and snatched it from midair with his jaws. He bit down through the hard exterior of the fruit, eager to get the stimulant into his brain as soon as he could. With his mouth full, he eyed Char as if curious to watch his reaction.

"Thank you," Char said. "I don't know what else I can say. You've given me everything I ever needed… and I know I have a problem with being selfish. I can't really help it. I think it might be part of being a Charmander. But you asked me what I'm willing to sacrifice, and I think I have an answer for you. I'll try my best to sacrifice my pride."

"That's a good start," Scythe hummed, trying not to slur his words with his mouth full. "But I ask you something: if you have no pride, what will make your fire burn?"

Char didn't know how to respond.

"But we should stop with this rambling," Scythe said. "It's time to face what is ahead of us. Time… to see what you and I both can do."

Char decided not to take one final look at the spacious main chamber of the base as the team approached the long, darkened corridors which would lead to the top of the great plateau. He knew he'd had enough nostalgia for the time being. He needed to move on.

* * *

**Great Flatlands**

Team Ember didn't often get to see the top of the great plateau in the sunless hours of the early morning; the lands to the west of the division never seemed to have all that many tasks in store, particularly none of those so urgent the team needed to leap out from the shadows at the precise moment the Watchers dissipated. So, when the occasional chance arose to glimpse at the dark hemisphere overhead, obscured by no tree, faraway hill, or any sort of terrain but the flat, featureless ground, it was a marvelous sight to behold. The sun still nothing but a miniscule stain of discoloration on the eastern horizon, several stars still shimmered overhead, illuminating the dark void of space like the many twinkling torch flames down in the division base. One by one, they were going out, peering through the scattered clouds for as long as they could before drowning in the sun's rays…

The sight of the stars always touched Char's heart much more than he expected. They were something he _knew_, somehow; they were something he remembered strongly, even from before his transformation. Visions of the gorgeous night sky speckled with its sparkling rivers of constellations were imbued into his mind, like a beauty he had once known, a memory of pleasant nighttime walks or unobscured lookout points he may have once enjoyed. In a way, it made him sad, sad that the stars were objects of fear to the Pokémon of Ambera, their glory disregarded as a sign that danger was imminent, a reminder that the world belonged only to the savage ghost Pokémon in the hours of darkness. But no matter what the others told him, he knew that the stars were a thing of beauty, and he wished for the day when the Watchers would leave so that he might enjoy them more frequently…

As he followed Scythe across the surface of the plateau, taking in the pleasant humidity of the dawning spring day, it crossed his mind, just as it had done a few times in the past, that his memory of the stars might have been another well-disguised clue to his past. Yet, he was never inclined to give it much thought. After all, every human knew how beautiful the night sky could be… right?

"Oh, WOW!" Ray suddenly gasped. "Are those… what I _think_ they are?"

Following the direction of Ray's attention, Char squinted at the eastern horizon. There, he spotted several silhouettes against the light of the rising sun. They stood tall and proud, some observing the sky as the last several stars blinked out of existence, their miniscule wings spread and poised for takeoff…

"Dragonite," Scythe hissed. "So this is the… transportation… Alakazam has arranged for us."

"D-dragonites!" Saura repeated, barely believing it. "Wow! What a rare kind of Pokémon they are! I was starting to believe that Dragonites were just a myth!"

Ray was absolutely wide-eyed. "This is going to be exciting…" he muttered. "I hear they fly really, really fast."

_Wait, what?_ Char wondered. _Flying…?_

That's when it hit him. For some reason, it hadn't really occurred to him how _exactly_ they would be making their journey. Even when Alakazam mentioned the word the previous day, his mind had only glazed over it, unable to comprehend it and forgetting it quickly…

He was going to be _flying_.

Char found himself feeling very uncomfortable , very fast. He wasn't ready for this! If there was something that he learned from hanging on for dear life by Scythe's neck for only a couple seconds, and seeing the ground so far below, he was terrified of flying. Too terrified for words. He'd done an excellent job of blocking that recent event from memory, as short an event as it had been, but… What now? Was he going to be flying for whole minutes? Hours? …_Days_?

"Be warned," Scythe said quietly while they were still out of the hearing range of the dragons. "Dragonite are known for their humility and good cheer. You can never tell by looking at one if it is offended by your words and actions, or even if it is burning with anger on the inside. They always have a smile on their face like they're in the best of moods, but that's because they bottle up their rage so well, you can never be sure when they are about to… release it."

"Uh-oh," Saura said. "The way you say that, it sounds as though…"

"…As though I've seen it happen?" Scythe almost laughed. "I have. _Twice._ I used to think I was a master at reading a Pokémon's face. But when I met my first Dragonite… never saw it coming. I can still give myself headaches just remembering the pounding it gave me… So just remember: treat them with the utmost respect, do what they say, and try not to be a bother. An angry Dragonite is not something you would be proud to witness."

Char was barely even listening; all he could think about was flying. Every step he made seemed like it was bringing him closer to the fateful moment, the moment where he would cling with all his might onto the Dragonite's back as it rose miles into the air… just one slip, and it would all be over… it would be miles away before it would notice it was missing a passenger… he would be lost among the clouds, never to be seen again…

Char cringed, trying to block the thought out of his mind.

"You alright?" Saura asked. "Still having some regrets?"

"Yeah," Char muttered back. "That, and… I don't think I'm all that ready to fly. Even just yesterday, when Scythe carried me, it was pretty bad. I don't know if… if I could survive something longer than that."

"Don't worry! It's going to be fine!" Ray assured him. "Sure, it's scary! But you have to slap yourself if you're even thinking about passing up this opportunity!"

"Yeah, and I'm sure that Alakazam wouldn't have called for them if they weren't good at flying," Saura added. "Me, I'm really excited to try this! I've always wanted to fly!"

"Oh, I don't know…" Char fretted. "What if I can't hold on? They don't even have any saddles on or anything! What if I just… slip off? I'm scared of heights!"

"Hey, Saura!" Ray barked. "Quick! Tie him up!"

"Wait, WAIT! WAIT! NO!" Char clamored, quickly backing away from Saura. "No! Okay, fine! Fine! I'll stop! It's just… not easy."

"Not easy?!" Ray cried, though very sarcastically. "Who are you, and what have you done with Char?! You stood up to fifty rock Pokémon all by yourself and beat a Steelix to death with your bare hands, was _that_ easy? And now, you can't even let another Pokémon carry you through the sky? Dragonites are some of the most skilled flyers, _ever! _Where's the Steelix-slayer, Huh?"

Char took a deep breath, knowing that anything he'd reply with would probably provoke Ray to jolt him. Besides, Ray was right. He had to find some courage, and quickly. It was down there somewhere, he just needed to get it working.

Before he knew it, the team was closing the final few yards' distance between them and the Dragonite team. Curiously, he gazed upon the creatures, of which there were seven in all. They were tall, proud, and very majestic, towering much higher than even Scythe. Covered head-to-toe in bright orange scales, their forms seemed to glow like molten glass in the light of the rising sun. He couldn't help feeling jealous of the scales, given how they were strangely missing from his own body; he was often puzzled as to how he could classify as a reptilian creature when all he had for protection was a rather sensitive layer of red skin which bruised and bled not unlike a human's. He looked into their eyes and saw their pride, but also their purity of heart. Their faces betrayed such a kindheartedness and a sense of honor that Char wanted to trust them unconditionally, if it hadn't been for Scythe's prior words of warning. In all, they appeared to be very respectable, powerful creatures…

The only real thing that took Char by surprise was the size of their wings. They were laughably miniscule! He gawked at them, wondering how such a heavy, bulky creature expected to fly with wings that were not even a foot in length.

"And here they come. Good morning!" the lead Dragonite shouted cordially, noticing the group approach. "Your reputation precedes you, Scyther. I am Arshall. My fleet and I are under orders by Lucario to ferry you to the Emerald base."

"And good morning to you, and your fleet," Scythe replied as official-sounding as he could manage. "How are the skies?"

"In this vicinity, very friendly," the Dragonite replied, looking to the horizon. "Though, a wave of cold presses in from the north. Though we only noticed some tension in the clouds on the way here, we may brave some storms in our flight."

"The front carried a westward pitch," another Dragonite noted. "Luck be with us, it will avoid our course. After all, we won't be flying directly over the Master's lands…"

"True," Arshall said with a thoughtful nod. "It is a possibility. But, we can't count on Kyogre to cooperate with us. If we meet with tornadic weather, we have several points of rest charted along our course… Oh, and good morning to you! You must be the children Lucario mentioned! How are you on this fine morning, little dragon? Ready to fly?"

"I'm ready," Char choked out, not completely honest.

"Glad to hear so," it replied with a smile. "What about you, Bulbasaur? Raichu? Oh, well, I suppose Lucario was exaggerating a bit when he referred to you as children. I have no place referring to a fully grown mouse as a child. My apologies! I meant no offense."

"No offense taken!" Ray replied. "I'm really honored to meet you! I've never met a Dragonite before!"

"I suppose the honor should be all ours," Arshall said with a slight bow of her head. "Lucario seems very excited to meet you. And the Scyther of resistance legend walks at your side. You must be important! Though it's not my place to understand why. My greatest desire is just to see you through your journey through the sky."

"It is the Charmander who is the most important of these three," Scythe noted, trying his best not to sound awkward. "The others are his support. So, if anything should happen… his life means more than theirs. And ultimately, even more than mine."

"Oh, you underestimate us, Scyther!" the Dragonite laughed. "Nothing will go wrong on the flight. Nothing can! That's the beauty of flying; up there, there's nothing of danger! Nothing but the clouds, and the Pokémon perseverant enough to carry themselves through them. And besides, even if twenty Rayquaza stage an ambush from the stratosphere, our evasion skills are unmatched. You will all be delivered to Lucario without so much as a scratch. That's our promise!"

"And for that, we are most grateful," Scythe respectfully replied. "But, if you would pardon it, there's a nagging question I have… where did you stay the night? Did Alakazam grant you hospitality in the base without our knowledge?"

"Oh, no, of course not!" Arshall answered. "We found a cave not far from here, oh, about twenty miles or so, which gave us all the hospitality we required. When the sun rose, came here and waited, just as we were told to do."

"Oh, wow…" Saura gasped quietly to his friends. "Do you think… they could be referring to… you know… _that_ cave?"

"What cave?" Ray asked. "Do you know one of them personally?"

"Yeah, the Gravelrock Tunnel entrance," Saura replied. "But that's kinda far away. There's no way they could have flown all the way up here just in the time it took for us to walk here… could they?"

"You know, I've heard that Dragonite can circle the whole world twice in _one day_," Ray gasped. "They could have gotten here in _seconds_! They're _just that fast!"_

"Can I ask a nagging question, too?" Char said out loud, unable to contain himself.

"Certainly, little dragon!" Arshall replied. "Although, we must depart soon, so be brief, if you may."

"How do you fly with such small wings?" Char asked curiously.

A moment of silence hung in the air, and Char could almost feel his friends shudder at his irrelevance, hoping that the Dragonite would not feel offended or annoyed by the question. Arshall, though, seemed endlessly amused by it, returning a beaming smile.

Then, something happened which almost made Char's head explode. Arshall jumped about two feet into the air… and didn't come back down

. To Char's amazement, the dragon simply hung there, supported by nothing! She held her position with effortlessness; not even her wings flapped to help stay aloft. She was _levitating_!

Char could hear the stunned gasps of his friends at the sight, and he struggled unsuccessfully to produce a comment himself.

"Dragonair fly without wings," Arshall explained, gently setting her body back onto the ground, "and so do we. Like the Gyrados and the Rayquaza, it isn't our wings that keep us aloft, but our hearts. Though, still, our wings are invaluable for controlling and stabilizing our flight. They are what let us steer our course with such precision! And we're thankful that they are so small; they're very unlikely to get injured, especially in an intense battle! You see?"

"I see," Char responded, full of awe.

"So indeed, little dragon, they aren't the laughable little appendages they seem to be," Arshall laughed. "Certainly, if they were, we wouldn't hesitate to laugh at them ourselves!"

"Not to mention the humans who try to raise Dragonites themselves," another added. "They teach them to flap their wings when they fly. Quite laughable, if you ask me, but also a little demeaning. It becomes such a force of habit that you can't convince them it's not needed."

"Wow, that's amazing!" Saura commented. "I never knew Dragonites were so gifted! But hey, does this mean Char will be able to fly like that when he grows up?"

"Oh, I'm afraid not," Arshall said with a wink. "No, Charizard have to support their own weight with their wings. But oh, it's not a curse! It's a wonderful gift on its own, too! In compensation, you'll be given such a limitless supply of endurance, and your wings will so strong—"

"Pardon me, captain, but time is fleeting," another Dragonite whispered. "We should be leaving soon!"

"Oh, I'm sorry! You're right," Arshall said, snapping back to attention. "Would you look at me, rambling on? Here, I was telling you to be brief, then I went and ended up wasting our time. Well, no more! _To the skies!_"

At that, the Dragonite team directed Char's group into getting situated for the trip. Two of the fleet members were assigned care of the bags, while the rest of them, save for the captain, took one passenger each. Char was admittedly a little disappointed and scared when the Dragonites refused to let him ride with Saura, but he clenched his fists, mustered his courage, and decided not to complain… even though he was shaking in his skin.

"Everything okay?" asked the Dragonite, another female, whom Char was directed to mount. "Nervous?"

Char nodded in response to the question as his limbs softly scrambled and panicked to find handholds and footholds on the dragon's back. Its back was as smooth as could be (except for when he happened to rub its scales the wrong way), with not even the slightest ridge or spike to grasp. Already, he could feel himself slipping down! _Am I supposed to just hug with my arms? Or my legs?_ Char wondered, his throat tightening. _I can't do it! I'm just not big enough!_

"Let me guess… afraid of heights?" the Dragonite asked.

Again, Char nodded, saying nothing.

"If you ever feel insecure, you're welcome to hold my wings," the Dragonite said. "But only at the base, please. Otherwise I may not be able to control them. And if you feel like you cannot breathe, raise your head. It will help you avoid the vacuum. I'm Zahira, by the way. I'm not a member of this fleet. I belong to Lucario's team. He sent me to come with Arshall and oversee the flight. If you are who they say you are, I've got to make sure you see Lucario as soon as possible."

Laying on his belly, Char grasped the base of Zahira's wings as hard as he could. He hoped the position he had found was as secure as it felt.

"Don't be tense," Zahira assured him. "Arshall doesn't exaggerate when she says nothing is going to go wrong. Dragonite are not in the business of screwing up the simple things. Besides, there aren't any unknown factors to flying. Everything but the weather is calculated, and even that is predictable. Well… there's also the issue of betrayal. You're not planning to backstab us in mid-flight, are you?"

Char shook his head, as if to reply "Are you _crazy_?"

"Didn't think so," Zahira hummed. "In that case, there's nothing to be afraid of. Just relax. Enjoy the flight. And try to trust me. Can you do that?"

_I can trust you,_ Char thought, _But I'm not sure if I can trust myself!_

"Pokémon! Prepare yourselves!" Arshall proclaimed. "We set a course to return home. Unlike the trip here, the return trip will be a two-day venture; we are now carrying supplies and precious cargo. Should all go well, our rest stop will be Nincadia, but if the time grows short and the weather is uncooperative, we will change course and settle in Redblood Desert before the Watchers catch us in the air. Set your bearings for north-northeast, by about three-and-a-quarter wingspan, approaching the Master's domain no closer than one hundred eight miles. Through the first leg, keep the elevation no farther than twenty-one geodes…"

The Dragonite's speech became gibberish to Char as she rambled off undoubtedly important numbers to her fleet, all of which meant nothing to him. He glanced at his friends, all comfortably seated upon their mounts and bursting with excitement. Scythe held on with only the strength of his legs, yet seemed surprisingly content with his position. Saura's vines were hooked around the base of the Dragonite's wings and held as taught as could be. Ray… didn't even appear to be holding on; it looked much more like he was uncontrollably jumping around and cheering for joy across the dragon's back.

"Ready for this, Char?" Ray cried. "Just look! Look up there! Look at the clouds! See them? In just a few moments, _we're_ going to be up there with them! We're going to be above the clouds! Can you believe it? Are you ready?"

"Really, I'm not so sure!" Char responded.

"Oh, come on!" Ray cried. "Grit your teeth! This is going to be _amazing!_"

Char scowled and held on tighter to Zahira's wings, feeling a tiny wince shoot through her body as he did so.

"Char! Hey, Char!" Ray called back. "THE FIRE WILL NEVER DIE!"

When Char tried to respond, he found that he couldn't.

In fact, he could barely even breathe.

The sensation was like being pinned, face-down, underneath the weight of a Snorlax. He couldn't lift a muscle from Zahira's back.

From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the ground. It was shrinking. So terribly fast. In one moment, he saw the barren plain of land which was the top of the great plateau, the Goldenrod Meadow, and… and…

And in another moment, he saw the _entire plateau,_ and all the surrounding civilizations, like Iron Town and Fort Loyal, all like tiny pebbles in a riverbed. He saw the forest next to Saura's residence, like moss growing on a rock…

And then, he saw only white.

If he'd had the breath to do so, he would have screamed in terror.

His eyes snapped shut.

* * *

**The Sky**

Some time later, after his heart had calmed down enough, Char snapped back to his senses. His eyes blinked open, revealing to him nothing but a bright orange hide of scales. Without having to look, he remembered where he was: hanging for dear life on the back of a Dragonite as it rocketed through the sky, miles and miles above the surface of the earth. Though now, a small wave of acceptance, and thus peace, started to diffuse through him. Yes, he felt much calmer than before, though his grip on the Dragonite's wings never loosened. He feared his claws would soon start to cramp.

As Zahira had suggested, he decided to try and relax, though it was easier said than done. The relentless _whoosh_ past his ears didn't help matters, nor did the force of the wind against his body, threatening to tear him away from his handholds and send him tumbling hopelessly into the sky. Breathing was not all that easy, either, even while taking Zahira's advice and raising his head to breathe. No matter how hard he tried to inhale, his lungs always seemed to collapse under the force of the vacuum before it could surrender an acceptable amount of oxygen. It reminded him of the time he stood inside of the fire, feeling the air burning away before he could suck it down his lungs. When he tried to voice the complaint, he found that his throat held no words. Any sound he tried to make fell entirely flat against the wind, especially since he couldn't collect enough breath to add force to his voice.

Another odd feeling which soon settled into his perception was the tingling. His whole body tingled as if being poked repeatedly with pine needles, whether from adrenaline or just lack of oxygen to his head, but no part as bad as his tail. He realized that his tail was blowing and waving out behind him, the flame struggling to stay alive against the might of the wind. Surprisingly, it prevailed, but not without a constant stinging sensation. Char almost wanted to gather it into his claws and hold it against his body, but didn't dare for a second to let go with either claw. After a few moments of trying to bear the pain, Char realized that the stinging wasn't actually so painful. In fact… there was an odd sort of pleasantness to feeling the wind whipping past his tail, trying, yet failing, to snuff out his flame. The feeling was perfectly bearable, especially when he stopped focusing on it so much, and he let it drift to the back of his mind behind all the other loud, overbearing sensations surrounding him…

Struggling to lift his head, he dared to glimpse at the passing sky. Immediately, he spotted the other members of the fleet. They held a formation of three arms, presumably to help them stay on course, with the captain up front, and with Char at the very end of the rightmost arm. They were spaced out rather far; the next Dragonite ahead was at least twenty yards away, and the central arm was at least forty. Squinting at them, it brought a smile to his face to catch sight of a tiny speck of green atop the neighboring dragon. He couldn't tell if it was Scythe or Saura, but just knowing his friends were so close by in this insane venture caused his heart flutter.

Then, Char did the unthinkable… he looked down.

Layers of drifting clouds passed before his eyes, some bright white and opaque, others translucent. Far, far down below, wherever the clouds had parted enough, he saw the landscape glowing in the midmorning sunlight. Rivers appeared like scars across the ground, hills were like blisters… everything but the greatest, most prominent terrain features were invisible to the eye. The ground, the place where he belonged, now seemed so foreign… so alien…

Or did it?

To his utter awe, a jolt of familiarity flashed before Char's eyes. He'd seen this sight before! He knew exactly what he was looking at! In fact, it was something he saw every evening with the rest of his team as they plotted their missions. It was Ambera, as depicted on the Map of Jirachi! Gazing out from one horizon to another, he recognized the patch of land as part of the map, one that lay just north and to the east of the division. He spotted roads which he and his friend had walked once or twice, as well as a few cities and wild Pokémon habitats. He couldn't believe it. The map was so exceptionally accurate! All along, it had been like a photograph of the land, taken from the level of the clouds!

He gazed down at the surface, pretending that all the notes written on the map were superimposed upon his view. There was Route 412, winding like a giant white seam to the west around Shellwind Point, across the Quagsire River (the same river which ran all the way down into Blackriver City), and into the Orphaned Village… and branching off from it was Route 414, which ran far to the west into lands he had never explored… And Route 427, which forked southeast into the ominous land marked as the Onix Graveyard, and to the northeast into the mountains called Red Haven, an apparent location of interest to Scythe…

Too late, Char realized that his claw was starting to slip.

The ensuing cry which erupted from Char's lungs fell flat as a pathetic squeak against the rushing wind. Every muscle in his body cramped and became unresponsive, clinging like mad to the Dragon's back in any way he could. He knew he'd made the mistake of ever-so-slightly leaning too far to the side, just to get more of a glimpse of the ground. In doing so, he had shifted his gravity off-center, gravity which was now intent on betraying him and shoving him to his doom. Millimeters of distance began to slip away from his claws faster than he could believe, millimeters impossible to regain due to the wind's pressure and his body's unfortunate position…

Char's world erupted in unspeakable panic. It was as if his mind was no longer there; all that existed was acrophobia. Again, he gathered his whole heart into a cry of anguish to alert the Dragonite of his peril, but again, no sound came out. The vacuum of wind, the same vacuum which was causing him to drift from his mount at such an alarming rate, was just too strong. Soon, his right claw would be ripped away from her wing, causing him to jerk to the side with such force that his tiny left claw would be powerless to keep hold.

Sensing something amiss, Zahira momentarily glanced back. She met Char's terrified expression with one of indifference, as if not noticing that anything was wrong. Char silently screamed at her, unable to flail for attention at the risk of losing what little hold he still had. Just as quickly, she blinked and faced forward again, leaving Char on his own and shattering the last remains of his hope…

The awful truth hit him. There was no use in struggling. He was going to fall, and nothing, save for getting Zahira to roll in mid-air or slow down, was going to prevent it. He shut his eyes, taking refuge in his lightheaded imagination, attempting to accept his fate…

_A majestic Charizard soared across the sky, enjoying the powerful sensation of the wind whipping across its face and beneath its wings._

_It was his could never ask for anything more._

Char felt as his claw was ruthlessly torn from its hold, snapping his body to one side and sending him tumbling from the Dragonite's back.

_Thump._

He could feel the wind rushing past his body in ways he could never comprehend. His chest was exploding, tingling, like his heart was being shoved into his brain… He was falling…

He wondered how long it would take for him to hit the ground. A minute? An hour? A day? Where would he land? Would his body shatter against a jagged rock? Would he be lucky enough to land in a body of water and live to tell the tale? … Or not, since he was a Charmander now, and it would spell certain doom… Would Dialga smile upon him again, and let him fall into a Mystery Dungeon, directly atop a Reviver Seed? Or maybe… could he gather enough heart to evolve to a Charizard before he hit the ground?

Did it really matter?

_I knew this was going to happen, _Char told himself_. I don't know how, I just knew. All along, I knew. I would fall off… _

"HEY!"

Char winced at the unexpected sound of a voice.

At first, he was unable to comprehend what he saw. Adrenaline was still pumping through his veins in place of blood, so his mind gathered the information in a slow, placated manner. The color of cream. A shining orange. Eyes, with black, beady pupils. A smile.

Char blinked again. It was unmistakable. A Dragonite. Zahira. She was holding him in his arms, smiling down at him, and looking quite proud of herself, too.

It hit him. He hadn't been falling at all. The _thump_ he felt was the sensation of being caught in her arms mere moments after losing his grip. She had performed some sort of masterful maneuver, banking straight down into a loop and catching him instantaneously, without even so much as breaking formation.

"READY TO TRUST ME YET, OR DO YOU WANT TO FALL AGAIN?" Zahira screamed over the wind.

Char looked up at her like a helpless baby in a mother's arms, and nodded. He didn't really care which question he was answering, he just nodded.

"RELAX!" she shouted. "LET ME DO THE FLYING! STOP TRYING SO HARD!"

_Thump._

In the blink of an eye, Zahira had pivoted in some complicated way, and the next thing Char knew, he was once more sitting atop her back.

As soon as the adrenaline started to subside and let his thought process take over, which wasn't actually all that soon, his panic died down exponentially. Clearly, Zahira was a skilled flyer, as skilled as they came, and probably knew how to catch a falling passenger in each of the thousand ways possible for one to fall. Somehow, falling didn't seem all that threatening anymore… in fact, he felt nearly as secure as if he were standing on solid ground. Still dazed and euphoric from his panic attack, but secure.

A moment after that realization set in, so did another one: he wasn't even holding on. No longer was he laying on his belly atop the dragon's back, holding onto her wings… he was sitting, almost upright, his claws both set down in front of him. Yet… the wind vacuum, vicious and merciless as it had been, seemed to have lost its effect entirely. In fact, if he was perceiving things correctly, it almost felt as though the vacuum was _helping_ him, keeping his body firmly planted in place, giving him an impossible sense of balance.

His new position also allowed him a much clearer view of all the surrounding sights. Rather than having to shift his weight just to glance in a new direction, he found he could effortlessly see everything at once.

_What changed?_ Char kept wondering as he looked toward the horizon, noticing the looming tower of clouds far in the distance. _I feel so much better now. I can breathe. I can hold on. And I'm not being swept away by the wind. What made the difference? Is it just… because I'm not afraid anymore? Could that be it? It can't be! Confidence wouldn't help _this _much… would it? Maybe that was the problem. I knew I would fall. I expected it. But I had no idea I was safe all along…_

"FEELING BETTER?" the Dragonite shouted back to him.

Char nodded in reply, then attempted once more to speak.

"YEAH!" he shouted, surprised that his voice could overcome the wind.

"IT'S REALLY EASIER IF YOU SIT UP," she said.

"I SEE," Char replied. "WHY?"

"WELL, BECAUSE IT'S MORE COMFORTABLE FOR BOTH OF US," the Dragonite said. "BESIDES, I LET YOU FALL ON PURPOSE, YOU KNOW. YOU WOULDN'T LIGHTEN UP!"

_She WHAT?_ Char yelped to himself.

"SINCE YOU TRUST ME NOW, I'LL KEEP YOU BALANCED, SO IT WON'T HAPPEN AGAIN," Zahira promised. "UNLESS YOU DECIDE YOU WANT TO JUMP OFF YOURSELF. I CAN'T STOP THAT."

"I WON'T JUMP OFF!" Char blasted, a hint of anger evident in his voice. "WHY WOULD I DO THAT?"

_So that's why it suddenly got easier to stay on,_ Char realized. _All along, she was trying to provoke me to fall in order to prove a point. Well, she did it! I hope she's happy. I really do._

Char felt his inner ember gradually getting inflated by his glowing ire. Though the stinging sensation in his tail was dampened as his flame became bloated, he realized he was making a mistake. He didn't want to turn himself into a loose cannon at a time like this. He had to swallow his pride. He was _not_ going to accidentally release a sarcastic remark that would drive the Dragonite into rage! Not now!

"SO, HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN FLYING?" Char inquired, attempting to lighten his own mood.

"SINCE THE DAY I HATCHED!" the Dragonite replied. "WHEN A DRATINI IS BORN IN THE OCEAN, IT LEARNS TO SWIM, ON THE LAND, IT LEARNS TO FLY. TO SWIM IN THE AIR."

"I MEAN, LIKE THIS," Char yelled. "DID YOU GET TRAINING TO CARRY PASSENGERS?"

"WE CAN FINISH THIS CONVERSATION TONIGHT, IF YOU DON'T MIND," the Dragonite replied. "UNLESS YOU WANT US BOTH TO LOSE OUR VOICES YELLING!"

"YES, MA'AM!" Char responded, shutting his mouth immediately after.

Char fell silent again, trying for a time to occupy himself however he could. Though his fears were gone, and the view continued to be marvelous, Char found that his mind was so saturated and subdued with the fading fight-or-flight sensations that it was difficult to focus on anything. The tingling feeling in his limbs was more prevalent than ever, starting to remind him of the sensation of being paralyzed. Plus, aside from being momentarily traumatized, he realized that he was getting quite hungry. Dragonite apparently didn't believe in breakfast, or even lunch, and looked as though they were happy with letting their passengers starve to death for the sake of arriving on time. All in all, Char found his experience flying to be a rather unpleasant one, and started to look forward to landing.

After exhausting every pastime he could think of, including trying to find pictures in the passing clouds, imagining himself as a Charizard flying by his own power, and fantasizing about leaping off the dragon's back just to get back at her, Char fell bored. It was around noon by then, and there was still no sign of the procession stopping to eat. Char glanced down and tried to decipher the earth's surface, and vaguely recognized that they still were quite far from their destination. They had long since crossed from the south hemisphere to the north, marking only about two-fifths of their journey complete, and flew over lands of tropical forests and red deserts that Char had never thought to concern himself with. He'd been looking forward to enjoying the warmth of the sunlight while crossing over the planet's equator, but he figured he missed it; it was never too warm so high in the clouds, most of the time, it teetered on the edge of being uncomfortably chilly. He tried not to let it remind him of the cold wasteland he would soon be venturing through…

But perhaps the most frightening thought of all, even more so than imagining the numbing chill of snow and ice, was the fact that they would soon pass the Master's domain. Char knew the Dragonite team would make sure to stay far away from it, probably enough to ensure that it would not appear this side of the western horizon, but it still sent a shiver through him to know that the fabled and mysterious Master who dominated the land under an iron fist, the one whose reign caused so much pain and so many tears to so many Pokémon, dwelled in a dark fortress just out of sight. It was a place he never wished to go, a place he so dearly wished his destiny would never lead him.

Finding that he had nothing left he wished to reflect upon, and feeling as numb and sore as a stuffed animal, Char began to wonder if he could pass the time in a much more effective way.

"HEY," Char shouted to his mount. "MIND IF I TAKE A REST? CAN YOU KEEP ME BALANCED IF I LAY DOWN?"

"YOU TELL ME," the Zahira replied simply.

It was all Char needed to hear. Filled with a hundred unpleasant feelings, Char collapsed onto the dragon's back in hopes to satiate his exhaustion.

… … …

_CRASH!_

After what seemed like seconds since he had closed his eyes, a horrible, earth-shattering explosion made Char jump awake. He soon realized there had been no nearby earth to shatter, as he was still miles in the air. Instead, a dark curtain of smoke and mist surrounded him on all sides. The sound had been one he recognized—thunder.

"GOOD MORNING!" Zahira shouted over the winds, which were now more forceful than ever. "SLEEP WELL?"

"WE'RE IN A STORM, AREN'T WE?" Char asked, feeling the tension in the air.

"WE GOT NICKED BY THE EDGE OF THE STORM FRONT," Zahira answered. "ARSHALL ALREADY GAVE THE SIGNAL TO SLOW DOWN. WE'RE APPROACHING THE REST STOP."

_CRASH! KABOOM!_

There was a bright flash of light, followed by the deafening sound of splitting air as the surrounding clouds wrestled with one another and exchanged electric charges.

"ISN'T THIS DANGEROUS?" Char cried. "WHY ARE WE FLYING INSIDE OF THE STORM? CAN'T WE GET HIT BY LIGHTNING?"

"IT'S VERY DANGEROUS," Zahira answered. "DO YOU STILL TRUST ME?"

"YEAH," Char answered reluctantly. "YOU DO THE FLYING."

Char sat back up and observed the restless skies ahead. The clouds formed a kind of strange tunnel through which the dragons flew. All around, the shadow-colored formations churned and swirled in strange ways, almost making it look like the inside of a great beast's digestive tract. It was very dark, with only the glow of the masked sunlight behind the clouds and the occasional blink of lightning to guide the way. He wondered if the clouds would all suddenly condense into rain to come down upon him like a waterfall…

Before he knew it, though, something unusual was going on. The rest of the Dragonite fleet vanished, like they had been swallowed up by the dark sea of clouds when he wasn't paying attention. Then came a most unmistakable sensation—descent. Zahira had settled into a shallow dive in preparation for landing. It was the strangest feeling yet, producing a nagging fear that he would fall off in the most unlikely of directions: straight upward, rather than downward or backward. He reached forward to gently clasp the base of the dragon's wings, as he had been given permission to do, just to make certain he wouldn't become disconnected.

The feeling of descent soon intensified, re-igniting all the horrible feelings in the pit of his stomach he hoped he was rid of.

_We're going to land,_ Char said to himself, shutting his eyes just as he had done on the ascent. _In just a few moments, I'm going to be back down on land, where I belong. Just a little while longer… C'mon, I can do this. Then it's no more flying. Not until tomorrow. I can spend all night with my friends down on the ground…_

_CRASH! Rumble… _

Another lightning bolt tore across the sky somewhere nearby. The winds became more intense.

Zahira's dive became steeper. Char cracked an eye open to see that they'd descended beneath the clouds, far enough that he could clearly see the ground, shrouded as it was by the shade of the storm. He did not have a clue what time of day it was, nor did he recognize the landscape below; he just didn't care. His mind was only in one place: the anticipation of having his feet planted back on the earth.

"THERE'S THE SIGNAL," Zahira notified Char. "I JUST RECEIVED THE SIGNAL TO BREAK FORMATION. WE'RE GOING TO LAND."

"I CAN TELL," Char replied.

"YOU'RE STILL AFRAID OF THE SKY," she noticed. "YOU HAVE A STRONG FEAR OF HEIGHTS."

"WHAT DO YOU EXPECT?" Char screamed back. "THIS IS MY FIRST TIME FLYING LIKE THIS! AND I'M NOT AFRAID SO MUCH. JUST ANNOYED. "

"IT'S ALRIGHT," Zahira said, smiling back at him, and slowing her flying pace. "YOU HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO BE AFRAID. IT'S NATURAL."

_KABOOM!_ A lightning bolt dropped out of the clouds less than half a mile away, zigzagging through the sky and striking the ground far below. Char had to wince at the sound of every lightning strike, imagining each time that_ he_ would be the recipient of the million-volt surge of energy. It was just another discomfort of flying to add to his long list…

But, for as many discomforts as he counted, he knew she was right. Beneath it all, he _was_ still afraid of heights. He feared it because there was still so much outside his realm of comprehension. After all, he didn't have wings yet. The sky wasn't his place. Of course, there was the one fear that overshadowed them all, the one fear which couldn't simply be explained away. The fear of hitting the ground.

"WOULD YOU LIKE TO FACE YOUR FEAR?"

"WHAT?" Char responded. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN?"

"WANT TO KNOW WHAT A FREE-FALL FEELS LIKE?" Zahira asked. "I CAN SHOW YOU."

_She… can't be serious!_ Char told himself. _What is she saying? She wants me to jump off? No, no, no, no, no… no!_

"IF YOU WANT TO OVERCOME YOUR FEAR, STARE IT DOWN!" Zahira proclaimed. "ONCE YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU FEAR, YOU STOP FEARING!"

"I DON'T WANT TO!" Char asserted as loud as he could, squeezing her wings even tighter.

"I KNOW," she answered. "BUT DO YOU NEED TO?"

"YES!" Char blurted. "I NEED TO!"

"WHY'S THAT?" she asked.

"BECAUSE…" Char cried. "I WANT TO BE STRONGER!"

_CRASH!_ Yet another lightning bolt lit the world. In the flash, Char glimpsed at the ground down below, still far enough to appear like a woven tapestry…

"THEN JUMP!" Zahira shouted encouragingly.

"I- I- I…" Char started, his heart pounding just as hard as when he had first slipped off, as he peered over the edge of the Dragonite's back and instinctively shirked away from the edge. "I… I MIGHT NEED HELP!"

Without any further delay, Zahira twisted in mid-air, rolling her body in a complete circle. When she righted herself, she no longer had a passenger.

And Char fell.

It was a humbling feeling, dropping endlessly through the void of the sky, knowing there was no hope for him to save himself. His eyes snapped completely shut, his mind filling with a deafening euphoria which drowned out all other thoughts. He felt like a toy of the wind as it rushed past him more powerfully than ever before, stinging his skin and challenging the flame on his tail for all it was worth. He felt it rush past his face, rendering his poor lungs nearly inoperable…

At first, that was all he felt. The wind. And the sound of the thunder erupting about him.

When the initial shock faded enough, Char allowed his eyes to flutter open. He perceived his surroundings from a trance-like state… he watched the ground as it moved toward him ever so slightly… he watched as several little raindrops fell with him at his side, dancing like tiny, translucent, self-sustaining flames…

And then… before he knew it…

_Thump._

He was staring into Zahira's eyes again as she cradled him in her arms. He'd fallen for just over a whole minute, convinced it had been no longer than a few seconds.

"Well?" Zahira said in a quiet voice as she hovered motionlessly. "How was it?"

"That wasn't so bad," Char admitted, cracking a little smile. "I think I could get used to it!"

"It's wonderful, once you learn to fly," she said. "If only you had wings…"

While the stunt hadn't completely vanquished his fear of heights, it certainly made it retreat and cower behind a rock. He felt very proud of himself for facing his fear, and exploring the unknown which it had hidden behind. He knew that it was a big step in becoming stronger.

As the storm continued to pick up, and as Zahira carried Char down to the designated rest point, he was already starting to look forward to flying again tomorrow.

* * *

_Author's note:_

_Zahira the Dragonite was created by __**rabidcatking**__._

_The lyrics are sung to "Don't Ever Forget" from Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time/Darkness/Sky._


	38. Chapter 34: A Sunlit Story

**Chapter 34**

**Redblood Oasis**

The day's flight over, the dark of night swiftly approached.

The Redblood Desert was a dry and barren place, with a climate very comforting to Char, vaguely reminding him of the flatlands atop his faraway home. As he observed his new surroundings, though, he saw just how vague the similarities were. Unlike the pure, brilliant yellow of the plateau, the desert was a dark, rusted color. The land itself was broken and cracked from the perpetual heat, with networks of tiny black fissures spread as far as the eye could see, causing the ground to resemble the arrangement of scales on a reptile's hide. A small layer of dusty sand covered the terrain, kicking up in the downdrafts from the thunderheads which still hung overhead.

Far, far away, in a little window of the sky still untouched by the storm, Char glimpsed at the setting sun, marveling at how it painted the surrounding clouds with glowing, unbelievable spectrums of purple and orange, contrasting and almost complementing the dinginess of the landscape. For a moment, he let himself become hypnotized with the image before his eyes, which almost seemed to dance like a candle in the subtle waves of heat which rose from the earth. In his time working with the resistance, Char had witnessed dozens of sunrises come and go, yet none of them, he felt, held anything to the majesty of a sunset.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

Char found Scythe standing at his side, taking a moment to appreciate the visage of the sky as the rest of the group went on ahead to the rest area. He looked just as pained as before, and perhaps a bit worse; it was obvious that he didn't enjoy the flight, which hadn't helped at all to soothe the hidden turmoil of his soul. Char knew that his sore eyes found immense comfort in staring at the sunset.

"Yeah," Char replied.

"Ambera is very beautiful," Scythe professed. "Even as the darkness of the storm threatens to choke the sun, it shines ever brighter."

Char craned his neck to observe the storm again. Overhead, it formed a seamless, absolute blanket across the sky, still flickering with lightning from time to time. Though it rained, not a drop fell to the ground; it all dissipated shortly after being formed, not allowing the dry, famished landscape a single sip of water. The front pushed to the southwest, bubbling and cresting like an ocean's tide as it surrounded the scant remnants of the daylight like a pack of hungry Carvanha about to feast.

"It always captures me, the kinds of pictures the storms can paint in the sky," Scythe said, almost to himself. "Sometimes, in the summer, if the air currents are just right, marvelous things happen in the sky above Basin Canyon. I can't count the times my team and I have simply stopped to watch the ebb and flow of the thunderclouds… It is a sight to behold, to see the storm front come in, billowing like the dust beneath a rampaging herd of Tauros, straight for you…"

"Is that why you fight?" Char asked, his heart still adrift in the western horizon. "For the storms and the sunsets?"

"No," Scythe said. "As long as the flow of time is not threatened, the sunsets will come regardless of what I say or do. No Pokémon, save for the legendary dragons, have control over such a thing, to stop the sunset… but… there are many who might silence it."

"Silence it? Char asked. "What do you mean?"

"When you see a rageflower bloom in the meadow, you might see a quaint little expression of nature," Scythe said, "but you have to realize something, that the petals are painted with the blood of thousands of Pokémon who died so that the flower could be beautiful…"

"But you don't need to fight for the flowers in the meadow," Char said, turning to Scythe. "They grow on their own, just like the sunset. …I don't get it."

"By itself, the sunset has no beauty," Scythe said, not taking his eyes off the horizon. "It is just a sunset. A natural phenomenon. It is… a rare combination of colors in an unlikely place. It only has beauty because you have eyes to gaze upon it, and it means something to you. It has a story to tell your heart. To me, Ambera tells her story in many ways, through the sunsets, the thunderclouds, the flowers in the meadow… It is a story of freedom, peace, and war… Of Pokémon who have slaughtered innocents, and those who have defended them… those who have prevailed over the oppression, and those who have paid the price… To you, it might tell a different part of the story… the joy of being alive, perhaps. But if the day comes when the sunset is just a sunset… Ambera's voice will have been silenced. And I will have failed."

_That's one way to look at it,_ Char thought to himself, reflecting upon the interesting perspective. _Beauty is something that speaks to you. It sounds almost like that saying, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". After all, a wild Rattata scampering across the meadow wouldn't see any beauty in the sunset…_

Char stopped in mid-thought. There it was again: a tiny shift in Scythe's voice, a tone that betrayed something about the state of the warrior's mind that he didn't like—that his stress was more than just an obstacle to his success, but something that ran to his core. It was a measure of pessimism, a weakness of some sort. What was it, though? An uncertainty? A resignation to failure? Or perhaps… could it be… insanity? It was something which, he was certain, did not belong in the Scyther's character…

Biting his tongue for a moment, Char tried to find a good way to assemble his words.

"Scythe…"

Scythe groaned, knowing very well which tone of voice Char was using.

"Where is your stress coming from?" Char asked concernedly. "Why are your eyes always bloodshot? You shouldn't be hurting like this. What's wrong with you?"

"I'm an old Pokémon," Scythe sighed. "Every day, much is expected from me. Some days, when I open my eyes in the morning, I can't tell if my body is filled with energy, or just the determination to bear exhaustion. You will find, as you grow old, that you experience many different kinds of emotions. And you will learn to cope with them. You will learn to relish the pleasant emotions and harden yourself against the unpleasant emotions… And the more you harden yourself, the more you will know stress. "

"That's not what I meant," Char returned. "There's something wrong with you. You aren't acting like yourself. You haven't been for the past few days."

"Are we going to go through this again?" Scythe sighed, a hint of anger apparent in his voice. "I told you already, there's nothing I can say that will make you trust me. It's—"

"Are you scared?" Char insisted forcefully, cutting him off. "Are you afraid that your plan won't work? Are you afraid things will come crashing down?

"You won't stop pestering me until I have told you my secrets," Scythe's voice rumbled. "But I cannot do that. To reveal my plans would be to doom them to failure."

"Does the plan involve _me?_" Char demanded even louder. "What? What's so bad about it?"

"Char…" Scythe sighed, hanging his head. "I will say something. But if I do… you must promise me something in return. That, for the duration of this trip, you will stop bringing up this subject. Haven't I made it clear that I despise the act of keeping a secret? Every time you confront me, it hurts, like a blade to the chest. When I realized I had to accompany you here, it hurt. When I learned you spoke to Ray, it hurt. When you tried to spy on me in the hall, it cut even deeper. Even if I were to try, I cannot make you trust me. But if you are so concerned about my well-being, human, then stop trying to disembowel my heart with your meager curiosity. Am I clear?"

Char felt stunned, and his body began to slightly tremble from shame and intimidation. It was just as Saura had said… he should have simply given Scythe his trust, and left it at that. But, apparently, that was too much to ask. It occurred to him that he hadn't just betrayed Scythe once, but several times, including those which he had listed… and each time, though it hurt, Scythe continued to forgive him…

Unable to respond with words, Char took a hard gulp and nodded his head.

"Fine, then," Scythe almost spat. "No, I am not afraid that my plan will fail. My plan involves… doing something I will not enjoy. And yes… it involves you."

A sort of terror filled Char's heart.

"Another thing," Scythe added, the bitterness quickly fading from his voice. "You want to know why there is blood behind my eyes? You want to know where it comes from? It comes from _you_. And if you look behind my eyes, and you see something like hope… that, too, comes from you."

Feeling weak, Char found himself unable to stand. He sat himself down on the rough, grit-covered desert floor, his heart rumbling like an earthquake.

A voice echoed through his head.

"…_he serves you as his master…"_

"…_by now, you must have noticed that every Pokémon you've gone and revealed your secret to has vowed to serve you unconditionally…"_

"…_Scythe is all about playing games. This time, you're part of the game…"_

"We should return," Scythe said. "I am starting to feel hunger pains. And your friends are probably missing you."

Reluctantly obeying, Char lifted himself back to his feet and accompanied Scythe to the rest area.

_She was right,_ Char realized. _Eva… she was right about everything…_

Of all the thoughts stacked in Char's mind, one thing was certain. It was time for him to stop questioning his leader and protector. It was time to let him carry out his plan… whatever it may be.

… … …

After a short walk, a cheery Dragonite admitted them into the rest area.

The "shelter", as much as it could be called that, was an exceptionally large depression in the desert's floor. It was like a miniature canyon, but with one of the cliffs sanded down into a ramp for easy access to the bottom. Though it was open-roofed, it seemed much like a real shelter; the depression was perpendicular to the sun and deep enough to cast the valley completely into shade. It was not lacking in room, either, as the canyon walls were at least ten yards apart. It reminded Char very much of the grandiose hall back at the base which led to the chamber of High Intelligence…

As Char inspected the place, noticing the colorful layers of sedimentary rock imbued into the walls, he spotted something truly weird: near the far end of the valley, there was a water source. A large puddle, surrounded by a shore of sloppy clay, was set against the edge of the stone wall. It ripped faintly, indicating that it was flowing, draining down somehow into the cracks of the earth while being replenished anew by some kind of tapped spring.

"Come in!" it said. "The sunlight won't last two more hours. We feared you wanted to witness the rise of the Watchers."

"Not tonight, of all nights," Scythe said. "Even if I were up for a challenge, they'll be out in full force tonight, judging by the weather. I'd be surprised if a single star appeared in the sky."

"Wait, if the Watchers come out, will we be safe?" Char asked. "This isn't a shelter they would stay away from, is it? We can see the sky from down here!"

"Oh, we have our ways of keeping them at bay," The Dragonite said with a warm smile. "You'll see, little dragon. You have nothing to worry yourself over…"

Char started to traverse the darkened valley, swinging his tail forward to light the way and taking care not to stub his toes on the scattered rubble that covered the ground. It wasn't the most homely place he had seen; chips and slabs of crumbled rock, mixed with even more lumpy accumulations of sand, were piled wall-to-wall in the space. As he dodged around the rubble, he felt a dusty layer of grit forming on the pads of his feet.

"How wondrous to have your own little candle, isn't it?" the Dragonite laughed. "Well then. I'm jealous enough. We won't have too much trouble getting the Sol-rock started tonight, will we?"

_Solrock?_ Char wondered. _Isn't that the Pokémon Alakazam mentioned? The one at Temporal Tower?_

"Perhaps, but first, my companions and I would much like to eat in peace," Scythe said. "There is still plenty of time before you will need to borrow my Charmander."

"Oh, of course, by all means," The Dragonite said, bowing politely to the old warrior. "Your team has assembled itself right over there, and your supplies are all in your possession. If you need anything, don't hesitate to bother Arshall, or any of us. We'll be on the far side of the watering hole, in that direction. And you're always welcome to dine with us. We have plenty of meat to go around, if you're not ready to break into your own supplies yet."

"Thank you, but we will be fine for the moment," Scythe said, returning the bow, but obviously anxious to be rid of the company. "Char, let's go."

At that, the dragon left to rejoin his companions, whose chatter and laughter seemed to constantly echo between the valley halls.

"Finally," Scythe muttered with a little smile.

It didn't take very long for Char to find his friends. They were situated on the opposite end of a sizable slab of rock which stuck straight out of the ground, forming a wall of sorts between them and the rest of the valley. It was understandable, especially if Saura and Ray found it as difficult as Scythe to stay in the company of the dragons for too long. As friendly as the Dragonite clan was, Char couldn't wait to have some private time with his friends…

But as he approached them, ready to settle down and share his experiences of the day, he found that they were not themselves.

Saura was curled up very oddly, with his forehead pressed squarely against the ground, and a hard scowl set upon his face. Ray was propped against the rock, also not looking too happy himself. His fur sparked and glowed in the darkness, especially around the power reservoirs in his cheeks. Char feared he would need to discharge sometime soon, hopefully not upon him.

"Ugh… Oh, hi, Char," Saura managed to mutter, shifting his posture to greet him. "I heard your Dragonite say you liked flying?"

"Not really," Char said. "It was more like… I hated it, then at the end I realized I should have been liking it all along… what about you? Are you alright? What happened to you?"

"My belly feels awful…" Saura grumbled. "And my head hurts… I feel really sick… Daniel was nice and all, but... I don't think I like flying so much."

"It wasn't so fun," Ray groaned in agreement, not opening his eyes. "I thought it was going to be awesome… But I started getting dizzy. And then there was the lightning storm…"

"Uh oh," Char said. "What happened in the lightning storm?"

"You don't want to know," Ray muttered, his body visibly trembling at just the thought. "You really don't."

"You both have come down with some motion sickness," Scythe said. "That, and maybe a little altitude sickness as well. It just means you haven't learned to adjust yourselves to flying yet. Not life-threatening in the least."

"But I feel like my forehead is going to fall off!" Saura whined. "I can't think straight or anything."

"Your forehead will stay on, rest assured," Scythe said with a grin. "The worst it will do is cause you to expel your last meal… The three of you were lucky not to have eaten breakfast. Me, I wasn't so smart… I had a Chesto berry… lost it in mid-flight."

"Ugh, please, don't even mention the word food right now…" Saura said, burying his head in his paws. "This isn't fair! Mom always told me I would never have to worry about getting sick… Ugh… make it go away…"

"Well, enough wallowing in self-pity," Scythe ordered, raising his voice and clanging the tips of his blades against the ground. "It's time to get up. Let's go. Up with the both of you!"

"What? What's wrong?" Saura cried weakly. "I thought it was time to rest!"

"Yes… sir…" Ray replied, forcing himself upright, then falling onto all fours. "What do we have to do?"

"Eat," Scythe declared. "It's dinnertime. We ate nothing today. We must all get something in our stomachs."

"I can't!" Saura groaned in protest. "Are you joking? There's no way! I don't think my stomach will be able to handle food for another few hours… maybe not even until tomorrow."

"I'm not so hungry, either," Ray said. "Can I pass on dinner?"

"I'm sorry, but we must," Scythe said. "Stopping to rest is hardly effective if your body doesn't have the nourishment it needs to recreate itself. Find your resolve; it is time for us to fight our stomachs for supremacy. Char, bring the bag, if you would…"

While the rest of the team reluctantly assembled a lazy little circle, Char ambled over to the corner where the supplies were stashed. Though his intense shot of adrenaline had helped to weaken the effect, his stomach was in just as much of an uproar as his friends' were. Truthfully, he would have preferred to skip over to the oasis puddle and jump in tail-first than attempt to swallow any food… but there was no arguing with Scythe, especially after his recent conversation. He would have to choke something down.

Grasping his team bag, his mind started to recall its contents. There was some food in there for situations similar to this, but nothing terribly easy on the stomach. There was a mixture of seeds and nuts, a few hard-skinned pears, a large apple…

_If only we had afforded some gummis,_ Char told himself. _Those would have gone down smoothly… But Kecleon didn't let us have any of those for free…_

"No," Scythe said, wearing an odd smirk. "Not that bag. The other one."

_The other one?_ Char wondered. _The one Alakazam gave us? I thought that was supposed to be reserved for dungeons…_

Nevertheless, Char dropped his team's bag and took up the other, the one full of unimaginably expensive and valuable supplies. It was very heavy, taking both of his arms just to lift it off the ground so as to not drag it across the gravel-strewn ground and damage any of the treasures within.

"Uh oh…" Ray gasped. "What are we going to take out of there?"

"Char, if you would, release the strap and open the middle pocket," Scythe instructed. "You will find a rather large pouch."

"You don't mean the gold apples, do you?!" Saura asked in surprise. "Here? Now?"

"Ah, yes, you've caught on," Scythe hummed. "Char, one Golden Apple, if you would…"

Char did as commanded, searching through the masterfully organized travel bag for the sack of apples. When he found them, it was by _smell_… the bulging pouch produced an overpowering aroma, resembling something like the world's most appetizing fruit salad. He unfolded the cloth enough to untie the sack, then reached in and produced one of the apples—and for a moment, he could not bring himself to comprehend the thing he held in his hand. It was an apple, but it was nearly the size of his head! The skin felt smooth and blemishless, like glass, and glittered like a diamond in the orange light of his tail. His mouth decided to completely ignore the sourness of his stomach and started to water.

"Anyone ever try one of these?" Scythe asked.

Team Ember collectively shook their heads, their eyes glued to the sparkling fruit.

"Well, this is a Golden Apple," Scythe explained. "A siren song to any appetite, big, small, or already satiated. They are found only in dungeons, leading many to believe that they are blessed with the same anomaly as the Reviver Seed. While they are only half as rare, they're just as respected among explorers. You see, Alakazam was not exaggerating when said it was all the food we need. One Golden Apple is usually enough to nourish a Pokémon… for a month."

"Really?" Saura gasped. "This little thing?"

"Yes, but only if portioned responsibly," Scythe explained. "When you bite into one, it's all too easy to eat more than your allotment. Eat the whole thing, and your stomach will swell… you won't be hungry for weeks, but you may strain yourself. Unfortunately, I've seen many Pokémon unable to stop after just one bite… Even the mighty Snorlax is powerless to resist its allure. If it swallows just one of these, it will gladly forsake the other eight hundred ninety-nine pounds of its usual diet… Or so we like to say… Well? Everyone hungry yet?"

The team collectively nodded.

"Good!" Scythe said, eyeing the apple. "Now, Char. Set it down in the center…"

_-Slice!-_

Not a moment after Char's hands were clear, Scythe made a quick movement with both his blades which caused the apple to split into four similar-sized pieces.

Char didn't even have to be asked. He greedily gathered up his corner of the apple and bit down, closing his eyes to savor the flavor.

The taste which filled Char's mouth was indeed something like a fruit salad, the prominent flavor something like an apple both tart and sweet at the same time, wrapped in caramel, slathered in honey, and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. Even the dripping juices from the fruit flowed down his throat and made his inner fire pleasantly tingle. Before he knew it, he was long lost in the sweet dreams induced by the delightful fruit. Unlike the red gummi, the flavor wasn't extreme; it didn't erupt in his mouth. Rather, it was like a warm fuzziness that eased itself in and made itself at home. Also unlike the gummi, it was satisfying, rather than addictive; even as the flavor brought tears to his eyes, he knew that, when he was finished, he would not be left wanting for a very long time.

_It's so sweet,_ Char thought to himself, indulging in the large apple slice. _And sour. And bitter. It's like every flavor mixed into one… oh, why can't they make the division's lunches out of these? It's… so… good…_

Char was so lost in the meal, he lost some conscious control over his hands—and the apple slice slipped out of his grasp, breaking him out of the bliss and dropping him back into the real world.

Blinking, he scanned the ground underfoot, knowing it couldn't have gone far. But it eluded him; he saw nothing but gravel rocks and a giant puddle of juice which had erupted from the fruit.

"Hmm, where'd it go?" Char wondered out loud. "Anybody see my apple? I think I dropped it—"

His sentence came to a halt as he glanced up to his team members. All three of them, Scythe included, stared back with looks of incredulousness plastered upon their faces. Not one of them had taken more than one bite of their apple slice—they were all fixated on Char with wide eyes. Char wondered if he had accidently evolved while eating the apple.

"What?" Char demanded. "What's wrong?!"

"Char," Scythe said, his voice serious and surprised, "you ate it."

"Can't be," Char insisted, still glancing around on the ground. "I didn't eat the whole thing. There was still a huge chunk left."

"No, you ate the _whole thing_," Scythe told him. "And with startling speed. I was watching the whole time."

"Are you kidding? He didn't eat it, he _breathed it in!_" Ray cried. "Char, that was amazing! I've never seen something disappear that fast! We should enter you in a big eater contest! You could beat a Munchlax!"

Char felt himself blush from his own silliness, but soon broke down and laughed along with his friends. He patted his belly, which was now very stuffed and thoroughly pleased. His stomachache had left him at the first sight of the fruit, and it had yet to come back. Char wondered if the apple had healing properties among all of its special qualities…

After the entire apple had been gobbled up, and spirits had been lifted, the four partook in a brief respite, resting themselves upon the ground and professing their dislike of flying, gossiping about the Dragonite clan, and sharing whatever thoughts came to mind. Char described his experience in free-fall, telling how it had helped to subdue his fear of heights and escalate his longing for the form of a Charizard. Saura praised the gorgeous view of the earth, but cursed the ancients for letting him get sick. Scythe told him to cry a river, because any Pokémon who isn't regularly punished for swallowing the wrong variety of berry or making a misstep onto a Dragon's Eye had no right to complain.

After some goading, Ray told his crazy story. He'd been thrown off his Dragonite's back no less than three times, and had been struck full-forced by six lightning bolts, each time with no way of grounding out the charge aside from offering it back to the thunderclouds and hoping they would accept it. The Dragonite, for fear of attracting a lightning bolt to himself, had insisted that Ray neutralize his charges under penalty that he would keep lifting and dropping him until he did so. Though Ray always loved the notion of filling his body with electricity, this particular incident had left him feeling quite burned out, and with a splitting headache.

"Let me get this straight," Char said. "You rode dragonback at hundreds of miles per hour, you got to see the earth from up in the clouds, you got to free-fall _and_ overload yourself with lightning _repeatedly_, and it wasn't the most awesome thing you've ever done in your life?"

"Actually, no, yeah, when you put it that way, I admit it. It was the most awesome thing I've ever done," Ray said with a smile. "You're right. It just hurt so much, I didn't realize it…"

"Same problem I had," Char said. "I guess sometimes, you don't know something's awesome until after it happens."

Char cherished such a pleasant moment with his friends, knowing that it could very well be the last of its kind for quite a while.

… … …

With a pleasantly stuffed belly, Char let his body sprawl out upon the sandy ground and felt the last of his day's troubles unwind. The apple _did_ have a medicinal effect, he determined: it was a painkiller and a stress reliever, letting him relax and fade away into a good night's sleep…

…Until he was interrupted by a member of the Dragonite clan.

The Dragon's voice gave him quite a start from his wooziness, causing him to wonder if he had been out for a minute or an hour. He stretched his contented muscles and sat up, awaiting whatever message it brought.

"Good evening to you," The dragon greeted. "Is all going well? Ah, Saura, you're looking a lot better. Recovered?"

"Oh, hi, Daniel," Saura yawned, rousing himself from his own slumber. "I ate, and now I'm feeling fine… for the most part…"

"Good to hear," the dragon said with a nod, then turned to face Scythe in a much more formal posture. "How about you, Scyther? Is there anything you have been left desiring?"

"I have been well, as well," Scythe replied. "I suppose you're preparing the Sol-rock already?"

"Indeed," The Dragonite replied. "The darkness dawns. The Watchers will ascend in minutes."

"Then we'd better come," Scythe said. "Up with all of you! We have a gathering to attend."

Char turned a wary eye upward to the canyon opening. Past the aura of light his tail produced, there was nothing but an abyss of blackness above his head. The atmosphere, still shrouded by the thick layer of stormclouds, did not so much as glow…

_This will be the first night I'll spend out in the open,_ Char realized. _Will I get to see the Watchers for the first time? And what's all this about Solrock?_

"Wait, what are we doing now?" Saura implored. "I was just getting comfy…"

"Rest will come in a moment," the dragon assured, "but not here. Come with us. And don't forget your supplies…"

Following the Dragonite's lead, Char's group gathered the two bags and crossed the crevice, past the watering hole, to the very far corner. There, just before the walls of stone converged upon an inhospitable heap of rubble which marked the end of the valley, the clan had established their space upon a flat, clean stretch of land which had obviously been cleared off by hand. Even in the darkness, the dragons laughed and conversed jovially with one another, tossing around their food and supplies to share. Two of them lay nearby, already fast asleep for the night, while the rest seemed to gather around in a group…

As Char drew near, all of the Dragonite gave a pleased glance to his flame, causing their eyes to sparkle with its reflection. Looking a little closer, Char realized that not all of the objects they held and passed around were particularly significant. Some were just rocks, it seemed, collected from the surrounding terrain…

"Hey, they're sleeping!" Saura said quietly to Char. "Why can't we?"

"Beats me," Char replied with a shrug. "Maybe it's just a meeting?"

"A meeting of necessity," Scythe said. "The Watchers will not stay out of the gorge on their own. If there is no shelter, travelers can use a fire to provide protection..."

A fire? That thought managed to pique Char's interest.

"Very good, you're here," Arshall called, standing first among her clan. "I'm sorry we cannot offer you any further privacy, but it's getting late. We'll be casting the Sol-rock now, and not a moment too soon. Ready?"

"We are ready," Scythe answered for the group.

At Arshall's signal, the dragons ceremoniously tossed forth their held rocks, causing a medium-sized pile to form at the center of the circle of Pokémon. As the dragons turned to gather up more, Char took a close look at the rocks. They were partially black, partially orange, like some kind of creative desert that the Division's mess hall would serve. Char really had to wonder what was going on.

"That's the Solrock?" Char asked. "It's not… a broken Pokémon… is it?"

At the ridiculous question, the dragons simultaneously paused to give Char a funny look. Feeling his flame flare up a little bit from embarrassment, he turned to his friends for support. They all had nothing to tell him, but he found Scythe wearing a gleeful grin, not unlike the time he had witnessed their team named _Peanuts_.

"What do you mean by that?" Arshall asked very oddly. "Oh. Oh! You've never seen this before, have you?"

The dragons burst into a gentle laughter, causing Char even more shame. Scythe gave his own chuckle.

"Pardon my presumption, little dragon!" Arshall said. "I am a little slow sometimes. 'Sol-rock' is only a play on words, and truth be told, it's one we've used for so long, we sometimes forget about the joke that lies underneath. No, this sort of Sol-rock is not a Pokémon. It's a mineral abundant beneath this desert which behaves like coal, but not quite ordinary coal… would you like to see what happens when it combusts?"

"Sure!" Char answered interestedly.

"Among my team, I'm the only one who has learned to conjure fire," Arshall said. "But it stings sometimes, and I don't think I'm in the right of spirits at the moment to try. Would you do the honors?"

After a round of encouragement from the dragons, Char reared back, took a deep breath, and released his best stream of flames at the little pile of rocks. As soon his attack collided with the pile, the room flashed with an unexpected spectrum of colors, all in the span of an instant. A handful of sparks jumped out from the pyre, appearing to glow yellow and green as they faded away into invisible ashes…

When his lungs depleted, Char cut his flamethrower short and observed his work. All of the stones which bore the brunt of his fire were glowing white-hot, like no coal he had ever seen. Just as he was beginning to wonder if he needed to apply more fire, several flames jumped up from between the rocks, all of which shined such a bright white that they were practically colorless, miniature tears in the void of space. The dragons gave a friendly cheer.

"Well done!" Arshall congratulated. "I could not have done better myself."

"Wow, what kind of fire is that?" Saura wondered out loud. "Is that even real fire? It looks so powerful. It casts rainbows into my eyes!"

As the fire spread to every stone, the sight became like a bright white ball adorned with dancing flames. The light it cast was so pure, so full, that it felt slightly like the sun had dawned again in the depths of that valley. His eyes adjusted to the brightness before long, allowing him to understand the sight, but it never stopped leaving its glowing residual marks on the back of his vision…

"You see? When Sol-rock burns, it gives off light like the sun," Arshall explained. "It's very dangerous for any traveler to spend the night under the stars. But when it must be done, we can use the fire of the Sol-rock. The Watchers abhor it, so this little pyre will keep us safe until the dawn, so long as we don't stray too far from it."

"On the ground, you will see that we have cleared an area from debris," Daniel added. "That is the boundary line of the fire's influence. Or, if you happen to have wings, no further than three-and-a-fourth times your body height directly above the center."

"Five and a half for the Scyther, it appears," Arshall said. "But yes. Stay in the firelight, and sleep soundly."

"So… we're actually going to be sleeping with the Watchers out?" Saura realized. "You mean, they're just going to be right there, right next to us? I've never seen them that close before…"

"I have," Ray confessed. "I was on a three-day training mission once. We spent the night in a house at Kardon Crossing. I knew Team Remorse fights them all the time, so I wanted to prove I was strong enough to battle them. I… hid outside and waited… and I saw them. They were… horrible!"

"And you survived?" Scythe asked, plenty shocked by the revelation. "I hope you learned from the experience…"

"Oh, no! Of course I learned!" Ray pleaded. "I was just telling a story… Please, don't be disappointed with me…"

"I can't help that," Scythe replied. "I would commend you for bravery if you had a just cause. I would commend you for valor if you had spent ten hours a day training yourself against ghosts to prepare for such a challenge… But a foolish act like that can't be commended for anything. You put your life and the lives of your friends on the line, for nothing at all."

"I'm sorry," Ray said. "I was only a Pikachu back then…"

"I understand, but never knew you would have that sort of foolish streak running through you," Scythe said. "It is true that my team fights the Watchers on a regular basis, but our fear of them never, ever fades. I am sorry if my respect for you has dropped just now, but that's not something I have control over. You will just have to earn it back."

"Yes, sir," Ray said, very disheartened. "I never stop feeling ashamed of it! Every day I try to do better! You're always saying that your mistakes make you better—"

"Quiet!" Zahira hissed. "Here they are. Watch!"

The group held their breaths. In the quietness, Char could hear the sound of the white fire, which seemed to sizzle, rather than roar… he could hear the low whistle of the wind as it blew through the canyon… he could hear the faint rumble of the thunder far overhead…

…and he could hear his own heart racing, knowing that the Watchers were about to reveal themselves before his eyes...

Char felt Saura's body brush up against him, and he wrapped one arm around his bulb for an extra sense of security. Both hadn't a clue what they were about to witness, and Char knew that neither of them wanted to feel alone for the slightest moment. Ray stood nearby, with his fists clenched, as if harboring a disdain for the ghosts, and Scythe stood beside him, a look of worry in his eyes.

Everyone cast their glances into the surrounding darkness.

They came in silence, making not a sound with their voices, causing not a disturbance to the surrounding land. They came in _numbers_, dozens and dozens flocked together like a swarm, drifting eerily like dust particles in the wind.

As Char watched the darkness beyond the fire's reach, a mosaic of dark shapes faded into vision. Each, he realized, was a Ghost Pokémon. His body convulsed when he acknowledged their presence, much like the sensation of picking up a rock covered in black spots and realizing it's crawling with spiders. They were floating… drifting… shifting through the air, seeming to brush up against an invisible dome when getting too close to the firelight…

The ghosts formed amorphous silhouettes, their forms mostly nonsense against the darkness of the surrounding desert. They were discolored, not a deep purple like most ghosts he knew, but mostly shades of dark grey or black… most were translucent, revealing further layers of ghosts behind them… As more of them brushed up close to the light, Char recognized most of them as the Pokémon Misdreavus, but with awful, unnatural mutations, and blank, emotionless faces…

And their eyes… each Misdreavus watched with a pair of glowing, cat-like eyes, which brightened upon proximity to the fire, and reflected all manners of colors, lighting up the canyon like a starry night…

Char shivered in fright, hugging Saura as hard as he could.

"There are many," A Dragonite commented. "Wasn't expecting this much of a concentration…"

"They are the soundless type," Scythe said, a sliver of fear in his voice as well. "They are deaf. They can only watch. I only see a couple Shuppet, but they appear to be ignoring us… The rest are the complacent type. They will only swarm after sudden movements…"

"T-this fire is going to last all night, right?" Saura asked, his voice breaking. "And they won't get any closer than that? W-what if the fire goes out? Even for a second?"

"Oh, silly Bulbasaur. Lighten up!" Arshall suddenly laughed. "What have we done to cast us all into such a bad mood? Relax! Be merry! The Sol-rock will burn until it turns to dust, and by that time, we will have been gone from here tomorrow morning. It isn't easily put out. You could even dump a waterfall onto it, and the water would turn to steam."

"Even so, I don't know how I'm going to sleep like this," Saura said nervously. "Just look at them. _Look!_ They're following us with their eyes!"

"They're worse than I remember," Ray muttered. "What kind of Pokémon are they? Why do they even come out at night? They don't belong here!"

"If we knew that, we would be rid of them by now, probably," Scythe said. "They've ruined many lives, Destroyed just as many opportunities… The sight of them makes my heart boil with rage…"

Char found he couldn't look away from the horrible sight of the ghastly swarm. He stared at them, as if waiting for the moment when he would realize they were not actually real, that nothing so terrifying or unnatural ever had a right to exist… but they remained, their eyes of evil burning through the shadows like shining crystals… Char saw how they swirled through the air at even the slightest movement, trying to file into the shadows cast by whoever happened to walk in front of the sunlight-fire…

"Don't let them bother you," Arshall said again. "They can't hurt you. If you want to sleep, now is the time to do so. They will all be gone in the morning."

"Look at them," Saura whispered again. "They're looking straight at me! They look like… nightmares…"

Snuggling together, to two of them did their best to ignore the looming monsters and find the same peace of mind they had only moments ago when the air was still clear. Somehow, unconsciousness could not come fast enough.

… … …

"I can't do it," Saura muttered, only five minutes later. "When I close my eyes, I still see them. I keep thinking they're going to invade my mind… I think I might need to use one of our sleep seeds…"

"Don't bother," Ray groaned, who was laying nearby, not daring to make contact with anyone for fear of accidentally releasing his charge. "I had one already. It's not working."

"Want to try moving closer to the fire?" Char suggested. "Maybe it'll feel more safe…"

"Typical Charmander," Saura half-laughed. "Fine… the farther away from them, the better…"

As they dragged themselves over to the white fire, careful not to cast a stray glance into the darkness beyond, it struck Char just how different the fire looked to him now that it stood as a true beacon of safety, warding off the terrors of the dark. The flame stood sharp and smooth, giving off a searing noise as it fed from the rocks underneath. A great warmth flowed from the blaze, striking his skin like dull daggers, drawing him closer. It was a more intense type of fire than any he ever knew, and it drew curiosity from him. In a way, it really was beautiful.

Though most of the dragons had turned in for the night, sleeping in an orderly row a few yards away from the fire, Arshall and two of her companions remained awake, discussing whatever important matters they had to talk about. She cut the conversation short as soon as she noticed Team Ember approaching.

"Can I help you?" Arshall asked, standing attentively at the other end of the fire. "Are you getting cold? The desert's temperature really drops in the evening, doesn't it?"

"Not really," Saura replied. "We're just having trouble sleeping. It's my first time seeing the Watchers like this."

"I see," Arshall said sympathetically, stepping over and sitting by Char's side. "Well, have you tried counting backwards from one thousand?"

"What?" Saura replied.

"That's always been my favorite way to trick my mind into sleeping," Arshall said. "The trick is just to take your mind off everything. If something's bothering you, you won't be able to sleep no matter how hard you try, until you can get it out of your mind."

"Really," Scythe said, also approaching the fireplace. "My favorite has always been to exhaust myself so far that the mind no longer functions."

"Oh, Scyther, I thought you'd begun your rest, too," Arshall said, quickly standing up again and giving Scythe her attention. "Is something bothering you?"

"Yes, but it's not your fault," Scythe said. "Lately, I haven't been sleeping as much as I would like… What about you, dragon? Are you going to sleep?"

Arshall shook her head. "As captain, it's my duty to keep watch until my team and everyone in my care retires themselves," she said. "Though, don't worry about me. Dragonite don't need as much sleep as other Pokémon…"

For a moment, the group stood around the fire, saying nothing. Char and Saura both looked nervous, Scythe looked angered at something, and Arshall wore an awkward expression, as if she considered it all her fault. They had all formed a circle around the fire they had started just minutes ago, and it was apparent that none of them would be sleeping for a while.

"Perhaps it would help if we all took our mind off things for a while," Arshall said. "I say we all sit down right here and share stories before the fire, just like Pokémon of old would do to lift spirits when they slept under the stars. How about it?"

"Fine," Scythe said, setting himself down. "I'll stay to hear some of your tales. But I'm not a storyteller myself…"

"Oh, undue humility, Scyther!" Arshall said with a grin. "I refuse to believe that you, of all Pokémon, don't have a story to tell. I know my brothers and I would be honored to hear a tale from you, regardless of what words you choose to tell it with."

Shortly enough, all seven of the present Pokémon had made themselves comfortable around the firelight, and Char prepared to immerse himself in whatever stories would be told.

"Well, if this is what we're going to do, first thing's first," Scythe declared. "Ray. Tell us all how you survived the Watchers that night. I'm very curious to hear it."

Char could tell how saddened Ray was at the subject. Ray had been so sure that Scythe, in his wisdom, would understand if he told a story of long ago… he never imagined it would hurt his own reputation in his hero's eyes. He watched as Ray answered out of obedience, rather than enthusiasm, his glowing fur still betraying his poor disposition…

"Well, I went outside and hid behind a rock so the rest of the team wouldn't find me," Ray explained. "When it got dark… a Gastly appeared out of nowhere, and it was three times my size! And it had huge fangs, and its eyes were like gold… That's when I tried to run… It was so horrible… I think it got me, because I felt like I was starting to float in the air, and everything was turning black…"

"You never told us this story," Saura gasped. "That's so horrible…"

"Seems to me like you were seconds away from death," Scythe said. "No way to tell what it may have done with you. How did you live?"

"Zeven found me," Ray continued. "A Sneasel from my old team. He did something to the Gastly, and the next thing I knew, he was holding me… And I was so scared, I shocked him… I made pretend that the whole thing was an accident and Zeven saved me, so that's the story everyone heard…"

"I see," Scythe said. "I've met Zeven. He's a good kid. Going to make a fine night-prowler someday. And yes, you are right. It is not a good memory. I can understand why you would hide it. Your remorse still haunts you."

"Worst part is, that wasn't the only stupid thing I did," Ray admitted. "I did a lot of stupid things trying to prove to myself how strong I was. I try not to talk about them very much. But ever since I became a Raichu, I've really tried to be someone I could be proud of. I changed a lot. I was more responsible, and I tried harder, and it worked, because I was different."

"That's right," Daniel the Dragonite said. "Evolution changes more than just what is on the outside. They say, when a Pokémon evolves, its spirit becomes what they always wished it would be. Like me. I have vague memories of my life as a Dratini. The only thing I can remember was that I was scared of Sharpedo. As a Dragonair, I changed. The fear went away. Heh, I laughed at them. I told them all how silly they looked."

"As a Dragonair, I was reclusive," Arshall said. "I was shy, I had no courage to speak with other Pokémon. When I changed, the gift of charisma struck me, and look where I ended up today! I went off to become the leader of a very dependable team of dragons. It seems to me that Arceus grants you a wish when you evolve."

"I don't agree," Scythe said, shaking his head. "That's not the way things are. Evolution only gives you more strength. From that strength, you change your perspective on life. The granted wish is only an illusion. For some, the strength will destroy life, not fulfill it..."

"Oh, oh! You would know, wouldn't you?" Arshall asked excitedly. "That's right! You and Adiel… now _there's_ a story for the ages! Scyther, will you tell the story? It's an incredible part of the resistance legend. Every Pokémon should hear it!"

An electric silence shot through the air, as Scythe was unwilling to further comment on the subject. Scythe diverted his gaze from the Dragonite captain to the fire; it was easy to tell that he was displeased with the topics brought up so far. Char had to wonder if the storytelling, regarding the Watchers and now Adiel, was going to help anyone relax, or just make things worse. Besides, he had heard the story of Adiel a dozen times, or at least as much as Scythe was willing to tell; pressing the subject, he knew, wouldn't be such a good idea…

"I told you, I'm not a storyteller," Scythe said finally. "Besides, that story means nothing. If we are to talk about legends of the resistance that every Pokémon must know, tell Char and his friends the story of how the Emerald Division survived the great overtaking. Tell him the story of Prince and his team. Perhaps they will gain some respect for Lucario's domain."

"There's an idea," Arshall said approvingly. "The story of Team Flamewheel, and how they saved the Emerald Division. Daniel? You would do this better than I, you were there when it happened…"

"Well, nobody can tell the story better than Legend, the Ninetales," Daniel said, standing up and taking over Arshall's place of prominence before the fire. "But for the sake of the legacy, I'll try my best. Now… where to begin?

"Most stories begin with 'long ago and far away'… not this one. This is something that happened up north, and only a few decades ago, recent enough to still be fresh in many memories. The Scyther you sit beside had already established his team, which became known and respected among the resistance forces for the incredible deeds they did. The chaos which ensued from Team Red's betrayal from the Black Division was finally settling down. The scouts were busy searching for the next appearance of the Call, the Watchers had long since started their nightly reign, and the Master had not made a move for some time, giving the resistance a much-needed rest. In all, it was a peaceful time for Ambera and all her children, a time which we all wished would last forever.

"During this time, a team of seven formed at the Gold Division's headquarters, calling themselves Team Flamewheel. The founder of the team was a Pokémon by the name of Prince, an Infernape who hailed from the faraway city of Aronwood. He worked as a skilled martial arts instructor there. When he learned of the resistance, he gathered his faithful assistant and two of his most promising students, and gained admittance to the Gold Division base. Once inside, he appraised the training teams and added three more members, and so, the original seven pledged their allegiance to the Division and began their work.

"Now, it didn't take long for the new team to shine. Prince was a true leader, excelling in the art of battle, strategy, you name it, he could do it. His team worked like a machine. They passed every test, returned victorious from every assigned mission, and exceeded every expectation. Now, Alakazam saw how well the team worked, and he allowed them to rise in the ranks until they were just as privileged as your Scyther's team. And for a couple seasons, the Gold Division prospered.

"But one day, Prince packed up and moved his team north to the Emerald Division. He left on a very short notice, without even Alakazam's blessing. Nobody knows why."

"Huh," Saura commented. "That's weird. That explains how we got our room, I guess. I wonder why they left?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure," Scythe said. "We were decent partners. In fact, our last mission together was an unexpected success, and it was all thanks to him. I asked him to stay, but his mind was made up already. There was nothing I could do."

"Well, whatever was the case, Prince made the Emerald Division his new home," Daniel continued. "But when they arrived there, Lucario was not so convinced of their skills. He treated them as new recruits, making them prove their capabilities to him little by little. And righteously so; the standards of the Emerald Division are very high. If Lucario wanted to rely on Prince and his team for difficult tasks, he had to know they would not be a weak link which could cost hundreds of Pokémon their lives. So, Prince got stuck doing dungeon exploration missions and escort missions, and other such mundane things. His team name was not known among the Division's members like it was at the Gold Division; he found himself having to attain a reputation all over again.

"Now, one day, while Prince and his team were away on a routine sentry mission, a horrible truth was discovered. The Master had discovered the Emerald Division, and was silently planning to destroy it!"

"I heard the story a little differently," Scythe commented, ignoring the gasps which rose from Team Ember. "I heard Prince's team was on a piracy mission when it happened. And I heard that they observed the movement of some troops, but Lucario didn't learn the truth until later. Regardless, carry on."

"If you wanted to tell the story, you should have said so in the first place!" Daniel laughed. "But anyway. The horrible truth.

"A wave of tension swept over the Division when they learned the truth. The Master had his sights set on them, and all seemed doomed. Lucario held an emergency meeting of the entire Division to discuss the dire situation. The silence in that chamber was deafening. Spirits were challenged to the core. Lucario addressed the Pokémon of the Emerald Division, in very morbid way, discussing their options…

"That's when Prince took things into his own hands. He stood up to Lucario and faced him down. The argument between Prince and Lucario filled the chamber, rattling every heart inside, as Prince demanded that he acknowledge Team Flamewheel's skill, and to listen to them. Finally, he got Lucario to listen to them, and convinced him and the entire Emerald Division that he could lead a last stand against the Master's forces.

"And so, a great battle was staged northwest of the Division, near the border of Zerferia, where the Master had hoped to sneak into the Division from behind. There, Prince's team, backed with hundreds of the Division's best warriors, waited. And then, in a blistering snowstorm, _they came_. Prince stood atop the hill, watching as thousands upon thousands of the Master's best forces marched forward in ranks across the barren landscape… One by one, Prince could make out the identities of the troops. A hundred Snover. A hundred Weavile. Hundreds upon hundreds of Onix, Skarmory, Flareon, and many more… all bred and trained for killing and destroying the Master's enemies…

"Prince led his troops in a prayer to Arceus, watching them march closer… and closer…

"Then… the armies clashed… And Prince, with only a hundred under his command… won the battle."

"Wait, wait, What?! That's it?!" Saura cried angrily. "They just won? No legendary strategy? No act of Arceus? Didn't anybody die?"

"Oh, many died in that battle, of course," Daniel said. "Prince's side suffered heavy losses. But they managed to repel the enemies, and the Emerald Division still stands to this day. And that's the story!"

A moment of silence. Char didn't quite know what to say, and apparently nobody else did, either.

"Uh… so… is there a moral of the story?" Saura finally asked. "It's epic and all, I know, but why does every Pokémon have to hear that?"

"Of course, isn't it obvious?" Arshall spoke up. "The moral is that even a one-to-one hundred battle can be won! It's a metaphor for the entire resistance, and a story that gives the whole Emerald Division pride and hope! The Master sits in his castle, his enemies outnumber us in the thousands, but if we try, we can still win!"

"Oh," Scythe sighed, his voice heavy with sarcasm. "The way he told the story it, it sounded as though moral might have been something to the effect of 'Scream until other Pokémon listen to you'. No offense, Dragonite, but it seems you have a talent for taking a timeless tale, mincing it into unspectacular pieces, and discarding the best half. Even I could have done better than that."

Daniel and Arshall both frowned at him, and Scythe immediately wished he could recall his words. He unconsciously took a step backward. Char watched in amazement.

"You failed to mention the Abyss, the Evergreen Guild, or _any_ of Prince's companions," Scythe said quickly in his defense. "And you told the story out of order. Prince learned the truth long before Lucario did."

Daniel and Arshall frowned harder.

"I'm sorry," Scythe said even more quickly. "I didn't mean to be harsh."

"Well, how about _you_ tell a story now, Scyther?" Arshall challenged. "We would very much like to hear one of your great tales."

Scythe knew that it was a demand, not a suggestion. If he wanted to make up for insulting the dragons, he would have to think of something quick…especially before Arshall suggested telling the Adiel story again.

Clearing his throat, Scythe stepped closer to the fire, straightened himself out, and faced his audience.

"Well, since you insist, there was one particularly interesting day at Basin Canyon which I remember to some extent," Scythe said. "You see, we were venturing down into the caves, going to dig out a tunnel. We have to dig out the tunnels, you see, so that the place is easier to defend. And so that any intruders get confused. Well, we were digging this tunnel, you see, and we had to stop, because there was a giant sheet of unbreakable rock lodged into the earth. It was like a pillar. We thought about going up and around it. After an hour of pondering, we decided it would damage the structural integrity of the land too much. So we decided to go down. But when we started to go down, we found… to our shock… the rock extended downward as well! It was unbelievable. And the rock was so hard, it didn't even scratch. So, after much deliberation, we went left. And there we found that the big rock had a corner to it. I stopped to sharpen my blades on it, then we kept following it around, and it was shaped so oddly, we began to wonder what it was. I suggested it could be a human object. Shander thought it belonged to the Master. But no, we ended up digging it out, and it was just a big rock. Oh, but that's not the best part. Let me tell you how we got it out of the cave…"

…

Some ten minutes later, Scythe paused his painfully boring story and glanced at the ground. Char, Saura, and Ray were fast asleep.

"I wonder why I didn't think of that in the first place," Scythe said, shrugging to the un-amused Dragonite.

… … …

Late that night, when everyone was sleeping soundly the entire crew was startled awake by a deafening explosion. Char jumped a foot in the air, his heart mercilessly racing. The dragons were quickly sent into an uproar.

"BAAAH! What was THAT?!" Saura cried, his ears ringing from the assault. "What?! Are we being attacked?!"

"It's nothing," Scythe shouted from across the canyon. "Go back to sleep, there's nothing to see here."

Scythe stood near the very end of the fire's light. At his feet laid a very exhausted, yet very satisfied Ray.

"Thank you," Ray moaned, sprawling out on the floor with a beaming smile on his face. "I really needed that… it was keeping me awake…"

With some supervision, Ray had called down a lightning bolt from the storm far above, charged his body with it, and released a mighty jolt of power into the cloud of Watchers. Dozens of them had dissipated.

"_Very_ nice execution," Scythe said. "You're skilled with your lightning. See, the main thing to remember when fighting the Watchers is to never let them make contact with you."

Ray soon fell asleep, content that he had finally discharged his electricity, and also that, at last, he had exacted revenge on the Watchers.

* * *

_Author's note: The side story Emerald Chronicles: A Frozen Flame was first published when this chapter was posted. It is meant to tell the full version of Daniel's story using many reader-submitted characters I had asked readers to send in. (Before you ask, no, I'm not accepting them anymore.) _

_It is currently on hiatus and one-fourth complete; there are plans to finish it. Even so, I encourage you to check it out; in my opinion, Legend's chapters are some of my best writing._


	39. Chapter 35: Homesick

**Chapter 35**

"_WE'RE HERE!_"

At Zahira's announcement, Char's pleasant trancelike state was broken and he found himself back in reality, positioned on the Dragonite's back as she shot across the sky in formation with her clan. A shiver ran through him as the formation angled themselves into a shallow dive to prepare for landing, causing the opaque, fluffy clouds below to rise up slowly and threaten to swallow him alive. Char cringed as they grew closer. He really dreaded flying through clouds; they sent the strangest sensations through the tip of his tail.

The previous night's rest had not been a very long or satisfying one after all. Between the haunting, inescapable presence of the Watchers, the storytelling session, and Ray's unexpected summoning of a lightning bolt, Char figured he might have accomplished only about two solid hours of unconsciousness. The Dragonite didn't care, though; as soon as the sun poked its nose over the edge of the earth and vanquished the ghosts of the night, they insisted in their typical overly-polite-and-irritating way upon waking the party, throwing together their supplies, and taking flight without delay. After exchanging some nods with Saura, Ray, and Scythe, as there wasn't really much to say at the time, Char climbed onto Zahira's back and let himself go limp as she carried him along his journey.

Just as Char hoped and expected, the second day's flight was infinitely better than the first. For once, his stomach did not protest at the rapid changes in altitude; he still felt the Golden Apple dwelling deep inside, appeasing any groans and aches his belly would have otherwise made. Never once did it threaten to be heaved out; it was as if his body appreciated its presence and intended to keep it there at all costs. Char smiled contently as he realized, if an entire Golden Apple was enough to feed a Pokémon for a month, he would not fear the pang of hunger or the throb of a sour stomach for at least another week after eating the one-fourth.

The sky itself, as well, seemed much more welcoming the second time around. Char didn't know how to place it, but there was something about the temperature, or the air pressure, or the absence of any storm fronts, which made the sky seem like a beloved home he yearned to return to and relax within. With the air clear of such obtrusions as bad weather or opposing wind currents, Zahira and her clanmates seemed to double their speed and rise to a much greater altitude than before, so high that once he gazed in marvel down at an inexplicable landscape formation he simply could not believe, only to realize that he was looking at the puffs of the cloud tops.

For the first few hours, Char had enjoyed the simple exhilaration of the ride, watching as the clouds reeled past below and beside him like a majestic snow-drenched valley. After that, when the scenery did not change for a while, Char began to grow bored, but it was that happy, pleasant type of boredom where you know you have nothing to do, yet you don't _want_ to have anything to do. He blinked in and out of consciousness as his mind fluttered between pleasant daydreams and making up for the sleep he had lost the previous evening. He wished and pretended that the flight would never end, that there was no Master to worry about, that he wouldn't have to trudge through a mountain of snow to answer the summons of a legendary dragon, that his trainer wasn't slowly driving himself to insanity from weariness, that Saura could be with his family, that Ray could earn the respect he wanted from his superiors, and that he had come to the world of Pokémon as some sort of reward from the gods, that his purpose there was nothing more than to enjoy his life and soar through the sky upon Charizard wings, that nothing of urgency sat upon his shoulders.

It was during one of these daydreams that Zahira had announced their arrival to their destination, the Emerald Division.

Char had the strange urge to hold his breath just before Zahira plunged him down through the layer of clouds. He closed his eyes just before it hit, and soon, his heart raced as he expected the tickling, stabbing feels of the partially-condensed vapor colliding against his flame. But this time, it surprisingly did not come; this cloud was not a storm cloud. It was only foggy, not wet with pockets of condensation ready to be dispersed as raindrops. Relieved, he blinked his eyes back open just in time to emerge from the cloud blanket and watch the landscape of northern Ambera open up before him.

It was dark.

That was the first thing he noticed about the land: the darkness. It genuinely shocked him; it was, after all, the dead center of the winter season in this part of the world, as it had been summer down south at the Plateau and the surrounding lands. He figured, this far north, snowdrifts would have accumulated across the ground as far as the eye could see… and that wasn't even to mention that it was only about three hours past midday, the sun still prominent in the sky…

Instead, the earth depicted a landscape of gray and brown, cast into shadow by the thick blanket of clouds which he had flown through. There were not even any forests or grassy plains to give the world the green tint he had seen in it for the portions of the trip the earth had been visible. It looked as though the land was leeched of its vitality, sucked dry by some monstrous predator or wilted by some unstoppable poison.

The second thing he noticed was that it was cold.

The whole trip had been rather chilly with the frigid winds of the upper atmosphere constantly whipping past his face, but Zahira's body had emanated a great warmth, and she flew in such a way that shielded her rider from the worst brunt of the wind. Whenever the temperature bothered him, he would only need to lay belly-down upon her back and all would be well…

But as they descended toward the surface, the tingle of vertigo nipping at the top of his head, Char suddenly found he could not escape the cold.

"It's… a bit chilly!" Char commented to the Dragonite, who had reduced her speed enough that the wind would not overpower his speech.

"It always is up here," Zahira answered. "Welcome to the high latitudes!"

To Char, the cold was certainly not something to welcome. In fact, it was quite new to him; the climate around the Plateau was always temperate and pleasant, even on the windiest or stormiest of days. The coldest feelings Char had ever experienced were on a mission to the core of a dungeon called Windswept Ditch, where he actually felt parts of his face starting to go numb as he led the team through the lower levels. It was not a warm memory—in fact, it was the cold that caused him to lose his focus, which ultimately cost Team Ember the success of the mission. Char _hated_ the cold. He hated how it surrounded him, how it permeated his skin, how it stung and made him lose feeling, how it stifled his fire, and how it would just _not go away. _Dread filled his heart as he imagined, if this was the _normal_ climate which northern Ambera expected, just how cold it would get during a winter storm…

…and how cold the notorious land of Zerferia would prove to be…

Far below, Char spotted a cluster of structures which the Dragonite clan seemed to be honing in on. From so high up in the air, it looked only like a little pile of blocks, no bigger than half a village. Surely, this tiny little settlement wasn't the renowned Emerald Division… was it?

* * *

**Emerald Outskirts**

The Dragonite clan shouted a merry cheer, a celebration of a task well-completed, as they touched down upon the stiff clay road which connected to the arrangement of uninteresting buildings Char had seen from above. Without much eagerness, Char clambered down from his comfortable position upon Zahira, feeling, as he had the previous night in the desert, the strange way his mind reacted to being anchored on solid ground after experiencing flight for hours on end. He remembered how it had taken him a whole six minutes before he was able to even command his legs to take him in a comprehensible direction, and even then, his stomach lurched at every step. Though he _had _been thankful for it, in the end; it had given him the opportunity to hang back and talk with Scythe, who had been experiencing similar troubles, while the rest of the party continued onward. Though Char now felt the blessed apple still inside of him squelching the unpleasant feelings of motion sickness, it still felt as though the entire mass of land sat upon a rushing stream which he could not see, carrying him in some direction at a high speed.

Having difficulty even aiming his feet at the ground, Char dropped to all fours and waited for his sense of balance to recover. It brought back faint memories of waking up as a Charmander and not understanding how to command his new legs. A sudden blast of cold wind rivaling the temperatures up in the stratosphere struck his face, causing him to close his eyes and bite down upon his lower lip as he endured it. Clouds of white erupted from his nostrils on every breath.

"Hey, are you alright?" Saura asked, already rushing to Char's side.

"I'm fine," Char assured him, gritting his teeth and trying, but failing, to stand himself up. "Just a little dizzy. And cold."

"Yeah, it's really freezing out here," Saura agreed, pressing his forehead against Char's stomach to help him up. "Let's hope the division is a nice warm place, huh?"

As Char righted himself, shuddering in relief as the wind died down, he caught ear of Scythe speaking at the other end of the Dragonite group.

"Better, yes," he heard Scythe say. He sounded groggy, as if he'd also taken the flight as an opportunity to recover lost sleep. "The apple didn't hurt much, either… I would have fed it to you on the first day, but I convinced myself that flying wasn't as bad as I had remembered. I regret having been so hopeful."

"Aw, don't worry about it," he heard Ray say. "It was nothing. I got through it, and that's all that matters."

Finally feeling some semblance of balance, Char stood and glanced about his new surroundings. Indeed, it was just as he had seen before from the air: the sky was blanketed with clouds, or perhaps one large cloud, hiding the dimmed sun and casting the land into a dusk-like darkness. The land was desolate, barren; only a few stray rocks and leafless trees jutted from the hardened dirt which surrounded the road. The only thing of note, he saw, was the place he was assuming was the Emerald Division: enclosed within a decorative stone wall stood five brick structures, the central one dwarfing the size of all the others by at least fourfold. He expected that, like the Gold Division, this resistance force lived underground, and these buildings were only a front for one of their many entrances. Still, he had a hard time believing it; there were no other Pokémon around except for the group; their only company was the howl of the cold wind through the tiny settlement.

"From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you," Scythe said to Arshall, offering a polite bow as he addressed her. "You have accomplished your task as well as anyone could have asked."

"It has been a pleasure, Scyther, to serve you by doing what we do best," Arshall responded. "And an honor, as well. My clan and I have ferried many important Pokémon around Ambera… but not so many as _famous_ as you."

"The pleasure is all mine, of course," Scythe replied. "Saved us the trouble of walking. I hope Alakazam has paid you handsomely for your effort."

"Oh, ho, not yet, he hasn't," Arshall laughed. "We are not finished with you yet, after all!"

Scythe blinked, the statement catching him off-guard.

"Of course, what I mean is, we still have the return trip to take," Arshall quickly added when she spotted the unexpected look across Scythe's face. "Alakazam arranged the whole trip. Though, he didn't really make it clear how long you'd be staying."

A visible wince shot through the Scyther's form, as though he had just realized something terrible.

"Scyther, is something the matter?" Arshall asked concernedly. Behind her eyes, she looked terrified, as if she'd just offended her guest in a way she didn't understand. Some of the other dragons seemed to share her sentiment, not to mention Char, who had held his breath at Scythe's reaction, wondering what had gone wrong with his plans…

"Return trip," Scythe mouthed, just barely muttering the words under his breath. "Return trip. Return trip… Return trip…"

"You… may stay as long as you'd like, if that's what worries you…?" Arshall added, her face bewildered. "There will always be at least one of us here, it will not be difficult to rally us when you need…"

"No." Scythe suddenly said, straightening up. "No, forgive me. Nothing's the matter. I just had a thought stuck in place for a second. But yes, thank you for all your help. We will alert you when we are prepared to leave."

"In that case, then, since Alakazam made it clear how urgent this trip has been, Zahira here will guide you to Lucario's den at once," Arshall said, looking relieved. "Zahira, fine flying with you! Send our regards to Lucario!"

"I will," Zahira promised. "Well, Scyther, Charmander, let's not waste any time. Come with me. Lucario should be pleasantly surprised to see that we've arrived a little ahead of schedule."

It struck Char then, judging by the actions of the Dragonite clan, that this was not the Emerald Division after all. Rather, as he watched the dragons line up into some lazy formation and prepare to depart down the road and into the settlement, he determined it to be their team headquarters. After they had returned the luggage for Scythe and Zahira to carry, they waved their cheery goodbyes and set off for home. Char wondered why they hadn't flown the rest of the way to the division, but figured it was close enough that it would not have mattered.

A minute later, Zahira walked with them off the road to guide them into the barren brown landscape beyond. Ray walked at Scythe's side, while Saura and Char helped each other bring up the rear.

"Wow," Saura sighed loudly. "It feels so weird, being so far away from home! It's like, my mind is always drifting back to the Gold Division and the Tiny Plains, but I have to keep telling it that there's no way back right now…"

"Ah, hah, homesickness already?" Zahira chuckled. "Careful, homesickness has been known to eat Pokémon alive!"

"You're telling me," Saura said back. "That was the hardest part about joining the resistance. I kept thinking of my family back at home. But at least the Gold Division was in the same county as my home. This place feels like a whole new _world! _I feel like such a fish out of water."

"You feel like a fish out of water," Zahira said, holding back a long, hearty laugh. "You have _no idea_ what it's like to be a fish out of water. Be thankful for that. Let me tell you, it shatters your whole sense of _being_ when you find there's such a new dimension to life as the world above the surface…"

Char glanced to Scythe, expecting a reply from him. Scythe would always comment in these circumstances, offering his keen perspective on the issue or prescribing a remedy, but not this time. He kept his gaze averted, a frown covering his face, as if intent upon ignoring everything but his own thoughts.

"Aww, homesickness isn't too hard to beat," Ray said, glancing back at Char. "You just have to pretend that you have a new home for the time being. Like, hey! Team Ember's all here. Scythe is here. Anywhere you guys go is home to me!"

Another chilly breeze engulfed the group, sweeping across Char's face and taking his breath away. He felt as his flame flickered beneath the wind's weight, and he realized that his teeth were beginning to chatter involuntarily. Curiously, his heated breath continued to manifest itself as little clouds of steam as he exhaled it.

_This is almost worse than being caught in the rain,_ Char told himself, clenching his fists and trying to hide his discomfort from the others. _Saura's right… the Division better be warm…_

"So… how far until we get there?" Char asked of the Dragonite. "Does the division live underground like we do?"

"The Emerald Division does things a little differently than you're used to, little dragon," Zahira explained. "We don't have the resources to build a big underground base like you have. You wouldn't have either, I think, but Xatu's ancestor who started the Gold Division found it like that, already built. Am I correct, Scyther?"

"Hmm, yes," Scythe barely managed to respond, still lost in his own thoughts.

"We don't live all in the same place," Zahira continued. "Our base of operations is in Fort Emerald, which is the place we're heading now. Our resistance teams live all over the place across these lands we call the Emerald Outskirts. For the sake of organization, Lucario considers them divided into a number of districts, but really, we just live wherever we managed to build or find a home at the time. To the outsider, we wouldn't look threatening. A hermit's dwelling here, a reclusive neighborhood there…"

"Hmm, Dragonite?" Scythe said thoughtfully, suddenly speaking up and cutting off Zahira's explanation. "If you don't mind, could you lead us from afar? I'd like to share some privacy with my team."

"…Oh. That's… fine," Zahira answered, looking a bit surprised and saddened at Scythe's request. "Whatever you want. Let me know if you need anything…"

Zahira gave Scythe a look of concern, acting much like Arshall had a few moments before when Scythe had reacted unexpectedly. Casting several last, questioning glances at him, almost as if she expected him to clarify or change his mind, her form rose a few inches into the air and she drifted off ahead of the group. Char also found himself wordlessly disappointed, as he was enjoying Zahira's company as well as her account of the Emerald Division, but he decided not to argue with Scythe.

As soon as she was out of earshot, Scythe spoke. "Alright, all three of you. Listen," he grunted. "We need to lay down some rules about your conduct here at the Emerald Division. The first rule, while we're here: _do not speak. _And on the occasions you find that you can speak, _don't ask questions._ Char, I'm talking to you. Given the chance, you're the one who can suffocate another Pokémon with nothing but your curiosity."

Char scowled. "But why?" he demanded. "Zahira had no problem with—"

"See? Already, you don't get it," Scythe interrupted him. "No questions. That includes 'why'. _Especially_ 'why'. Of the six types of questions, that's the hardest one to answer. Do I make myself clear? I have spoiled you. I have let you treat me like a family member and ask whatever you wish. But you are _not_ to treat _any_ of Lucario's Pokémon in this manner. You are not to be _rude_. You are not to be _nosy_. Do not speak unless you are spoken to. Understand?"

"Fine," Char sighed.

Saura and Ray nodded their obedience as well.

"Due to certain circumstances, I forgot to reprimand you about your behavior toward Alakazam on the night he summoned you," Scythe said. "I'll tell you what, I almost died right then and there when you interrupted him to ask him about Arceus. And besides… and probably most importantly… the Emerald Division has a history that… they aren't completely proud of. Bringing it to the mind of any of the Pokémon you meet… you should consider an offense of the highest degree."

"I'm sorry," Char spoke sincerely, his voice breaking as his body continued to shiver. "I won't embarrass you again. And I won't ask any questions."

"Good," Scythe said. "Second rule: don't _touch_ anything. Third: don't go _anywhere_ unsupervised. Fourth: Lucario's word is _law_. You will do _whatever_ he tells you. His lineage is responsible for the existence of the whole resistance, he demands your utmost respect. If he orders you to murder me, you are to obey him. Understand?"

"Wow," Saura responded, look of astonishment plastered across his face. "Whatever you say, Scythe!"

"Ah, but hopefully it won't come to that," Scythe said, wearing a tiny grin. "But yes, try not to step out of line, let me do all the talking, and I promise I'll make our stay here as painless as possible. After that, though… I don't know what else I can promise…"

Having said that, Scythe resumed his quiet brooding, leading Char to realize just why he had called off Zahira: he needed silence, and badly. There was something he had to think about, without the distraction of Zahira's dissertations to all the young and curious Pokémon eager to carry on a chat with her.

Squinting at Scythe's face, Char could just barely make out the motion of his mouth as he repeated two words silently to himself, over and over. "Return trip," Scythe whispered, glancing toward the eastern horizon. "Return… trip…"

The look in Scythe's eyes, the waver in his form, which bespoke of a horrible inner turmoil… even the flight had done nothing to expel it. Char thought he could almost see the threads of thought as they twisted and turned beneath Scythe's reddened eyes.

Just what was wrong with the return trip?

Char felt the question balancing on the tip of his tongue, but he managed to hold it back. After all, he had made a promise. No matter how pained he looked, he would leave Scythe to his own devices and not plead to know his secrets. This much respect he knew the Scyther deserved from him, and he intended to keep his promise.

_Besides,_ Char thought. _I've got to get in the habit of not asking questions._

"This is going to be so weird," Saura said to his friends, obviously relieved to be able to talk to them again. "Daniel told me all about Lucario. He sounds harsh! Heh, think he would really order us to kill Scythe?"

"I hope not," Ray laughed. "If he did, we'd be the ones going down!"

"Maybe," Saura added with an evil grin. "You could probably beat him with your lightning bolts if you tried hard enough. He wouldn't be safe in the air."

"You're joking, right?" Ray gasped. "Have you seen how fast he can move? Lightning or not, I'm no match for his agility. Isn't that right, Scythe? Hey, Scythe! If you and I battled, who would win?"

"I would," Scythe said absentmindedly, not even glancing back.

"See? Told 'ya," Ray said with a smirk. "Not a chance! I bet there aren't very many Pokémon who could fight Scythe and win, anyway…"

"Um, hey, guys?" Char spoke carefully, "I think we should stop bothering Scythe for a while. Give him some room…"

"… Oh," Ray said, interrupted in mid-thought. "Alright… Sorry, I didn't mean to be a bother… I'm just happy to be on the ground again, I guess!"

After glancing once at Scythe, Ray hung back and joined Char and Saura, allowing Scythe several yards' worth of solitude. He made a visible effort to act more polite and restrained. Char continued to watch Scythe; he did not appear to realize he was now alone, his searing gaze locked on some faraway point…

"Uh-oh," Saura said, radiating concern. "I know that look of yours. Is something wrong?"

"Yeah," Char answered, speaking under his voice. "Something is wrong."

Tearing his gaze from Scythe, Char glanced at his friends. Saura's expression had turned grave and serious, just as he always seemed ready to discuss important matters at a moment's notice, and Ray looked surprised.

"It's our return trip," Char explained, ever-so-quietly. "Something's wrong with our return trip. Didn't you see what happened to Scythe when Arshall said that? He looked _scared_. Honestly scared."

"Could be nothing," Saura shrugged. "The flight probably just stressed him out. I can tell he really hated it. If I were him, having the flight home mentioned so soon after the first one's over would give me some chills, too."

"It's hard to tell," Ray muttered. "Scythe _is_ really stressed. But if he needs to tell us something, he'll tell us. Hopefully he still has everything under control."

"I'm… starting… to not be so sure," Char confessed, practically having to choke out the words as if he couldn't believe he was saying them. "I know we need to trust him… I know it… but… I'm starting to get really worried about him. Really worried. It's like… every time the light gleams in his eye… it looks like… he's… losing his sanity or something."

There was an unnerving silence as his friends failed to respond to his thoughts right away, still trying to swallow the possibility.

"He's keeping a secret," Char growled. "I just wish I knew what it was. It's a really bad one. It's something… that…"

Char froze dead in his tracks.

Realizing at almost the same time, Saura and Ray halted their paces and glanced back at him, wordless expressions across their faces, expecting him to explain whatever sudden horrific epiphany he had realized.

But Char did not see either of them.

Several steps ahead, Scythe had also stopped dead in his tracks. Glancing over his shoulder, he sent Char the most _deathly_ gaze he had ever seen. It was a malicious, hateful gaze… For a split second, Char saw Scythe in a way he never had before, in a new, darker light; it seemed to him for just one point in time that he and Scythe were actually bitter enemies, something that Char wanted with all of his being to never be true. He could feel his face growing pale, locked in disbelief and shame and fear, as the gaze lasted for one second… and then two… and three… He could feel himself growing dizzy, as his lungs refused to breathe air, his fire growing intense in reaction…

And that's when he realized: there was only one thing in the world which would anger Scythe to his breaking point. Someone had broken a grave promise. Someone had broken his trust. And it was him.

"_You must promise me something in return…"_

"…_that, for the duration of this trip…"_

"… _you will stop bringing up this subject."_

As the words echoed in Char's mind, he knew now what they meant. Scythe had not just requested Char to stop bringing up the subject _to him,_ but _to anyone_… As he had made so clear the previous evening, it broke his heart just as badly whenever Char went behind his back…

"Char… what is it?" Saura begged. "Do you… know something?"

"I… I can't… I can't talk about it," Char muttered solemnly. "Not even to you."

"W-why's that?" Saura asked, confused.

"I promised," Char simply said. "I promised I wouldn't."

Finally, Scythe averted his gaze and continued following Zahira forward as if nothing had happened.

It was a long, silent, cold walk into civilization.

Though Char had been stuck in a body that was not his own for a long time now, this was the first time he truly felt _trapped_. Trapped in a cold and barren land which could not, in any sense of the word, be called _home_.

For once, he had no say in the matter. There was no other option. The only way was forward. Forward to Dialga.

Again, Char started to wonder why they hadn't flown. But, again, that was a question. And there would be no more of those.

* * *

**Fort Emerald**

It was an understatement to say that the Emerald Division was _nothing_ like Char had expected.

The group had re-united for their entrance into Fort Emerald, a stronghold city surrounded by a tall steel wall, the place which housed the Emerald Division. Though the road was paved differently, and the buildings had a clear air of strictness and uniformity to them, and it was a small settlement in comparison, the whole place reminded Char of Iron Town. Huge metallic structures, spacious avenues, paths leading into complex neighborhoods in every direction…

There was one major exception, though: the whole place was silent. Dead.

Char was honestly surprised to see a single Flareon pass by on their commute. It said nothing and seemed content to ignore them. Aside from that, it would have appeared to him, if he hadn't known better, that Fort Emerald was an uninhabited place. Though he took the chance to peer into any window, alley, and open door he spotted along the way, nothing helped to debunk his image of Fort Emerald as a ghost town. No teams huddling in buildings around a cozy fire. No bustling shops like Kecleon's emporium, filled with Pokémon eager to stuff their bags with valuable utilities for their missions. No friendly townsfolk stepping outside to enjoy their day.

_...Well, it's not like this is enjoyable weather, anyway,_ Char said to himself, squinting to see well under the cloudy sky and cringing as he realized he had lost all feeling in his nose and the tips of his fingers. _But there have got to be some Pokémon who would enjoy this weather, right? Snover? Glaceon? Sneasel? There have got to be a lot of those Ice Pokémon working here at the division, right? Where… are they?_

"I bet everyone's out on missions," Saura commented, reading Char's observations. "That's usually how it is around this time of day back at the base. Or they could be in some sort of a meeting. Or, heh, a welcoming committee, maybe? That would sure be nice."

"It's because all the Pokémon live around in the districts," Ray noted. "That's what Zahira said. So if all the teams are home, just like Arshall's team, then none of them are here-"

Ray paused in mid-thought, and a charged silence suddenly overcame the group. Char glanced around, wondering what had provoked it, when he realized that Scythe had hesitated. He had stopped in mid-stride, as if something had just gone wrong.

Char followed the direction of Scythe's squinting glance.

Light. There was a bright fire among the shadows of the city, contrasting the surrounding gloom caused by the tall buildings and overcast sky. Char found it difficult to focus his sight, and had to wait until his eyes adjusted to the new light source…

And when they did, he realized that, like his own, this fire was coming from a Pokémon.

It stood near an alleyway, watching the group from afar: a tall, muscular figure, hunched over in concentration or perhaps weariness, the top of his head ablaze with a long fiery mane.

Char knew this Pokémon. An Infernape.

Scythe stared at the Infernape for a few moments, and the Infernape returned the gaze. No words were spoken, not even by Zahira, who only took notice of the onlooker for a few moments before returning her attention to the road ahead. Scythe's gaze lingered for a few moments longer, as if exchanging messages of telepathy with the Pokémon.

"Hey, who's that?" Ray whispered in awe.

Both Scythe and Zahira ignored his question.

The more Char stared at the Infernape, the more of an impression it had on him. The way the Pokémon held itself, the expression in its face… it was unusual, somehow. Imposing, but not in a way he understood. It did not betray pride, or humility, but something else… something he just couldn't place his finger on, but something he knew he just couldn't ignore. It was as if the Infernape stood for something.

"Prince," Char answered quietly, knowing in his heart the answer to Ray's question. "It's Prince. From Daniel's story. He leads Team Flamewheel. He's the one who saved the Emerald Division."

"Really think it could be?" Saura whispered to him.

"Come," Scythe suddenly ordered, disregarding the Infernape and gesturing to Char and his friends. "And you two. Remember what I told you not to do."

"Oh… right. No questions," Saura grumbled, scowling and biting his lip. "Sorry…"

Char could tell that Saura was already a bit annoyed, but nothing could be done.

"He was waiting for us," Scythe mumbled disconcertedly, turning to Zahira. Char had the impression he wasn't meant to hear the words.

"Figures he'd know," Zahira quietly answered. "He knew about the tower before most of anyone else."

"I knew he would show his face," Scythe said, "I was hoping it would be later rather than sooner. Just as long as he stays away from my Charmander…"

Though the group continued forward down the deserted city road, the Infernape didn't move. Char gave him one last look as they passed by, only to find that the Infernape's eyes were suddenly locked with his. Startled, he quickly averted his gaze.

_Stay away from my Charmander?_ Char repeated quietly to himself. _W-why? What's wrong with Prince? Is he a threat to me?_

He turned to his friends, and found that both of them were just as weirded-out as him. They'd heard it, too. They nodded oddly to one another, saying nothing in fear of making known that they'd heard it, and silently agreeing that they would, for whatever reason it was necessary, keep a wary eye out for the Infernape.

After crossing nearly a mile of the practically uninhabited city streets, the city opened up into a relatively spacious area spotted with concrete platforms and small monuments. In the very center stood the ornate entrance of a very large rectangular building, its four front doors opened wide atop a respectable flight of stairs…

"Here we are, at last," Zahira announced. "Welcome to Rayquaza's Clutch!"

* * *

**Rayquaza's Clutch**

Keeping everything but his curious gaze to himself, Char followed his companions toward the compound. The exterior of the building was easily more ornate than any of the other structures in the whole fortress. Along the front wall at both sides of the entryway sat eight tall, riveted, gray pillars which didn't hold anything up. The walls of the building were made from huge bricks many times bigger than Char's body, some sparkling white like they were made of sandstone, others a blinding, reflective silver, as if they were made of metal. The two types of bricks formed "X" patterns all the way down the sides of the wall. The front doors were made of plain polished wood, but they were so huge that Char figured they must have been carved out from some thousand-year-old redwood trees.

But the most curious decoration Char noticed, and the most interesting, was a giant stone statue depicting the legendary dragon Rayquaza, the end of its tail coiled up like a resting serpent. The figure sat within the dead space off the path near the bottom of the staircase, the whole thing laying on its side as if the monument had been knocked off its pedestal but could not be discarded, the Pokémon of the division yet to get around to repairing it. It was clear that Rayquaza had taken serious damage: aside from the numerous chips and gouges everywhere, a couple of its head-fins were missing, both its arms were disconnected, and a giant crack ran straight down the dragon's forehead. Through it all, it still managed to imbue Char with a sense of respect for its figure, its wise yet ferocious gaze and its opened mouth reminding Char very much of the statues back within the Gold Division's meeting hall…

_Rayquaza must be the division's guardian figure,_ Char determined, once again holding back a question. _It has to be called the 'Emerald Division' for a reason…_

Char and his companions followed the Dragonite and the Scyther up to the doorway, leaping up the stairs with the professional ease of someone who was used to climbing hundreds of them every day. With each step, he grew more and more eager to get inside and out of the cold.

At the top of the stairs, Zahira paused to introduce the setting.

"Rayquaza's Clutch is the core of the Emerald Division," Zahira explained. "Team Regret settles in here. This is where all of our resistance teams come to have meetings, receive assignments, and congregate. It's the backbone of all our operations. So, as we enter, you may see a lot of Pokémon in a hurry. Try not to get in their way."

"I can assure you, Dragonite, my companions will not cause any trouble," Scythe said abruptly, cutting her off. "Will they, Char?"

Char gulped and shook his head, eager to agree with anything just to thaw out his frostbitten parts somewhere where it was above twelve degrees and the wind didn't blow.

Zahira waited for a few moments, as if expecting questions or comments from her guests. When she realized none were coming, she gestured for everyone to follow her inside. Char happily obliged.

Once again, Char was faced with the last sight he was expecting.

Stone. Cold, dark stone. Cold_,_ dark, _dead_ stone. Hallways and corridors of it, as far as the eye could see. And that wasn't very far, because there were no lighting fixtures within Rayquaza's Clutch. No ghost-torches. No real torches, even. It was the most dull, monotonous building interior Char had ever witnessed.

Though, there _was_ light. Char could see past the sunlit lobby and farther down the hall, so he realized there had to have been _some_ light source… though it took him a moment to realize what it was. When he did, he emitted a gasp. A gasp of rage.

It was sunlight! A large rectangle had been cut out of the center of the ceiling, letting in the muffled sunlight. The whole room was open to the elements! The wind continued to blow in, aiming right for Char and sweeping past him and out the doors behind. A new shudder overtook him.

_This is not how a resistance base should be!_ Char growled as he told himself, clenching his fists. _This is… this is a dungeon! A giant dungeon! How can any team bear to live in this? Do they have a cafeteria? A meeting hall? Do they have sentries to keep out the intruders? Do they have a password, like the Creed? Do they have _comfortable_ rooms to live in? Rooms that aren't just habitats for ice Pokémon?!_

Char was on the verge of demanding answers. So far, he had felt very disillusioned and disappointed with the Emerald Division. _We didn't have the resources,_ he remembered Zahira saying. _We do things differently around here_, she had also said.

_Pah,_ Char thought. _How are teams even expected to operate in here?_

"Char… your tail," Ray whispered to him, noting the rapidly inflating light source at the end of his tail.

"It's the cold," Char said. "The cold is making me angry."

"Then let it," Saura said simply. "Remember what you learned in the Windswept Ditch…"

Char smiled as he realized that Saura was right. Though the cold had enraged him, his rage was fueling his fire, which was already giving him a measure of relief and comfort. He felt as his inner ember licked the boundaries of its confines, spreading some warmth through his form and bringing blessed feeling back to his numbed skin. It wasn't perfect, but it would let him survive for just a little while longer…

And then, when he followed Zahira around the corner and into one of the main halls of the building, Char found something else to smile about: Pokémon. Rayquaza's Clutch was not so deserted after all. Char counted at least three teams, or at least groups of division residents, traversing the hall. Though none raised a voice, it really gave Char a reassuring feeling that the place was a functioning and active resistance base.

A resistance team exited a dark corridor just ahead, filing quickly into the main hall just ahead of Char and his group. Char balked when he saw them: a Medicham, _two_ Aggron, which were fully grown versions of the annoying steel rodents Char remembered from several dungeons, and a Camerupt bringing up the back and moving itself with surprising speed. The thing was, these Pokémon looked _powerful. _They were at least one-and-a-half times the size Char expected the respective species to be. They all reminded Char of Gebbit, a notorious Machamp from Team Impact back at his base, who dedicated himself to training and growing the biggest muscles any Pokémon would ever see. Likewise, this team had spent many years hardening themselves, honing their strength and endurance, and it really showed. Char's jaw dropped as he watched the Aggron. Their plating was inches thick. Their claws and horns were massive, looking as though they could smash diamonds if they wanted. The ground shook as they lumbered near.

"Hey, look, that must be Team Earthmovers," Ray joked nervously. "W-wow."

As the intimidating Pokémon crossed paths with Char's group, they gave a nod of acknowledgement to Zahira. Next, upon noticing Scythe, they gave him a much more surprised and respectful nod, practically bowing before him. Scythe politely gestured back to them, shrugging them off.

As they passed Char, they gave him a look of pathetic disgust. Char suddenly felt very small.

_Hah,_ Char wished he could shout in their faces. _I'll take you on. I'll take you all on. Just watch. I have The Call, don't you know? I can call upon Rayquaza and he'll swallow you whole! You don't scowl at me!_

It helped to keep him warm.

Another group passed by, this one consisting of two Weavile and one Sneasel. They were in a real hurry, dashing hastily down the hall and taking no notice of Scythe or the rest of the group.

"Yeah, and there's Team Cutthroat," Saura commented.

Though it was just a joke, Char couldn't help but agree. Weasel Pokémon were _not_ nice creatures. He remembered Team Dread back at the Gold Division, a team which employed three Sneasel and one Weavile, Vazidor, as their leader. Vazidor was level-headed and respectable enough, but the others, to put it lightly, did _not _make good teammates on the cooperative missions.

The halls continued on a bit, and aside from the occasional group of Pokémon he'd get to see, they didn't look all too different from one another. Occasionally, the ceiling would open and let the light in, or an entire wall would be missing, with only a row of thick pillars separating them from the streets of Fort Emerald, but the interior of Rayquaza's Clutch didn't look too interesting with or without the sunlight. It was as if someone had been given the biggest boulder in the history of the world and they carved out a living space inside of it. There were no swinging doors, burning torches, furniture, carpeting, or anything else to liven the mood. Everything was the same color. _Gray._

Another team approached, this one noisily chatting amongst each other, pleasantly breaking the dreadful silence. Among them was a Houndoom which looked even bulkier and stronger than Daemon, a Glaceon, perfectly at home up here in the cold climate, a very serious-looking Lucario, an exceptionally long Arbok, a Typhlosion, a—

Wait… a _Lucario?_

Char blinked. Could it possibly be… _the_ Lucario?

"Ahrgl-!"

Blinded by his sudden tension at being in the presence of the Emerald Division's leader, Char stubbed his toe into an unexpected crack in the floor and toppled over onto his face.

With a little help from Saura, who had tried to catch him, Char scrambled back to his feet before Lucario could catch him making a fool of himself.

"It's him!" Char gasped to Saura. "Lucario. I can't believe we just ran into him in the hall… I thought we were going to meet him in his room or something…"

"You sure that's him?" Saura wondered. "He doesn't look very… I dunno… leader-like."

Char took a closer look at the blue canine-like Pokémon, and saw what Saura had meant. The Lucario was rather short and diminutive compared to the Pokémon which surrounded him. He didn't appear bulky, muscular, battle-hardened like the other teams he'd seen; in fact, he looked a little scrawny. His facial expression betrayed discomfort and uncertainty, not the pride and sturdiness of a commander. Though his teammates rambled on to him, he made no comment, he only listened, as if he couldn't understand half of what they were saying. Char began to seriously wonder if this was actually another Lucario which worked at the division, and not _the_ Lucario everyone else was talking about.

However, sure enough, when the Lucario glanced up and noticed Zahira, he spoke.

"Zahira," the Aura Pokémon grunted very gruffly, as if he was trying to shout but was unable to raise his voice. "You're early. And by about four and a third hours."

"Indeed, Your Excellency," Zahira spoke very respectfully. "And I have delivered Scythe, the renowned hero from the Gold Division, and… the Charmander, who is called Char. And his friends."

"Hey…" Saura quipped quietly into Char's ear, "isn't Zahira on Team Regret? And she's calling him 'Your Excellency'? Why's she treating him like that?"

"He's the leader of the division," Char guessed. "I guess you treat him with respect no matter where you stand."

"Yeah, but… I would think you would treat your team leader a little more personally than that, even if he is also your commander," Saura wondered. "These Pokémon sure must have a _lot_ of respect for one another…"

"Hah, watch. I bet Scythe doesn't have to treat him special at all," Ray guessed. "Scythe's famous. He could probably say whatever he wants and get away with it."

"Since _when_ does being famous mean you have less responsibility?" Scythe hissed back, surprising the three of them. "In my experience, it means you get _more_. Now… _quiet!_ It is _vital_ you remain silent now. Unless Lucario speaks directly to you, not a word. Understand?"

Char straightened and stiffened himself, anticipating the deep, cold stare the Emerald Division leader would give him, wondering how it would feel to have his aura probed by the Lucario's mind. But Lucario didn't yet seem interested in Char…

Lucario made a very strange gesture, shaking his head and batting his paws at the air, as if his head were covered in flies and he was trying to shoo them all away. "Well, this is an inconvenience. I'm scheduled to visit District Four this hour, but now I'm going to have to stay here," he grumbled in his low, gravelly voice. "I would not want to keep our guests waiting, even if they have inconvenienced me. Well, in this case… Excalibur, you travel to District Four in my stead. Zahira, you go with them. Team Cornerstone needs to discuss the situation with the trenches that block off the road to the civilian city, I don't know, they'll tell you all about it when you get there."

"It shall be done," the Houndoom answered in a deep and powerful voice, making Char wonder if it was really a legendary Pokémon in disguise.

Zahira frowned slightly. "Your Excellency, if you ever again require… supervision for the guests, do not hesitate to call on me. It has been my honor and pleasure to mingle with them."

"I understand, but I can take them from here, Zahira," Lucario answered, a tiny hint of displeasure in his voice. "Thank you for getting them here in one piece, but now I need you elsewhere. Do not forget the Terra Town campaign."

"Of course, Your Excellency," Zahira responded in almost a sigh. "Scythe, Char, Ray, Saura… it looks like this is where we part. It's been a fun ride. See you again sometime, hopefully."

Char nodded to her, but said nothing per Scythe's request. She smiled and waved as she followed rest of the group he presumed to be Team Regret as they marched down the hall, leaving Lucario standing alone with the newcomers.

The leader stood there in the center of the dark hall, his face cast toward the floor. His eyes were closed, or simply downturned, Char couldn't tell, his hands folded as his back. Char clasped his claws together and wrenched them tightly in nervous anticipation, his breath long since caught in the back of his throat.

It was Scythe who broke the silence.

"Hmm, those Houndoom make excellent partners, do they not?" Scythe spoke. His tone attempted a measure of casual friendliness, but Char could tell that he had spoken it very carefully.

"Hmmmmm," Lucario sighed, finally lending his gaze to Scythe, as if he had not yet realized he was standing in his company the entire time. "Scythe. Well met. You are well known around these parts. I have heard many great things about you. On behalf of all Rayquaza's Clutch, welcome to Fort Emerald. I shall try to make your stay here as comfortable as possible."

Char blinked. Lucario was speaking in a very unnatural manner, or at least one he was not expecting of such a powerful leader. He spoke as if he had spent the fortnight just trying to memorize those lines.

"I'm sure it will be fine," Scythe responded, offering a small bow. "This is not my first visit here, after all. I was on the Dark Excursion project, the Ocean's Levee, White Haven, and I was here for the Lapras gathering andTeam Flamewheel's barricade incident… I know my way around the place well enough."

And, at long last, Lucario's eyes rested upon Char. Char straightened his form one last time, making himself look as respectable and receptive as he possibly could. Though, moments later, Lucario's gaze shifted to Saura and Ray as well.

"And you have brought…"

"The one whom we believe to be responsible for the appearance of the tower," Scythe spoke, completing Lucario's sentence. "We intend to visit the tower as soon as we can. We were instructed to visit you for additional information before our journey into Zerferia."

"Hmmmm… so The Call has surfaced once more," Lucario spoke, staring at the floor again. "A Charmander this time, you say… I can show you the path we have plotted to the tower. Though, first… I think I would like to speak with the Charmander."

… … …

Char had felt terror before, and plenty of times. He had felt terror when he found himself trapped in the deepest, darkest dungeons and staring down the monstrous forms of wild, undefeatable Pokémon. He had felt terror whenever Adiel had appeared, especially on that dark day when the base was locked down. He was quite familiar with that feeling; it felt each time like someone had taken a knife and sliced his heart open, letting this lifeblood spill across the floor and weakening him, draining will to keep standing and fighting. In fact, he had experienced it enough times that he was starting to grow used to it and learning how to counter it, finding that he could always trust his Ember to rise to his cause and give him the strength and sense of focus he needed to pull through.

This, however, was not the same kind of terror. It was something else. It was like shame, embarrassment, uncertainty, awkwardness. And it was _strong_, strong enough to reduce him to a quivering fool, and as he felt his head swimming in the surreal-ness of it all, he hadn't the slightest idea how to counter it. Lucario had a different air about him than Alakazam ever did. He had an aura that demanded respect, but some sort of respect that was completely unfamiliar to him. He hadn't the slightest idea how he would be expected to act.

Or maybe it _was_ his good old terror instinct kicking in, but with the Golden Apple shielding the pit of his stomach from the feeling of sickness. That seemed possible as well.

Char held his breath and let his fire grow, but it did nothing to stop his uneasiness. He was, after all, face-to-face with the most important Pokémon he'd met yet. He knew that saying the wrong word, insulting either Lucario or mis-portraying himself, would have disastrous effects.

The Aura Pokémon did not stand tall and proud like many others he had met. Visibly, he was quite short and weak, not even twice his height, looking like he couldn't even lift a rock the size of Char. Though, some little part of Char's mind told him that was wrong; _something_ about him was respectable. As if his appearance wasn't something he had control over. As if, yes, he had won wars and witnessed firsthand the burdens of the resistance, but they were hidden from his form through no fault of his own. He could tell this by his focused gaze, or by the way he held himself. Though after a few moments, his expression started looking less like a knowledgeable warlord and more like the simple frustration of someone who had just spent ten hours trying unsuccessfully to find a dropped key.

After ordering Scythe to "wait here," Lucario had lead Char into his private den, which was not a very far walk from that hallway. Upon seeing the interior of his room, he found himself disappointed yet again. Surely, he thought, of all the places in the Emerald Division, Lucario's personal lair would be a sight to behold, much on the same level as Alakazam's hall… but no. It was a rectangular chamber, and a rather cramped one. An empty wooden table sat at one side of the room, and a haphazard pile of possessions rested in an opposite corner. A red, scratchy carpet spanned the floor, and a blue one covered the ceiling. There was no light source, yet the room was visible as if by magic. Char wondered if the blue carpet actually produced light.

"You're early," Lucario spoke, walking past him and positioning himself in front of his table.

Char fumbled with his tongue when he realized he was supposed to respond. "Yeah. I mean. It was smooth flying on the way here. The air—"

"Not what I meant, Charmander," Lucario barked, his arms supporting his weight upon the table and his eyes following the wooden grains within it. "_You_ are early. The Call was not meant to appear for another few years."

Char held his mouth open, not sure of what to say. His ability wasn't exactly something he had control over.

"Tell me something, _Charmander_," Lucario spoke a little softer. "Do you understand your power?"

"I don't," Char answered honestly.

"Do you understand the _implications_ of your power?" Lucario questioned.

"I—uh… uh… I can use it… to beat the Master…" Char struggled to say.

"As many say," Lucario said. "But I believe that the Call has as much of a chance to vanquish the Master as it would if I stood on the wall of Fort Emerald and hurled a javelin into the sky. Perhaps it would be a lucky shot. Perhaps, if the winds blew right, the Master would step out of his fortress one fine day only to have my javelin come down and impale him through the skull."

Char's body locked in place.

"What many don't understand is that _I _was there the last time we had the Call," Lucario spoke, force mounting behind his voice. "We tried to harness it, as we have always done in the past. Do you know what we accomplished in the end? We summoned a legion of the Master's soldiers which nearly trampled us out of existence."

Lucario turned and stared Char in the eye.

"Tell me. What makes you any different?" He muttered in a seething calmness.

Char could not say a word. He _knew_ he had something to say in his defense. He _knew_ it. It bit at his mind, but he just couldn't grasp it.

"Tell me," Lucario spoke again, his voice unchanging. "What makes you any different?"

"T—th—," Char tried. "I… Dialga. Dialga. He… gave me dreams… I called him! I called directly to him! My call is greater… than ever before!"

"Dialga," Lucario spat. "And what good will Dialga do for us, do you think? Do you, _Charmander,_ have the power to wrangle a god into doing your will? You who refer to the god of time as _male_, do you think it would hold enough respect for you to obey your command? Or mine?"

Before Char could respond, Lucario crossed the room straight for him. Frozen in fear, he watched as Lucario actually picked him up by the arms and held him to eye level. He hung in the air, suspended by the Aura Pokémon's grasp, and stared into his scowl.

"You are perhaps the weakest Pokémon I have ever met," Lucario mumbled. "Do you think a _god_ would respect you? I cannot even bring myself to respect you. So, you have caused the Temporal Tower to materialize. Would you travel to its summit? Would you hope that Dialga would descend upon the Master's domain and rend out his heart? Would you hope that Dialga would _not_ see fit to disobey you and instead rend the whole of Ambera into five thousand time-shifted pieces?"

Suddenly, Lucario twisted his body, and before Char knew it, he had been hurled into the far corner of the room. Pain shot through his head as it rebounded off both stone walls and he fell, a pathetic tangled mess, onto his side. The wind was knocked out of him before he even had a chance to yelp in surprise.

"What a joke," Lucario spewed, "for the gods to imbue the Call into the weakest of Pokémon. What a joke that it gives us all such hope."

Alarmed and breathless, Char scrambled to his feet. As he righted himself, he felt a tickle upon his ankle… and looked down to find that his tail had set the carpet on fire in two places. He stomped them out as quickly as he could, leaving only a couple ash-colored smudges upon the red cloth.

"Rayquaza's Clutch has little to offer you," Lucario said, turning his attention back to his desk. "We have nothing. Everything we own, the Master has taken away from us. This is why we fight. But if you want a night's rest in our fortress, and some intel on the path to Zerferia, and perhaps a meal or two… that, I can offer you. But do not expect us to support you."

"No meal," Char choked out, hoping it would help the situation. "We have… Golden Apples... We won't be hungry…"

"Fine, then!" Lucario yelled. "Now go. Leave. Cast your javelin into the sky. Pray that it does not land in your own chest."

Char didn't have to be told twice. He ran out of the chamber on all fours.

… … …

His heart beating a thousand times a minute, and his fire beautifully lighting the hall with a bluish hue, Char scurried back in the direction he remembered being taken like a dog eager to return home. Only, he couldn't. Home was hundreds of miles away.

Char could now understand the emotion he had seen in the division's leader, yet couldn't place: bitterness. Lucario was a very bitter soul. It was something he hadn't seen in very many Pokémon, if at all. In comparison, the Gold Division was always so full of… hope. Pride. A willingness to go on. The Emerald Division was devoid of that. He knew now what kind of a character that Lucario was. He had been broken. The pain, the stress, the weight of his experiences as a commander… they had destroyed him. Taken everything he had held dear. And he resented it. He wanted the Master to pay for his deeds.

The Gold Division, he determined, was motivated by hope, and the Emerald Division by vengeance. And unlike hope, vengeance did not require luxury. Vengeance did not require comfort. Vengeance was hard and cold, like a piercing sword. Vengeance did not feel.

Char stopped to catch his breath, only to realize that he had taken a wrong turn. He was lost among the empty gray halls. If there was one thing he did not want, it was to be separated from his friends any longer than necessary.

Calming his racing mind, he began to consider his options. He could call for help. He could hail the next passing Pokémon in the hall and ask for directions. He could run around until he found one of those openings in the wall, where he could jump outside and circle the building back to the front door, where he could surely find his way from.

A red firelight appeared in the corridor before him, and Char realized he was not alone.

Prince.

The Infernape approached him quickly. Char shifted, wondering if he should run. The fiery Pokémon didn't appear malicious at all, but he knew that looks were often deceiving.

Still, he had to wonder about the way Scythe spoke the primate's name with distaste. As far as Char was concerned, Prince was a hero if the Emerald Division. Surely, he could not be evil, or bad enough to bolt away from at first sight.

_Scythe and Prince are probably rivals, or something,_ Char wondered. _Maybe they just dislike each other… I'll talk to him. If he walked all the way here, he probably knows where Scythe is. I'll ask him for directions._

Even then, Char braced himself for anything as Prince drew near. Prince looked amused, like he'd found a bird who had fallen out of the nest.

"So," Prince spoke. "What did you think of Lucario?"

"He's not so nice. He threw me at the wall!" Char answered, rubbing the side of his head for emphasis. "Is he always like that?"

"A lot of the time, unfortunately," Prince spoke, in a much gentler voice than Char was anticipating. "Lucario… is handicapped. He was born, or hatched, if you don't prefer the human expressions, without the power to use aura. Every day, the fact of the matter bothers him."

"Wow! Really?!" Char gasped. "I never even guessed!"

"Yes," Prince said, gesturing kindly to Char to walk by his side. "His mother before him, who headed Team Regret in the previous dynasty, she used all sorts of powers when raising him. Telekinesis. Telepathy. Even the ability to sense a subject's intentions. And devastating attack powers. Now, Lucario is here in his seat of power, and he is unable wield any of it. Only the strength of his muscle serves him. That, and the strength of every Pokémon under his command."

"That's horrible," Char gasped again. "I guess that explains a lot. I can't imagine what that would feel like. It would feel like… being born without your fire, wouldn't it? I can't imagine that. My fire is who I am. It's my soul."

"Ah, so you do prefer the human expressions," Prince said with a smile. "Do you know a lot about humans?"

"Yeah, a little," Char confessed. "They… well… I grew up with them."

"I did, as well," Prince said. "Humans raised me. I was happy with them. I never wanted to leave."

"So… then why did you come to Ambera?" Char questioned. "Why didn't you stay with them?"

"I was banished," Prince said simply.

"Wow… I'm sorry!" Char said.

"Trust me, little Char, if I hadn't gotten over it by now, I wouldn't be alive," Prince chuckled. "That's all in the past. The far past. But anyway… My name is Prince, of Team Flamewheel. Nice to meet you."

Char was delightfully floored to see Prince hold out his left hand to welcome a handshake. He happily obliged.

"I know," Char said with a smirk as he shook his hand, a measure of glee filling his heart to see another Pokémon understand human customs. "I'm Char, Team Ember."

"I know," Prince told him. "I've heard of you. I heard you made the tower appear. Out in Articuno's domain."

"That's what they say," Char nervously laughed. "Now I have to go out there. I'm not looking forward to it. It's going to be so cold."

"Yes, Articuno can be a harsh spirit at times," Prince said oddly, "But you are a fire-type. Fire-types don't get cold."

"Uh… yeah, they do!" Char insisted. "I get cold all the time! I hate it!"

"Then you haven't learned everything there is to know about your fire," Prince told him. "Did a fire-type train you at all?"

"Uh… no… yes…" Char answered. "It's… complicated."

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a shrill cry echoed through the corridor! Char was startled out of his wits. He was on the verge of panic, when a sudden recognition clicked into place.

He'd know that voice anywhere.

"_DON'T! MESS! WITH! CHAR!"_ The voice cried. "_AAAAAAH!"_

The room flashed with white light as a giant bolt of electricity caught Prince off-guard and engulfed him. His warm smile turned into a ferocious scowl, and he spun around, only to be bashed in the stomach by Ray's forehead.

"CHARR!" Ray yelled. "RUN AWAY!"

"Ray…" Char tried to respond. "Stop! He's not—"

But it was too late. Prince began to demonstrate his mastery of the martial arts. Not hesitating for a moment, the Infernape performed a flip, capturing Ray between his two legs as they sailed over his head, and flung him far away. Saura, who wasn't far behind, unleashed the powerful move the TM had taught him: a giant glob of poisonous substance sprouted from his back and shot at the ape's face. In one deft move, Prince lifted himself by one hand and spun around, the poison attack sailing harmlessly under his arm, and his foot coming in for a brutal impact with Saura's body. Saura tumbled away.

"Char! Get out of here!" Saura cried. "Go! Now!"

"No!" Char yelled back. "Stop it! He's not bad!"

His friends wouldn't listen. Char watched in speechlessness as they came back for another round.

Ray was up and running again, and attempted to tackle Prince from behind. After one glance backward, Prince launched himself at the wall, then propelled himself from it, knocking Ray right out of the air with the full force of his body. Ray cried out in pain.

Saura, having hoped that the opponent would have been distracted, had charged up a sun-beam and loosed it straight at Prince's form. In an impossible maneuver, Prince dropped to the ground and ducked under it, then swung his front foot around to knock Saura off-balance and put a stop to his attack.

Now Char _was_ panicked. He screamed out to his friends, but they were dead set on the battle, convinced that Prince was a threat…

Until another voice, one much more powerful and authoritative than his own, spoke out.

"_STOP!"_

Everyone froze at the sound of the voice, though Prince was hesitant to drop his battle stance. Scythe stood at the corner of the hallway, looking extremely displeased.

"Prince," he said angrily. "Leave them alone."

"Scythe, I did nothing," Prince returned. "They attacked me all on their own."

"They attacked because you stole my Charmander," Scythe growled at him. "Return him."

"He has a name, you know," Prince grunted a little bitterly, straightening up into a normal posture. "I'd think you of all people would have known that."

"Char," Scythe commanded, ignoring the pointed remark. "Come with me."

Char did as he was told without question, casting a confused glance back at Prince as he rushed over to Scythe's side. Ray and Saura gathered themselves off the floor and followed suit.

"Hey, sorry about that," Saura whispered to Char. "Ray and I decided to attack first and ask questions later. Scythe has something against him, and we didn't want anything bad to happen to you."

"_I'm_ fine," Char insisted. "Are _you_ alright? You just tried to take down someone they tell stories about. I'm sorry, but what were you thinking? He wasn't even attacking me! Are you hurt?"

"I'm a little dazed, but yeah, I'll survive," Ray said, rubbing his side where Prince's body slam had connected. "He hits hard…"

"Good day to you, Scythe," Prince said sincerely as he approached, though Scythe still did not look amused. "It has been a while."

"Indeed," Scythe growled. "Is your team well nowadays?"

"Yes, it is," Prince replied. "Sixteen members now, in fact. And yours?"

"We are what we are," Scythe said. "Not much has changed at our end."

"Oh! I heard stories that you would be getting back the canyon sometime last month," Prince said, trying to lighten the mood. "How did that work out?"

"Postponed," Scythe said, his face contorting in a strange way, as if to ask, "how would you know about that?"

"Aww, a shame," Prince sighed. "I thought it could be cause for celebration. Oh, but there is already cause for celebration, isn't there? The call! And the Tower!"

Prince cheered heartily, nodding at Char as he did so. "To think we could witness the great victory in just a week's time!" he said. "I don't think we could ever ask for anything more."

"Indeed," Scythe spoke. "Now, Prince, if you will excuse us, we must consult with Lucario. Time is of the essence."

"I'm coming with you."

Scythe bit his jaws down so hard, Char thought he had severed his own tongue.

"You can't," Scythe growled, true hostility arising in his tone. "Though I appreciate the concern."

"I can, and I will," Prince insisted. "I have already decided. You have no say in the matter."

"Prince, you do _not_ understand," Scythe suddenly snapped, raising his voice and lifting his blades in frustration. "Under normal circumstances… yes. I would welcome it. But… I cannot let you. It's… not possible."

"I think you're the one who doesn't understand, Scythe," Prince said gravely, challenging him. "Though. There are not very many people I respect more than you. And I'm sure you are all great friends to little Char. I have to applaud you, Bulbasaur, Raichu, whatever your names are, for standing up for him. These are true friends you have."

"_Prince!_" Scythe shot, trying to silence him. But it would not work.

"Little Char is a _fire-type!_" Prince cried, now raising his own voice. "I'm sure you're great at looking out for him. But do you _know_ what it is_ like_ to be a fire-type? Do you? Do you understand what he goes through at the core? Do you know what it will take for him to survive in Zerferia? Have you ever been there yourself? And if… if his fire were to go out, would you be able to re-ignite it?"

The silence for the next few seconds was deathly.

"Prince…" Scythe seethed, his tone now gentle yet downright malicious. "I'm not going to need to fight with you _again_, am I?"

"If that's what it comes to, yes," Prince growled in reply. "Besides, we both know who won the last time…"

Scythe watched in rage as Prince turned and bowed to Char. "I'm sorry you had to watch that," he said. "Scythe can be stubborn sometimes…"

And with that, he simply walked off.

"_GIIIIIIIAAAAAAA!"_

Scythe emitted a sound that Char had never heard him make before. He cried at the top of his lungs, like a crazed banshee sounding a battle call. He lunged forward and struck both his blades, in rapid succession, against the corner of the wall. Small dents appeared in them, and in his own blades as well.

He stood, panting, and gazing in disbelief at the damage he had done to himself. He then looked past his blades, at the three shocked Pokémon who had just watched everything take place.

A Vigoroth turned the hall corner. Paying no heed to the awkward congregation on the other side of the wall, it lumbered away on its arms and legs.

"Let's go," Scythe finally said, dropping both his blades to his sides. "We have things to do."


	40. Chapter 36: Steel Clash

**Chapter 36**

A stunned silence remained over Team Ember for what seemed like hours.

After the confrontation with Prince, Lucario returned to address the group as a whole. He guided them back to his chamber, speaking with Scythe along the way and presenting him with additional information. Through it all, Scythe kept a firm grip on his temper and his tone of voice, making it seem as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

But Char knew the outburst would not fade from his mind anytime soon.

Char didn't really listen to what they said. He kept quiet, hypnotized by the passing hallways, trying his best to harbor the prideful anger which helped sustain his fire, and to fend off the deeper pangs of worry and confusion which constantly sought to weaken his flame and leave him susceptible to the cold.

And even after Scythe requested a private audience with him, leaving Team Ember alone and unsupervised outside his closed door, the silence lingered.

Scythe had claimed he would only be a moment. Well, after a moment had passed, and countless more moments had passed, Char found himself still sitting there, occasionally glancing up at the nearest sky-window and trying to judge the time of day by the gradually-dimming light of the sun.

Ray sat at the opposite wall of the corridor and wrenched his tail between his paws, just as he would always do when nervous or discomforted. A faraway, disconcerted look hung over his face. Saura paced between them, staring at the floor as he trudged up and down the hall.

Though he saw how confused Saura was, and how hurt Ray looked, Char knew he was the most upset of the three. Again, it struck him that there was just _nothing he could do_ about it. It infuriated him even more than the cold did. He was the team leader. He was the one who had gotten them into this. He decided that he needed their company at all costs. But as he sat there in the hall, unable to speak about the things which truly bothered him, he began to wonder what he really had done.

He began to see the wisdom in Scythe's reluctance to let them come.

"You were right," Saura finally muttered. "Something's really wrong with him."

"I know," Char said. "I knew it since the night we went to Alakazam. That's the night he started to change."

"What do we do?" Saura wondered, keeping his voice quiet. "How do you think we can help him?"

"We can help him by not talking about him behind his back," Char answered simply. "It's the only thing we can do."

Saura turned to Char with a confused, desperate expression across his face. When Char saw it, it felt like a hammer to the chest.

_Tell me!_ said the expression. _Tell me everything you know! Isn't that what we always do? Don't we always tell each other every little thing that comes to mind? Why not now? Why does this have to be any different? Aren't we friends?_

Char met that gaze and held it as long as he could. He returned his own, one of strength and resolution and courage in the face of uncertainty, hoping Saura would be the first to avert his eyes.

There was a sudden noise from behind the closed door.

"What was that?" Ray gasped, his ears perked. "What's going on in there?"

The noise came again, but quieter. It was the sound of a voice, but whose, Char couldn't tell.

"I think… they're arguing," Saura said blankly, his eyes wide.

Saura pounced forward and pressed his ear against the door. There was silence for a while.

"Well?" Ray said, standing himself upright in nervousness. "Hear anything?"

"They are," Saura said sadly. "They sound like they're really having a serious discussion. They both sound angry."

"Can you hear what they're saying?" Ray asked.

A moment of more silence, broken when the voice cried out again. It was clearly Lucario's voice this time. Saura cringed.

"I can't really make anything out," Saura reported. "Ray, come here. You have better ears than I do."

Ray leapt forward and squeezed next to Saura onto the door's surface, turning his ear to the door and listening intently. He blinked.

"They're talking about Prince!" Ray said after a while. "It sounds like Scythe is asking Lucario to keep him from coming. Lucario is saying something about… Temporal Tower…"

Char stood up. He clenched his fists.

"_Stop,_" he ordered.

Saura and Ray turned to him, looking a bit surprised. Char's flame was burning rather brightly.

"What is it?" Saura asked.

"Stop eavesdropping on Scythe," Char commanded. "We can't… we can't do that anymore."

Saura meekly stepped away from Lucario's door. He looked ashamed of himself, as if he'd been caught in a dishonorable act, but he was confused, as if he wasn't expecting Char to be the one to object. Ray reluctantly did the same.

"Last night, after we landed, Scythe had a talk with me," Char explained. "He made me promise not to talk about him until this trip is over. Even to you. He said that every time we do, it makes it harder for him. He told me… when we do things like that… like that time we spied on him talking to Shander… it hurts him. So… we can't go behind his back anymore. At least until we're back home. Okay?"

"…Oh," Saura said, peering sadly down to the closed door of Lucario's chamber. "Alright. Okay. I'll stop."

"You're the one who said it yourself," Char reminded him. "Even though you weren't with me that first night he lost it. _If there's something we need to know, he'll tell us. But now we have to go along with him._ That's what you said. Only now you saw a little glimpse of what he's going through underneath, now you finally understand something's wrong with him. And now you're worried just like I was all along."

Saura looked honestly hurt. "I'm sorry," he said. "I guess you're right. I guess I didn't really understand…"

"I'm saying that you were right," Char said. "We have to trust him now. We're trapped here, and he's the only one to lead us. We have to let him take us to Temporal Tower. It's… all we can do."

The door creaked.

In the blink of an eye, the team leapt into line and stood at attention. Lucario's furred hand appeared at the edge of the door, pushing it open. The door swung out into the hallway, revealing the aura-less Pokémon.

His eyes were narrow. He was frustrated. Char recognized his expression; it was the one he had seen just earlier when the Lucario scrutinized him and brutally discarded him into the corner.

Scythe slowly appeared from behind him.

Char felt his heart drop. The expression on the Scyther's face was one he had seen before. It was the same one he had seen in the hall that fateful night after speaking with Alakazam.

Scythe was on the verge of crying. He honestly looked like he had been defeated, as if he had failed at some task that was most dear to him. As he struggled with all his might to keep his composure, he assumed very solemn stance, full of shame, humility, and wordless rage.

It was then that Char noticed the smug look upon Lucario's face, and how the aura-less Pokémon held his chest high as he stood at the Scyther's side.

"Will you tell them, or shall I?" Lucario demanded of Scythe.

Scythe took a few steps forward, coming to stand before Team Ember. He heaved a sigh. Char, Saura, and Ray gave him their undivided attention.

"There will be a fifth member on our journey to Temporal Tower," he announced, though with a quiet voice. "His name is Prince. You know him as the Infernape you met with—and assaulted—earlier today. He will accompany us on our travel."

_What?!_ Char cried in his mind.

"Prince is a skilled dungeon-crawler," Scythe continued. "He also has experience navigating Zerferia. As a fire-bearing Pokémon, he will be a good companion to Char. Indeed, there are no… _reasonable_… excuses as to why he should not come."

"So, wait, wait," Ray cried. "We can trust him? Is it okay? He won't hurt us or anything?"

"Trust him? Yes, go ahead, trust him all you'd like," Scythe said, almost flippantly. "I have no control over where you place your trust."

"I do not know if you have heard the legends, but Prince is renowned for his leadership," Lucario said, a smirk spread wide across his face. "There are few better Pokémon you could trust. Now… have we arrived at an understanding, Scythe?"

"We have, Your Excellency," Scythe muttered half-heartedly.

"Good," Lucario barked, folding his arms. "You know as well as I that I have no true control over what Prince decides to do. But as long as you reside within my fortress, you are under my command. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Your Excellency," Scythe answered.

"Very well, then," Lucario said. "Now that we have cleared _that_ up, we can move onto matters that are of interest to you."

Slamming the door shut behind him, Lucario hastily pushed past the Pokémon which surrounded him and continued further down the hall, beckoning for everyone to follow.

"He planned this," Scythe muttered, hesitating for just a moment to speak to Char and his friends. "I should have seen this coming. He had it planned long before we came here, I bet…"

He shook his head. A smile started to form.

"… And to think I never suspected it," he sighed. "Heh, heh… it's what I would have done, if I were in his place. It's exactly how I would have handled things myself. Well, what do you know? All these years later, and Prince finally learns how to plan twenty steps ahead… hmm… I should be proud of him."

Before Char could find words with which to respond, Scythe turned and motioned for him to follow Lucario.

… … …

Downstairs, they went, into the dungeons.

These were not Mystery Dungeons, though… this was a true dungeon, clearly designed to detain prisoners within steel cages. Following Lucario's lead, Char and his team descended a steep flight of stairs which was cracked and sanded down from heavy abuse, to the point where it almost resembled an inclined tunnel rather than a staircase. The light dimmed as they descended deeper, and the air became dreadfully stuffy. Somehow, the air faded into a warmer, more humid temperature as they went, bringing Char some much-needed comfort… but a horrible smell, of wet mold and rot, wafted up from beneath to accompany it. Char scowled as the smell reached him. It reminded him vaguely of the Jaded Woods, the Mystery Dungeon in a perpetual state of decomposition. Again, he thanked Arceus for the comforting apple that remained lodged in his belly, preventing him from vomiting.

_Smells like a burial ground down here,_ Char realized. _I really, really hope that's not why it's getting warm…_

With a grunt, Lucario parted two rot-riddled wooden doors, revealing a void of black nothingness beyond. Warm air blasted Char in the face, but it reeked so horribly that he had to hold his breath.

Lucario continued on as if nothing was the matter, as if he dealt with the smell every day of his life and saw no reason to repair it. Though tempted, Char decided not to cover his noise, fearing it could be considered rude or weak of him. Instead, he opted to hold his breath and take occasional gasps of air when his lungs would start to ache. He gathered his tail into his hands as he prepared to follow Lucario into the lightless halls of the Emerald Division's dungeons.

The dungeons were very wide and spacious, like the staircase itself, able to accommodate Pokémon of nearly any size—and it was clear, from the damage done to the stones in the floor, that it often did. Scrapes and scratches covered them, and many stones were removed completely to reveal the dusty foundation underneath. The air was remained very thick and humid. It would have felt comfortable otherwise; Char could handle heavy humidity, granted it was warm enough, but his senses told him this air was unclean. It felt contaminated, infested with sickness… He resisted the urge to convulse in fury as water droplets started to condense all over his heated skin.

Past another door-less archway, they stepped into a grid-like complex of halls. Embedded into every wall was a holding cell, with chains of weird, complex detaining devices still strewn across them. To Char's relief, he saw that the barred cage doors were no longer there, indicating that the dungeon wasn't actually still in use and filled with rotting corpses. The metal had probably been scrapped and melted down. But the smell of decay grew more repulsive as he went, and there was still no light source to speak of aside from his own. Char wondered if Lucario knew his way by feel.

Char spotted movement. A Rattata scurried away into the darkness.

Feeling something brush against his arm, Char turned to see that Saura was huddling very close to him, keeping near the light he held. They exchanged a silent glance of uncertainty.

Another corridor passed, and there were even more ruined cells. Char began to think that the dungeon spanned the entire length of Fort Emerald. But this time, something interesting started to catch his eye: not all of the cells were empty! Some contained creaky wooden shelving units. They appeared to be seconds away from collapse, but nevertheless were stocked with quite a number of things; small sacks, boxes, and stone tablets were arranged haphazardly across most of them.

"That's it. This is the division's storage area," Saura whispered. "It has to be."

"Good guess, but no," Lucario suddenly snapped. "This is _my_ warehouse. I lend this space to no one other than my own team. It is the most secure place in the entirety of the fortress. It is equipped to be locked down if we were under attack. If the Master raided the fortress, he could not easily steal my most precious possessions."

Char blinked. These were his most precious possessions? He scanned the passing storage units, but nothing looked like it had much value; there were jagged pieces of rocks—rune stones, maybe?—an orb or two, some wooden logs with the bark carved off, some oddly-shaped metal scraps…

An eye gleamed from the far corner of the cell. Char squinted to see a group of a half-dozen Rattata, all huddled in a circle. They were surrounding something, walking over top of it, digging into it with their teeth… Feasting on it… Char focused on the sight and tried to determine what it was, but he quickly wished he hadn't.

It was the corpse of a Raticate.

Char averted his gaze. He released his held breath, and cringed as he inhaled another lungful of the dripping, putrid air.

_Knock-knock, knock-knock…_

The sound of Lucario's bone-spike rapping against a wooden surface startled Char. He realized the dungeon hall had ended, and closed door stood before them. The door was large and half-eroded just like the others he'd seen, but it still looked sturdy enough to stand for years to come.

"Yes?" answered a muffled voice from the other side.

"I have guests," Lucario announced gruffly.

The sound of scuffling could be heard behind the door for a moment. The latch was lifted, and the door opened just a crack. A stream of bright yellow light was cast across the murky dungeon hallway, but it was quickly blocked by the shadow of a Pokémon who peered through the opening.

"Oh… You're back," answered a very deep and gravelly voice, even deeper than Lucario's or Scythe's. "What about District Four?"

"There's been a change of plans," Lucario said. "Zahira returned early. I sent her in my stead."

"Oh," the Pokémon answered.

The door opened wide, casting the bright light back into the pitch-black halls. A very large, elderly-looking Electivire filled the doorway.

"Scythe," the Electivire grumbled in surprise. "You're still alive."

"Just barely," Scythe responded lightheartedly.

"Haven't seen you in a good long while," the Electivire said. "Hmm. Good to know that my generation has yet to pass… Well, don't just stand in the dungeon. Come in."

The giant electric beast stepped aside to let the group in, and Char was almost blinded by the brilliance. The entire base, and even the outlaying lands beyond, was always so hard on the eyes; he would need a minute for them to adjust to something as bright as a summer day atop the Great Plateau. He warily stepped inside, following Scythe's lead…

A new blast of hot air hit him head-on as he stepped through the door. But this time, it didn't smell murky, mixed with decay… this time, it smelled pure, fresh, like standing in a forest on a pleasant spring afternoon. He closed his eyes and deeply inhaled the precious new air. When he opened them again, the vision made sense to him.

It was a garden. Four whole columns of fresh soil sat on raised platforms, spanning the length of a long, high, arch-shaped hall. From them sprouted green bushes bearing all sorts of colorful, edible things. Oran berries, Rawst berries, tomatoes, and many crops he couldn't begin to recognize, like strange radish vegetables which grew at the end of long stalks, and tiny white berries that looked like Cloyster pearls. Far above them, several flaming-white orbs of sol-rock were suspended from the ceiling by chains.

"It's a greenhouse!" Saura cried. "No wonder it was so humid down here! Wow! They actually made a greenhouse underground! This is awesome!"

Char smiled. He could tell Saura was really happy, and he was, too. For the first time that day, the Emerald Division had shown something to really impress him. It was well-lit. It was well-organized, and beautiful in a way. And, best of all, it was actually warm! He sighed over and over again, trying to flush out the horrid taste of the dungeon and replace it with the comforting aroma of this underground haven.

"My favorite room in the fortress, I might add," Lucario told Saura. "But we don't grow crops down here just to hoard them. This dwelling is designed so that it may sustain the lives of fifty Pokémon for twenty-eight days, should the need arise for a lockdown… Me, I enjoy using it as a planning room with my team, and under normal circumstances, no one else is allowed down here. Anyway, that aside, I'd like to introduce you to Tesla, one of my confidants. She is my specialist in diplomatic relations. She is also skilled at reading and writing. She understands Unown, and is also a respectable architect who is constantly helping to maintain this very facility."

"Welcome back, Scythe," Tesla said warmly. "I'm not going to expect any formalities from you. And these companions of yours… … Wait. Hold on a moment… _Rautzen?_"

The Electivire squinted oddly at Ray. Ray seemed taken aback.

"Oh… oh! No!" Ray nervously laughed. "No! I'm his brother, actually. His younger brother."

"Ahhhh, No wonder," Tesla hummed. "I was going to say, you bear a striking resemblance to an old partner of Scythe's… but your stripes are different. You should be proud to have Rautzen as a brother. He was a very good Raichu. He had a way with company. Always made all us Pokémon around him feel we were legendary warriors."

"It was a tough hit for our team when he left us," Scythe mentioned, eying Ray as he spoke. "Though, I thought for sure I'd never see a warrior of his likes again. But nowadays, I see that it may change."

Ray's face began to gleam. For just a moment, he forgot all of his worry, an effect that began spreading to his friends.

"Oh, I am proud! Believe me," Ray said, smiling. "I didn't know him very well, but I've heard so much about him. I hope someday I can be as good as him."

"If you do, that day will be a very happy day for your generation," Tesla said. "The world needs more vibrant little sparks like him. I bet I could spend all day telling you about my experience with him… But, you are here for a reason. Lucario doesn't look too patient at the moment."

"Indeed, we are here for a reason," Lucario said, glancing down to the end of the room where there sat several tables covered with paper. "Show them the Temporal Tower data."

"Ahhhhh," Tesla sighed in realization. "So _these_ are the ones going to the tower? … Ah. Right away."

The old Electivire shifted and began to lumber away. As she did, her hand snagged a bright red berry from a nearby bush.

"Hungry?" she said, presenting the fruit for claiming. "Help yourself. We've got a nice crop this year."

"Wow, not really," Char answered. "But I kinda wish I was."

Grunting with indifference, the Electivire tossed the berry into her own mouth.

… … …

Past the greenhouse area, there was something like a mildly-cluttered office. Char knew it was Team Regret's planning area.

Wasting no time, Lucario, Scythe, and Tesla gathered around the widest table in the room, which Char could just peer onto if he stood on tiptoes. Covering its surface were many parchments of different shapes, sizes, and languages; Char's eyes darted from a rough map of Zerferia, to a few notes scribbled in a strange type of handwriting, to lists which had been composed in Unown letters. It felt good to Char to see some Unown-script for once, though he couldn't easily read them; they appeared more like their counterpart icons than actual typescript.

"Lucario's really put us to work these past few days," Tesla said, shuffling some papers across the tabletop. "I've gone through many old records. Had to brush up on my Unown. But here, I think I've gathered as much as I can."

"And you make it sound as though I had no part in it," Lucario grunted. "My eyes have gone sore from reading about the tower. Now… first order of business. Here."

Lucario presented Scythe with a chart of some sort. It was covered with footprint runes, numbers, and little blotches of ink which looked like they might have had significant shape. Char studied it, though he couldn't understand a word of what it meant.

"A list of all Pokémon you will face at Temporal Tower," Lucario announced, shoving the paper before him. "All of the history books dating back to the Dawn of Ambera appear to agree with one another, so this is a definitive list. Unless, of course, the recent Mystery Dungeon anomaly which has swallowed it has affected this, it should not have changed."

Scythe's eyes glazed over the paper. "Hmmm," he muttered. "Solrock. Lunatone. Bronzor, Bronzong. Salamance. Hmm… Metagross."

"Metagross?!" Char repeated out loud. "Really?"

"Whoa… we'll have to fight Metagross?" Ray echoed at nearly the same time.

"What's the matter?" Lucario said, barely smirking. "Do you balk at the thought of fighting a clone of your division's commander?"

"Yes," Char admitted. "Our Metagross is powerful, too. I mean, I've never seen it fight, but I don't think I'd want to."

"The Metagross will be the least of your worries," Lucario warned. "A raging Salamance, on the other hand, is a force to be reckoned with. I have never defeated one, and in all my life, I have only witnessed one of them fall in battle."

"Thank you," Scythe said. "This will help greatly. We will prepare to counter these foes."

"Though, that is only speaking about the tower," Lucario said. "Through Zerferia itself… I cannot imagine you will meet another life-form of any sort, but if you do, it will most certainly be an Ice-dwelling type, and most certainly belong to the Swinub or Snover family. Glaceon enjoy the weather around here, but none have burrowed north past the border. And if fate dictates you would meet a sentient Pokémon who has chosen to banish themselves from society and dwell there, it would be a Sneasel, Weavile, or Lucario. I have never known any other species to attempt it."

Lucario spoke quickly, as if this meeting was an obligation he was quickly trying to rid himself of, and it was difficult for Char to mentally keep up. He hoped that Scythe was paying more attention than he was.

"Not one has dared to approach the tower closely, but we have studied the terrain and plotted a path you may take," Lucario continued, prompting Tesla to shuffle the pertinent papers to the top of the stack, including a roughly-drawn map of Zerferia. "You must cross the Mountains of Regret. Behind them lies the Temporal Tower. On the first day, you should trek across this flatland. On this path, you should encounter no enemy but the wind. On the second day, you will arrive to this canal early in the afternoon. The Sky Hawks report that the jet stream is not in the vicinity, but if the wind shifts and creates a sheer down the canal, you would not survive there, so tread upon the cliff. There is a cave here you may take cover within for the night; you will easily stay alive overnight if you are able to start a fire. On the third day, the path curves to the east…"

Char could tell Lucario was mostly speaking to Scythe now, and he hoped Scythe was committing all of it to heart, because there was no way he could. Though, he had to shudder at the way Lucario described the journey; the way he kept saying "You will stay alive if…" didn't help his confidence.

Lucario continued describing the trek in moderate detail, and when he concluded, he claimed the walk would take six days.

"Six days," Saura whispered with a little tremble. "That's an awfully long time for such a short walk. You realize the walk from the base to Etcher Ravine is longer than this?"

"Zerferia is tough to navigate, apparently," Char muttered.

"This is all very good," Scythe said graciously. "But… what of the other issues? Have you researched anything of The Call? And what of Dialga? How can we expect the temporal dragon to treat us?"

Lucario did not answer right away. Frowning, he stood upright and held his hands at his back. Tesla cast him a stray glance, as though she didn't know what to expect him to say.

"The legends are inconclusive," he finally replied. "Many have implored Dialga's help before at various times across history. Both Pokémon and humans alike have scaled it, wherever it has happened to appear, hoping for Dialga's wrath to shower upon their enemies. Some records indicate that the time dragon complied. Others… they trail off, speaking nothing of the matter again, leaving the course of history unchanged. And still others… they speak of a primal, enraged beast… stubborn, adamant, merciless, upon whose deaf ears the cries of mortals have fallen…"

_Not me,_ Char told himself, not bearing to consider the alternative. _No… not me… Dialga is on my side! He's going to listen to me!_

"And the Call?" Scythe implored. "Have you learned anything about it?"

Again, Lucario hesitated in answering. Looking very displeased, he paced around to the other end of the table, his gaze locked onto its contents.

"Scythe, you know as much of the Call as I," Lucario sighed. "We have been through all of this before, don't you remember? Don't you remember when this _last_ happened? We know as much of the Call as we did then."

"And Arceus knows we didn't know much," Tesla added.

The way he said it caused a shiver to ascend Char's spine.

"I… understand," Scythe said, nodding respectfully.

"That was your whole point and purpose, was it not?" Lucario demanded, his voice suddenly forceful. "Hope that Dialga will tell you what we all yearn to know. Hope that he sees fit to tell you, rather than to shrug you off as an annoyance and remove you from the timeline? You and I, we have both seen with our own eyes, the wrath of a Legendary… And yet, you still press this matter, adamant, stubborn Scyther that you are, as our saving grace, when it could instead cause ten, twenty, fifty times the damage the Master could ever hope to do?!"

This time, it was Scythe who didn't answer. Char got the impression he wasn't supposed to.

Lucario shut his eyes and sighed, as if he were taking a brief moment to meditate. His anger appeared to subside.

"This… admittedly… is the first time the Call has been powerful enough to summon one of the Trinity, at least in modern history," Lucario said, a measure of humility now in his voice. "We… tread upon new ground, in that respect, and as I'm sure you know, I cannot tell you what kind of a fate lies for you at the tower, or at the top of its spire. Perhaps you are right. Perhaps Dialga will heed us. But… without leaping at the opportunity, we will never know for sure. That is why… there is something I decided to give you."

Tesla set a small woolen sack on the table before Lucario that she had retrieved from a nearby hanger. A _tink_ sounded from within.

"I have no choice but to bestow these upon you," Lucario said, indicating the bag with some respect. "I would not withhold these treasures from such a significant effort as the one you make. For, if at the end of this all, the effort would succeed… it is my life's one purpose, as it has been with my forefathers, to dethrone the Master at all costs. I would be disgraced to know that I did not contribute to it. Or… to know that it failed because I did not invest enough in it."

Char's eyes sparkled as he eyed the bag, wondering what kind of new, wonderful gift this would be. Was it something Alakazam had _not_ given him already? He had been given so many gifts, it was difficult to wrap his mind around all them.

Lucario hastily untied the sack, dug both paws inside, and lifted out a peculiar object.

It was small, circular, and sparkled in the artificial sunlight. It was a piece of jewelry, made of a smooth, cream-colored metal. It had the distinct shape, and size as well, of an egg. Adorning the egg were two angelic wing-like decorations. An engraving was etched in the center, resembling some sort of tiny pawprint.

"Rescue emblems," Scythe blurted. "You're giving us rescue emblems. Your Excellency… I believe you have just outdone Alakazam's generosity."

"You expected otherwise?" Lucario chuckled, setting the badge down on the table and producing another just like it. "My lineage has existed since the dawn of the resistance. Compared to Rayquaza's Clutch, Alakazam's hold has nothing in the way of true treasures."

Char watched as Lucario produced two, three, and finally four of the emblems, lining them all in a row upon the table. He saw how Lucario handled them gently and reverently, and how Scythe could barely keep himself from gawking at the sight of them.

"Pardon me for asking, but what are rescue emblems?" Ray inquired meekly. "Do they do something?"

"They are relics of an age cone by," Tesla said affectionately. "Back in the heyday of the Mystery Dungeons, when Pokémon realized what kind of treasures and adventures the dungeons held for them… Mind you, nowadays the Mystery Dungeons are dotted all along the map like a minefield. This was back when they were special hidden places, only in the most secret crevices… So many Pokémon ventured into them, but they found it hard to leave. In fact, so many became stuck in them and had to be rescued, it was becoming an epidemic with the exploration teams. So… they designed these."

"In a word, they are lifelines," Lucario told Ray and the rest of his team. "From the moment you enter a dungeon, the badge will trace a path back to the entrance. In a moment's notice, it can take you there, and instantly free you from a lifetime of captivity within the dungeon. Like one of the Wonder Orbs, you only need to ask it for assistance. It will also work upon your loss of consciousness, so you don't become trapped forever in a dungeon you cannot escape."

"Wow, I like these already," Saura said in surprise, "Wait. So does this mean… do we not need Escape Orbs anymore? These will take their place?"

"You don't understand," Lucario said forcefully. "If you wear these, you will never need to worry about becoming trapped within a Mystery Dungeon. But… to use them, the effect would be the same as if you had been expelled normally. The dungeon might still swallow your precious supplies."

"Oh," Saura said, only slightly disappointed. "Well, that's still good, I guess. Not getting lost forever in Temporal Tower is a good thing…"

"That isn't all," Scythe chimed in. "If you activate an Escape Orb, it will react with the badges, and will take you to the dungeon entrance, supplies and all. I have never used them myself, never gotten my hands on one until now. But I've heard stories of how convenient they are. An instant escape opportunity. In the harshest dungeons, they offer a peace of mind beyond compare."

"Ah! That's _really_ good!" Saura cheered. "These will make me feel a _lot_ safer!"

"These are precious treasures," Scythe said. "More valuable than a Reviver Seed. Because, even if you ran out of Reviver Seeds, the emblem would still be able to save your life."

"It's too bad they're so rare now," Tesla sighed. "There was a day when every member of every exploration team had one. Then they found out about the design flaw."

"Design flaw?" Saura repeated. "Pray tell?"

"It's funny, if you think about it," Telsa said with a smile. "But the exploration teams found a problem with the way the badges worked. You see, if you're inside of a Mystery Dungeon, and you accidentally drop the badge on the ground… it will think you have fainted, but instead of escaping the dungeon on its own, it will disappear instantly, never to be seen again. Swallowed by the anomaly."

"Even more humorous is the cause behind it," Lucario chimed in. "I certainly laughed when I heard the theory. Apparently, when you drop the badge on the ground, it suddenly believes that the _earth itself _is its holder… this confuses it so much, that it will teleport itself far into outer space."

Scythe chuckled. "That's… absolutely ridiculous," he said. "No wonder, they all vanished from the face of the earth. In the literal sense! With so many clumsy Pokémon wandering around in dungeons, the poor things never stood a chance."

Scythe chuckled again, and the other elder Pokémon joined him. Char, however, did not. Instead, his claws suddenly felt very weak and started trembling. A vivid sight flashed before his eyes, of tripping over a pebble and having the badge slip from his clumsy fingers, having it disappear… and then to have Saura, or Ray, or Scythe offer him theirs and risk their own lives, risk the possibility of remaining trapped in Temporal Tower, just for his sake…

"Yes, one day, the sun rose, and there were only about twenty of them left in the known world…" Lucario said. "And there is not a Pokémon who exists who understands how they work well enough to craft a new batch. So… they are rarer than a Mew sighting. Please, cherish them. Hold them tightly. They are yours for the duration of the mission. I would appreciate if you were to return them when you are done, but if the tower swallows them, or if you intend to keep them for whatever reason, so be it."

"Thank you, Your Excellency, for this great gift," Scythe said sincerely. "We will not hoard them. We will return them to you if at all possible."

Next, Lucario produced something else from the bag. It was stacked pile of cloth, folded neatly into triangles—scarves. Each scarf was a deep green color. Across the surfaces, embroidered in sparkling gold threads, was the figure of Rayquaza, its long serpentine body winding around the edge until its mouth was poised to bite down upon its own tail. Lucario set them next to the badges on the table, four in all.

"This would adjourn our meeting for now," Lucario said. "I have spoken everything I know at the moment. I wish you the best of fortune on your journey, just as your own division probably has many times over."

"Hmm," Scythe said oddly, "These… emblems… did not originally belong to you, did they?"

"Why do you ask?" Lucario returned. "No, not at first. But that is of no consequence."

Scythe did not respond. He continued to stare at the badges, considering something about them.

Having finished with his official business, Lucario's demeanor changed just then. He disregarded the table, folded his arms, and glared up into Scythe's eyes. Scythe still seemed intent to study the emblems.

"What?" Lucario demanded. "Is something the matter?"

"It is of no consequence," Scythe replied, though it was hard to tell if it was an honest answer or just the rambling of another thought stuck in his head. "No consequence. It is… nothing."

"I know nothing when I see it, and that's not it…" Tesla told him, trailing off as she went to stuff some of the papers into a book.

Lucario scratched his chin and grumbled, pacing back around the table.

"There _is_ another issue I'd like to bring up, while we are here," Lucario said. "The issue… of your insubordination."

Char had to wince. Was he serious?

Scythe tore his gaze from the emblems and glared at the blue-furred Pokémon, but said nothing.

"You come into my domain, take advantage of my hospitality, and then you make demands of me?" Lucario spoke in a very odd, condescending tone that sounded halfway ironic. "You threaten me… with your _blades_? You treat me like a worthless servant?"

"Your Excellency, in case you did not hear me the first time, I apologize," Scythe muttered.

"I heard you the first time," Lucario said. "But… what? I _know_ there is an underlying issue here. I may not be a telepath, but I see that you are tensed."

Scythe shook his head. "I am about to confront Dialga in the northern lands, and you expect me to not be tensed? Also, I am still trying to wrap my mind around… having Prince in our company… Pardon me for not having taken the time to factor _him_ into my plans!"

"If you ask me, you are in _no_ condition to lead Pokémon on any sort of mission," Lucario said rudely. "You are not ready. Your mind is clouded."

Again, Scythe said nothing.

"Tension in one's heart is an obstruction to a clear mind," Lucario told him, speaking condescendingly to him despite being nearly a foot shorter in height. "And without a clear mind, one often finds oneself… unable to make good judgments. Am I right?"

"Yes, Your Excellency, you are right," Scythe said almost sarcastically, looking down upon the table.

"Then, it would be the best course of action to relieve this tension from your mind, would it not?" Lucario spoke. "Since you are staying here in my land, I have dominion to command you. Therefore, for your inability to restrain yourself, I sentence you to two hours at the scourging post. Your group may join you if you wish."

Char's breath caught. What was this? Scythe was going to be _whipped_ for his insubordination?

"Thank you," Scythe said, surprising Char with his sudden calmness and humility. "You are right. I will need it. I think we all need it."

… … …

Minutes later, Char and his team had been dismissed by Lucario. They had departed from the garden in the dungeon and were back upstairs, following Scythe's lead. Char was still wide-eyed at the mention of the scourging, but Scythe seemed to be taking it very well. In fact, he was smiling.

"Long ago, this fortress was once a stronghold of war," Scythe explained as he lead the team through more halls, past a couple Pokémon roaming the complex. "And, being such a place, they needed… certain facilities, such as places to lock up prisoners, and also places to… torture them."

In a few moments, they had arrived to a lobby of sorts which resembled the inside of the main front entryway they had first come through, though there was only one set of doors. Scythe jammed his shoulder against the rivets of the door, and with a loud creaking noise, it gave and began to swing open.

Cold air and a bright light poured in. This door led outside.

"The Scourging Post," Scythe said, holding the door open.

Char was reluctant to peer outside, the force of the cold wind hitting him in the face and already making him miss the wonderful temperature of the hidden garden. From the door, a flight of stairs descended to ground level, and a sizable square-shaped courtyard opened up. The earth was the same hard, barren dirt which had spanned the Emerald Outskirts, but in the center of yard, a couple shapes jutted from the ground. One, in particular, was a very large, very wide pillar which held nothing up, almost resembling the useless, decorative pillars that sat near the front door. It stood atop a little pyramid of stairs. Char could tell immediately what it was for: Pokémon were to be helplessly tied to it to be tortured. Around its base, it seemed a small junkyard had collected. There were broken pillars, boulders, various pieces of architecture…

"No longer a place of interrogation, but still a place of pain," Scythe continued. "This is the training yard of Rayquaza's Clutch. They go here on a regular basis to train, exercise, meditate in the cold wind…"

"So… you're _not_ in trouble?" Char breathed. "Lucario just wanted you to exercise… oh, wow. You scared me! I thought he was having you tied up and whipped!"

"Me too," Ray admitted. "I was so confused!"

"Well, to be honest, Lucario was right in every respect," Scythe said. "The four of us didn't set the right foot upon the ground when we landed here. Myself in particular… I have not been feeling well, and it has affected my words and actions. For that, I'm sorry. But here, let's wear ourselves out a little, and see if that won't clear our minds at all."

It felt weird descending that staircase to the torturing post. Char felt like he was a kid rushing into a playground, though all the toys were various ruined pieces of carved stone. The truth was, he _did_ feel anxious. He wasn't hungry, wasn't tired, and he was certainly full of energy from sitting around all day, both on Zahira's back and in the halls of the division. If anything, he had been downright nervous in this place. Tense. Char smiled, his heartbeat quickening, as he anticipated relieving his tension. His fire flared, helping him to ignore the bitter cold which only got worse as the sky dimmed over the course of the day.

Scythe paused just before the scourging post. He shivered, loosening his muscles as his eyes followed the pillar up to its peak.

"Two hours," he said. "Let us begin."

Scythe took a sudden breath, buzzed his wings, and zipped forward to the post.

_Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!_

He began slashing at the post in a frenzy, testing the form of his attack, emitting grunts of effort as he did so. Clanging, scratching, grinding noises emitted from his assault on the pillar like it was an entire battlefield full of sparring warriors. He continued for a full minute, giving the effort his full attention. His speed never stopped surprising Char; it was always impossible for the naked eye to catch anything of him but a blur as he assaulted his target.

Though he tore at the pillar, ambushing it from every direction, sometimes zipping up to slash it near the top, the pillar didn't take much visible damage. It was sturdy. Every scratch Scythe placed onto its surface looked like it belonged there in the first place.

It ended, however, as Scythe gave a wholehearted battle cry and lunged at the pillar's base, plunging his right blade into the riveted stone as hard as he could.

A different, high-pitched noise arose from that final strike.

Scythe withdrew his blade.

The dent in his blade had gotten larger. It now resembled a chip in the weapon's form. The Scyther's thin, razor-sharp blade was cracked! He inspected it with distaste, sliding his other blade down its edge until he felt it hook inside of the dent.

"I have not been eating enough iron," Scythe muttered.

"That doesn't hurt, does it?" Saura called to him in alarm.

"Hurts the eyes, yes," Scythe answered grimly. "Hurts my battle performance, yes, even more. Hurts my pride… beyond all. But it is some kind of solid alloy of metal and bone. No nerves. Just like your vines."

"Wait, w…will that heal?" Ray asked concernedly. "You _can_ regrow the blade, right?"

"Of course," Scythe said. "If I couldn't, I would probably have empty shells for arms now. Eh, It'll take a good month for this one to return to normal, at this rate. But I can sharpen them now, and that will have to do. I didn't know I had let them get so flimsy. Anyway!"

Scythe dropped his damaged blade to his side, ignoring it. He turned to look Char in the eyes.

"Now!" Scythe called, putting energy behind his voice. "Lucario told us what kinds of Pokémon we will face. We must prepare for them. Show me if you know how counter them all. Char!"

Scythe indicated the Scourging Post.

"This pillar is a Salamance!" Scythe barked. "It is attacking us! You are the team leader, Char! What are your orders?"

Char took his battle stance. His mind raced.

"A dragon!" Char shouted. "What defeats a dragon?"

"Ice attacks, or other dragons," Saura recited. "But we don't have any of that!"

"And it resists all three of our elements," Ray said. "What do we do? Wait, I'll use the attack the TM taught me! Focus Blast! Yaaah!"

"Wait, no!" Char yelped, stopping him before the attack began. "That won't work! Salamance isn't just a dragon. It has the strengths and weaknesses of a bird, too. That means… Ray! Hit it with a lightning bolt! Surprise it from the side so it gets distracted. Saura! Stay back and launch that sludge attack at it! I'm going in!"

The trio attacked, launching their best attacks at the make-believe dragon. The air sizzled and flashed with power as Ray discharged a bolt of lightning, Saura showered it with a poisonous substance from afar, and Char rushed straight at it, his claw glowing brightly as he bounded up the stairs.

Char felt as his claws ever-so-slightly dug into the skin of the pillar. It satisfied him to feel such a dominance over the element of rock for once. He swung his arms back and forth, slashing at the pillar with fury, just like Scythe had done moments before.

_*Thwack!* _Char was smacked in the forehead. He fell backward down the stairs, skidding to a painful stop. Rubbing his head, Char looked up to see that he had gotten bludgeoned by the back of Scythe's blade.

"Oops!" Scythe yelled, standing over him. "Good try, but you got too close! Always be careful within range of your enemy's claws! Now… Now I am Metagross! Char is injured on the floor. Saura, what will you do?"

"Ahh! Um… What weaknesses does Metagross have, again?" Saura yelped. "Ray! What can we hit him with?"

"I don't know!" Ray responded. "I never did research on Metagross! I don't even know what kind of Pokémon he is!"

"I don't know either! What do we do?"

"Attack him with whatever you got! I'll protect Char!"

Ray rushed in and tried to defend Char, while Saura gave him cover with a stream of razor leaves. Scythe shrugged them off.

"Useless!" Scythe laughed, beginning to loom over Char's fallen form. "Your attacks have little effect! Better think of something else!"

Saura mustered himself and launched his ball of poison sludge at Scythe, who dodged it just before it stuck to his face.

"Nope, not that either!" Scythe called. "Hurry, Saura! Char's fate is in your hands!"

Char sat on the ground, watching the exercise ensue before him. He watched Scythe, his eyes flashing with the excitement of battle… and noticed, if for just one moment, that he seemed okay. For just a moment, he was the old Scythe he knew from his first days at the division, the one who walked them through their first dungeon explorations, and practiced with them at the Dojo. For just a moment, he was a strong, confident soul, not the stressful wreck he had become.

"Arrrrah!" Saura yelled, suddenly barreling himself at Scythe. His vines sprouted and whipped through the air wildly, and before Scythe thought to dodge, he was swatted to the side and had to stumble for a moment. Saura didn't let up. He closed in on Scythe and threw himself, forehead-first, into his chest.

Scythe had the wind knocked out of him, and a moment later, he hit the ground with Saura perched on top of him, panting heavily.

"Well done," Scythe groaned. "But I don't think that tactic would work against Metagross."

In the blink of an eye, Saura was sent flying and tumbling away, and Scythe was back on his feet. He closed in on the fallen Char once more, who was still sitting in place simply catching his breath from unleashing his wrath on the pillar.

"Ray, Saura has failed!" Scythe boomed, staring the Raichu which stood in his way. "Char's safety is up to you! What will you do?"

"Scythe, I don't want to hurt you," Ray replied.

"I am _Metagross!_ Hurt me! _Hurt _me!" Scythe commanded.

Wearing an angry scowl, Ray lunged at Scythe, spinning around just inches from his target and whipping forward his glowing tail. Scythe buzzed out of the way before it struck him.

Ray shook his head, trying to focus himself. He leapt back into position, staying between Char and Scythe. He lunged forward once again, but this time his feet motored so fast that his speed became blinding. When Scythe lazily dodged out of the way, Ray's path expertly curved to intercept his escape. Charges sizzling across his fur, he loosed a powerful current of electricity into Scythe's body. Dazed, Scythe reeled back. His body began twitching. This time, when Ray twisted his body and slung his shining tail, it connected. Scythe toppled onto the ground, and Ray landed on all fours at his side.

"No! Wrong!" Scythe growled, climbing up again. "Ray, you aren't fighting _me_. You are fighting _Metagross._ Show me a counter to Metagross!"

With the blunt end of his blade, Scythe swatted at Ray. He skidded aside, landing next to Saura.

"See? There's your proof. I can't beat Scythe," Ray laughed. "I can't even beat a Metagross that looks like Scythe!"

Scythe loomed evilly over Char, taking step after slow step. Char had enjoyed watching the battles, but wasn't prepared for having the focus suddenly rest upon him! He tried to slide and kick himself away from Scythe's approach.

"All of your friends have failed you, Char," Scythe said. "They have all been massacred. Only you remain. Char… what will you do?"

Char finally stood up and faced Scythe, fists clenched. Scythe watched for his action.

"Well?" Scythe demanded.

"I'm thinking!" Char cried.

"_STOP_ _THINKING!_" Scythe cried furiously. "This is not a _puzzle!_ React! React! Do what _Charmander do best!_"

"Huh?"

Scythe was becoming frustrated now. "Don't your friends call you, I don't know, a _Steelix Slayer?_"

_Steelix?_

_Steel?_

"Oh!" Char gasped, the fact dawning on him. "Metagross is steel? I thought it was made of rock! Fire! I need fire!"

"Very good," Scythe said. "Too bad you spent too long thinking about it. Now, you're—"

_FWOOOSH!_ Char countered with an enormous pillar of fire from his maw. Scythe backed away, just barely evading damage. Char turned and zeroed in on him, producing even more fire. Scythe looked surprised and buzzed his wings, zipping straight up into the air. He pivoted, preparing to bring his blades down backwards for a final strike, but he underestimated Char's aggressiveness. Char craned his neck and shot his stream of flames straight up, sweeping it from side to side as long as it could be sustained. It half-engulfed the Scyther, who was knocked out of the air and fell to the ground. His body was aflame!

"Agah!" Scythe gasped as he tumbled across the ground, putting out the flames before they seared him alive.

Char stood back and watched as Scythe recovered from the ground a third time. He was spotted with a few black burn marks. Combined with his dented blades, it really looked like he'd been in an intense battle. But his eyes burned with energy, and Char knew he enjoyed the thrill of battle.

"Well done," he said, shaking himself off. "Painful. But well done."

Saura and Ray applauded him.

"Now!" Scythe yelled suddenly. "Saura! Ray! Char has just been struck with a pulse from a Bronzor! He's confused! And he's going to attack you! What do you do?"

Char's eyes were filled with glee as he rushed straight for his friends, who were still dumbfounded by the new scenario.

… … …

Some time later, the four Pokémon were sitting around the base of the scourging post, gasping for breath.

"How… long… has it been?" Saura asked, laying belly-up against the stairs. "We… we can go in now… right?"

"We have only just begun," Scythe said. "It has been about twelve minutes."

"W—wowww," Saura sighed. "That's not very many minutes."

"What, you're not _tired_ already, are you?" Scythe asked him in fake amazement. "After all the dungeons we've been on, you tire out this fast?"

"No! I'm not tired!" Saura said quickly in his defense. "Just… catching my breath…"

They sat there for another moment, simply relaxing. The chilly wind swept past them, but for the time being, it felt comforting. Best of all, Char saw how Scythe still looked at ease. The little bit of action had really helped to distract him from his troubles. Char hoped it would last a long time. Lucario, even in his brash nature, had shown some wisdom.

Ray rolled himself onto his back and stared at the cloudy sky above. Evening was hours away.

"I still can't believe we're doing this," Ray said. "You know this is going to be crazy, right?"

"It is," Scythe said. "But we can't say we aren't prepared. Still… yes… it's daunting. Just try not to dwell on that fact when it comes time to dive in. Rely on your instincts."

"We could go down in history for this!" Ray said, smiling widely. "I don't know about you, but just knowing I'm doing something legendary is enough to make me push forward."

"The joy of going down in history seems to fade away after first time," a voice said. "Isn't that right, Scythe?"

It was that voice again. That same voice. Char knew who it was before even glancing in his direction.

It was Prince. He'd snuck up on the group as they were lounging around.

"Augh, what's _he_ doing here?" Saura cried.

Just like that, all of the comfort Scythe had gathered, all of the relief he felt, it was all gone. Anger and stress flooded back through his body as he stood himself to confront the newcomer. A hostile scowl appeared on his face.

"How did I know Lucario was going to throw you out here as soon as he set his eyes on you?" Prince laughed as he wandered nearer. "This afternoon, you didn't look… yourself."

"Really? I am not myself? What gave me away?" Scythe snapped sarcastically. "Now, if you are so observant, can you figure out who is mostly to blame for that? Who is the one who has gotten in my way without my permission?"

"I want to help you," Prince said. "I was hoping it would be a pleasant surprise. We haven't spoken in so long, old friend."

"You wish to speak," Scythe rasped, starting to pace in a semicircle around the Infernape. "Fine. Let us have a civilized discussion. And I will begin by saying that I have no _need_ of you on the Temporal Tower mission, nor do I have a _want_ of you. I would like nothing better than for you to go bury yourself in the snow until we leave."

"So that _you_ can go bury yourself in the snow?" Prince responded calmly. "You want me to let Articuno make a fool of you in Zerferia? Please, listen. I will be an asset to you. I won't hamper your progress. I won't even get two feet from _your Charmander_ without your permission."

"You have already done both!" Scythe growled. "You don't know what you are saying."

"Nor do you," Prince said, looking smug. "I'm coming regardless. You must learn to appreciate it?"

Scythe was seething now. He shifted into a very hostile stance, one that Char recognized as a battle stance.

"I don't understand you," Scythe said. "Why would you _want_ to come? Why did you go so far out of your way to make this happen?"

"And I do not understand you," Prince answered. "Why are you so adamant on pushing me away? Perhaps if you could humor me with an answer, we could both speak openly."

"I have _motives_ behind my actions," Scythe growled bitterly. "Unlike you. You wish to go to the tower just to fan your pride, I bet. I'll have you know I spent many sleepless nights planning this out."

"So have I," Prince said. "You think this has been easy on me? What makes you any different? Shall we exchange our plans?"

"I would rather _die_," Scythe growled.

"Oh… no!" Ray gasped, horrified. "I don't believe it… They're going to fight! They're actually going to fight! Guys, we have to move!"

Unbeknownst to the two warriors, Team Ember scrambled away from the scourging post and watched from afar. Char hugged Saura's bulb tightly, a relentless giddiness filling his chest.

"Tell me, Prince," Scythe said. "What do you have to _sacrifice_ on this journey?"

"My life, I suppose," Prince answered. "Though, you have four lives to sacrifice, I suppose. But I would readily take the fall for any one of you if I had the opportunity."

"We have enchanted seeds to serve that purpose," Scythe said. "You would be redundant. Not to mention that _five_ in a dungeon is one too many."

"The rule of four is only a guideline," Prince retorted. "How many times have _you_ broken it? I couldn't count them on one hand. Have you forgotten the times we brought _seven_ into the anomalies from both our teams? Why would the guidelines suddenly make a difference _now?_ Besides, you still must get there. How do you expect to make it through Zerferia alive? I have done it many times myself. You have not."

"Lucario gave us guidelines," Scythe said. "We will be fine."

"Again with the guidelines, eh?" Prince answered. "I cannot believe I'm hearing you say this! Guidelines, guidelines. What guidelines have _ever_ gotten you through the tricky situations you're famous for, Scythe? Did _guidelines_ help you rebuild Basin Canyon? Did _guidelines_ win Wraith Falls for you? Or was it life _experience? _Something which leaders such as you and I live and breathe?"

Scythe didn't answer. He cringed, holding back an outburst of fury.

His gaze turned left, then right. He glanced at the sky.

"I will make a proposition with you," Scythe finally said, in a surprisingly calm voice. "If I can knock the consciousness out of you, you flee to your little corner of the outskirts and never, ever show your face around me until Temporal Tower is resolved."

There was a gleam in Prince's eye. His fiery mane brightened.

"And what if I knock you out first?" He challenged.

"Then you can come," Scythe said simply, "And I will stop trying to prevent you."

Prince smirked. He fell silent for a moment, considering the offer. Considering the stakes, the odds.

"I accept," Prince said, slouching his body into a fighting stance. "Let us resolve this your way, old friend. Think the outcome might be different this time?"

They stood, staring one another down. Two experienced, battle-hardened warriors. Two brilliant leaders. Two teachers. They stood, frozen in their tracks, waiting for the first move, taking short, gasping breaths and tensing their muscles.

Char's heartbeat drowned out his hearing. He counted his own pulse… one, two, three, four…

Their bodies stood as statues, Prince's great mane billowing like a bonfire and waving around in the chilly wind… Scythe's gaze intense, searing, calculating…

… Nine, ten, eleven…

"Maybe they won't even fight," Saura whispered hopefully.

"They need to," Char said. "Otherwise the dispute won't be resolved… I just hope… I just hope Scythe wins."

"Me, too," Ray muttered.

Then, it began.

Sounding a shrill, feral cry, Scythe raised his blades, opened his wings, and shot himself at the Infernape. He swung a blade, with the blunt end forward, at Prince's figure.

His swing connected with air. Prince deftly ducked underneath the attack and countered, thrusting a foot into Scythe's belly. Scythe reeled back and stumbled to his knees.

Prince stood still, watching the Scyther with smug eyes as he slowly climbed to his feet.

In the blink of an eye, Scythe attacked again. Disappearing in a blur of agility, he darted around the Infernape in a circle, and then lunged with the back of his blade. His blow was lower, this time, but it still missed; the Infernape contorted his body to avoid it, cartwheeling backwards out of harm's way.

Scythe didn't relent this time. He pursued his opponent, attacking with the full force of his body and brutally slamming his shoulder into the Infernape's belly. He followed with two backward slashes of his blades, the first of which pummeled the foe in the neck. The second, though, was caught in mid-air by Prince's nimble hands. Swinging his weight around, Prince yanked Scythe's entire form and lobbed him onto the ground.

Char's fingers tightened around Saura's seed. Scythe was not doing very well. Prince was not even attacking, he was just defending…

For second time, Scythe lifted himself from the ground and studied his opponent for a moment. Grunting loudly, his wings buzzed and he launched himself into the air, camouflaging his burred motion against the sunlight above. Prince twitched in anticipation, waited a moment, then punched the empty air… and, impossibly, Scythe materialized at the end of his fist, twisting and toppling out of the air and landing on his back, his head banging against a granite brick.

"Are you fighting with me, or playing with me?" Prince asked. "So far, this is easier than last time…"

Then, it happened.

Char didn't exactly see what had been done. All he saw was a blur of motion, and a thin streak of bright, red blood streaming through the air and splattering against the scourging post. A second stream followed it, spilling upon the ground.

There was a cry of pain.

Prince balked. The white fur on his belly was clouded with red. He touched the wound.

Another blur. Prince's head was slammed against the scourging post. Twice. Three times. Splotches of blood started to stain its surface.

Scythe's body twisted, swinging his blade at full force, connecting the blunt end with Prince's head. Prince's body rebounded off the post and slumped down the stairs.

Prince slowly picked himself up, a twinkle of true fear now in his eyes. Scythe stood over him upon the stairs, breathing heavily.

Prince attacked. He galloped forward on all fours, dodging at the last minute to deliver a powerful punch to Scythe's side.

It missed.

_Thwack! Thwack!_

The blunt ends of Scythe's blades pummeled against Prince's head. Prince retaliated with a skillful maneuver, propping his body up on one hand and jabbing at the bottom of Scythe's jaw with both his feet at once. But Scythe ducked under it and body-slammed the ape as it was contorted in mid-air.

_Slash!_

Blood spattered through the air. Prince's body twisted and fell, face-down, in the dirt.

_No…_ Char realized in horror. _He isn't… Scythe isn't going to kill prince, is he?! No! He can't be! No! But what if… what if this is it? Has Scythe snapped? Has he lost his sanity? Is he… is he going to do something he's going to regret?_

Char stood motionless, unable to command any of his muscles to move.

"You must want it badly," Prince muttered, picking himself up and dusting the pebbles from his fur.

"Yes," Scythe hissed. "And do you?"

Prince sprang into the air, arching his body in a strange dive. He hit the pillar and rebounded from it, nicking Scythe in the forehead with a stray limb before he was ready. Scythe retreated to the opposite side of the pillar. Prince prepared to counter a sudden attack, but guessed the wrong direction—Scythe doubled back and attacked the same way he came, slashing with his naked blades. They produced a very loud _clang_ as they clashed against the Infernape's shoulder-plates.

Scythe retreated again, hiding behind the surrounding debris and buzzing in and out of the obstacles. Prince's eyes darted, following him. He dodged out of the way just barely as Scythe shot past.

Scythe disappeared again, running around the fallen stones and bricks, confusing his foe… Prince followed him again, trying to judge his plan… He tensed, and then spun his body with just the right timing, flailing his arms at his sides. His arm struck Scythe in the neck. Taking the opportunity, Prince tackled his opponent, head-on, catching his neck in an armlock.

_Wham. Wham._

Scythe was pummeled in the face by powerful fists, once, twice… Scythe lashed with his blade to escape the hold, but Prince jabbed him in the belly and punched again in the side of the head. With a screech of frustration, Scythe jerked his body, throwing both of them off-balance. Prince's chest careened into the sharp edge of a broken pillar, and he released his hold.

Scythe saw the opening. He took the opportunity. He zipped around the pillar, attacking Prince from behind. Ramming him.

Prince fell to the ground.

Scythe rushed up to him, placing his large, stump-like foot upon Prince's belly. Prince tried to squirm, but there was no escape.

And then he slashed. And slashed.

Char averted his gaze, and noticed his teammates doing the same.

With a final, shrill cry, Scythe delivered one last blow, a backhanded swing to the side of the head. He then withdrew from the fallen figure.

Prince didn't move.

"You planned this," Scythe said. "This was your plan, wasn't it? Ever since the beginning."

Prince didn't answer.

"This is finally starting to make sense to me. You were the one to find the Temporal Tower in the first place."

Prince stirred. Char reluctantly glanced back to the scene, and to his utter relief, the Infernape's eyes were still open, though he looked like he was pained.

"Yes," Prince answered. "I did."

"Not only that, but you were the one to tell Xatu about the tower, when she was here," Scythe said. "You told her before you told Lucario."

"Yes," Prince responded. "I told her in secret."

"You traced the path through Zerferia for us," Scythe said. "You drew the maps Lucario showed us. You spent these past days climbing the Mountains of Regret just to give us our bearings."

"I did," Prince said.

"And you convinced him ahead of time to order us to allow you to come," Scythe said. "You made sure Lucario agreed with you."

"Relatively speaking, yes," Prince said.

"And you gave him your emblems, so he could give them to us," Scythe said. "Your precious emblems. Those treasures belonged to Team Flamewheel. They helped you in all your legendary dungeon explorations, even back when you were still under Alakazam's command."

"Yes," Prince said. "Yes, they did."

"And what was done with our luggage, do you know?" Scythe grunted. "Let me guess, you have both of our bags safe and sound in your team's lair… the place Lucario was planning to have us stay."

Prince struggled to sit himself up. Blood oozed from his fur, and red cuts criss-crossed his muzzle.

"Your powers of deduction are as brilliant as always," Prince said, wiping blood from his face. "You have not grown dim over these years."

"Actually, most of that was guessing," Scythe admitted. "But I understand you now. You were the mastermind behind this whole trip. You were the one who made it possible. And now, you want to go along with us."

Scythe emitted a crazy little laugh. He shook his head.

"I applaud you. Very good work. Now… get up, so we can finish this fight."

Prince didn't move. He sighed, looking exhausted. He twitched from his open wounds.

"I said _get up,_" Scythe said forcefully. "Or are you finished? If this is all you can handle, I have no use for you on the trip."

Prince was still.

Scythe shook his head bitterly, then replaced his foot on the Infernape's chest.

"Well, then…" he sighed, raising his blade. "I wish you sweet dreams."

There was an explosion. A bright, fiery explosion.

It took a moment for Char to realize what happened. At a speed almost matching Scythe's, Prince had bounced his body from the ground and punched the Scyther in the dead center of his chest.

His fist was on fire.

Flames engulfed Scythe's midsection. He cried in surprise, dropping to the ground to put himself out.

Once the flames were all snuffed, he lifted himself onto his knees. He gasped for air, keeping his head downturned. Many, many burn marks now covered his form.

"You were faking," Scythe said, lifting his body back upright. He shivered oddly as the cold breeze brushed against his wounds.

"You're the one who taught me that," Prince said, standing upright and clearly unfazed by any of his damage. He looked fine. "The oldest trick in the book, right?"

"Yes, yes," Scythe said, bowing his head. "Well, then… I concede."

"You… concede," Prince repeated.

"Yes," Scythe said. "Welcome to the team. I believe now that you're willing to endure the trials we will face on this trip… I see that in you now. You're willing to face pain… in all its forms… I think you will be able to handle… whatever may happen. Perhaps… even moreso than I am."

Applause erupted.

Char turned to notice that a sizable crowd of the division's residents had gathered to watch the fight near one of the courtyard's doors. They were seated upon the stairs, clapping and hollering wildly, heartily cheering their appreciation for the two combatants.

Among them, a Ninetales, a Smeargle, and Heracross stood front and center.

"Well done!" crooned the Ninetales. "Well played, both of you! What a magnificent fight! Gorgeous display! A clash of the legends! "

Char dropped onto his back, emotionally exhausted.


	41. Chapter 37: Passing the Flame

**Chapter 37**

After the sudden and heated battle, it seemed as though Prince the Infernape was on agreeable terms with Scythe. Well, to a point. There was still resent in the old Scyther's eyes whenever their gazes met, though his anger wasn't quite there anymore. Char was thankful for the resolution, though he was still puzzled about what threat or problem the Infernape posed in coming to Temporal Tower with him. He knew it hadn't gone away, but after the fight he'd just witnessed, Scythe seemed far more willing to accept its presence than before.

And if Scythe was willing to accept it, Char decided, so was he.

Having not moved an inch from the place he watched the battle, Char sat on the sidelines of the courtyard. Scythe's punishment by Lucario was still far from over, so he invented some game to further pass the time. Char watched as Scythe engaged in some new exercise with his two best friends, and as Saura tried to stand his ground and dodge patterns of attacks Scythe would present.

"I'm surprised you won," Char said to Prince, who stood beside him. "Scythe is hard to beat."

The Infernape hummed a sigh, pressing his fingers lightly against the healing cuts and wounds he sustained under his fur. He crouched down to rest, watching Scythe's movements.

"He didn't want to win," Prince said solemnly. "It was a test of my character. He wanted me to win. But he knew he couldn't make it easy, or it wouldn't have meant anything. Being his partner for years, I came to understand some of the ways he thinks. But now… I just wish I knew what's wrong with him this time."

"Me, too," Char said.

"Knowing him, he'll probably get everything under control in some way or another," Prince said. "He is one who doesn't often fail to get what he wants. I wouldn't worry…"

A shout arose from the opposite end of the broken pillar as Saura missed a jump and got pummeled with Scythe's arm. Scythe took a moment to scold him for his mistake, before turning to attack Ray without warning.

"Your friends are strong," Prince said thoughtfully. "You've been training well, it seems."

"We've had good trainers to push us," Char said. "Team Remorse taught us everything we know. They didn't even let us join a training team. They just sent us out into dungeons and we started getting better at being a resistance team."

"That's good," Prince said. "You're lucky to have him watching out for you. I used to train Pokémon for a living, before I joined the Gold Division. As a child, I was trained to fight, and to lead, but I lacked the experience of fighting in a war. I see Scythe now… and I know that he is not a trainer, but he has much to teach. And I must wonder… if he is a better trainer than I ever was…"

Char watched amusedly as Ray played some sort of tug-of-war match with Saura's vine. Scythe was barking instructions in his ear, telling him how to position his feet and hold his body. He held it at a standstill for a few moments, until Scythe leveled his blade with the vine as if threatening to sever it. Saura winced violently, jerking Ray several feet forward in panic.

"So… tell me," Prince began, turning his attention to Char. "How much do you know about fire?"

"A bit," Char answered. "I know how to breathe fire… And I know about my Ember…."

"Hmm, you said a fire-type trained you?" Prince asked skeptically.

"Yes, and no," Char answered. "There's Daemon. He gave me a few tips, but nothing intensive. Scythe taught me some things from a Charizard he knew once. But a Ditto taught me most of my techniques."

"Ah, Domo," Prince sighed, nodding at the memory. "He's respectable. But there's no replacement for training with a Pokémon who spends every minute of the day as a fire-type. We have little time, but I will help you as much as I can in the time we have. For starters… have you learned about blazing?"

"Yes, I have," Char recalled. "When you reach the end of your energy, the Ember flares and gives you one last chance to survive. It's happened to me more than once. It's very powerful."

"Good, good," Prince said. "That's important to know about. If you're fighting a difficult battle and taking heavy damage, you must learn to see it coming and factor it into your strategy. In fact, if Scythe had been more observant during our battle, he would have known that I was only acting injured because my fire had not blazed. And also, not all fire-types are able to experience the blaze reaction. You and I are lucky in that regard. Now, then… I assume you've been taught by Domo how to call upon your Ember to prepare you for battle?"

"First thing he taught me," Char said with a nod. "It's instinct now every time I see a fight coming."

"And how, may I ask, did he tell you to do it?" Prince wondered. "There are several reliable means for a fire-type to rouse their fire. Which method did you learn?"

"He taught me to act selfish," Char explained, amused at how strange it sounded to say. "I focus on things hurting me and things I don't like. When I focus on those things, I start getting angry. And when I get angry, my fire grows."

"So… you feed your fire with rage," Prince said. "A reliable tactic. But there are better. And among them, one is superior to all the rest. Shall I teach you that one?"

Feeling a tingle of interest, and wondering what secrets his Pokémon nature still held, Char nodded in reply.

"Hmmm," Prince sighed, eyeing Scythe. "Then we have our first lesson."

Prince led Char out of the courtyard, giving a word of acknowledgement to the Ninetales and the Smeargle on the way out. Char took a final glance at Scythe as he disappeared back through the great doors into Rayquaza's Clutch, only to find that his back was turned as he spoke to his two remaining students. Char thought nothing of it, though; it was Scythe who finally gave Prince permission to approach Char and talk with him personally, to help with his training in whatever way he could.

Turning his back on his close companions, Char put his full trust in the Infernape and followed where he led.

… … …

"You must make your Ember as obedient as your arm, or your leg," Prince lectured to Char as they walked down a hall in Rayquaza's Clutch with large marble tiles. "Just as your arm or your leg must not fail you in a time of great need, so must your Ember be. It must move when you say, it must flare and it must dampen when you say. And if you say that it must flare completely, or one-third of the way, or two-thirds, it must also obey you. It is not enough to feebly plead to it for assistance when you need it. You must learn to stay in command of it."

Char stayed at the Infernape's side, listening intently to him and trying not to distract himself by staring at the new surroundings. The far branch of the fortified complex, at least what he'd seen of it, was different than the one at the main enterance. The halls were still wide, the walls still made of the same monotonous stone bricks, but the sky windows were gone here, replaced with a consistent ceiling lined with steel support beams. Some weakly-glowing blue stones hung from the walls and provided a dim light source, letting he, Prince, and several other Pokémon who traversed the hallway see where they were going. Char felt a little disappointed that the shelter didn't seem to insulate the building from the cold as much as he hoped, though he felt much better than when he first set foot in the northern land. He figured his nerves were adjusting to the temperature.

"It is important to learn to control your Ember, or it could betray you," Prince continued, leading Char around a corner. "If an enemy pays close attention to your fire, they might tell what you are planning, or what you are thinking. You must never let your Ember betray your secrets."

"But, it's hard," Char responded. "My fire is based on my feelings. And sometimes I can't change my feelings…"

"That is why we have _thoughts_, to _trick_ our feelings with," Prince told him with a small, wry smile. "And that is why we have art, to guide both our feelings and our thoughts. Here… behold."

Gesturing toward a wide open doorway, Prince paused so that Char could go on ahead.

Stepping inside, Char found the room was a communal planning center of some sort. Part if it appeared to be a dedicated library with rows of tall bookshelves, while the other part had something like seats, or desks. It reminded Char of the library at the Cliffside Academy, where he had stopped to plan his adventures with his team once or twice. The floor was made of raised, polished wood, which Char found slippery to walk on at first. The walls were short, but the ceiling slanted upward on both sides until it reached a point many stories high in the very center. Glowing gems, much brighter and more numerous here, provided ample lighting for the room's inhabitants, currently just a Swellow and a Parasect chatting in the corner. All in all, it seemed cozy enough. There was nothing too notable about the room.

...Except for one thing.

It was so big, Char didn't see it at first. On the far wall, there was a giant, unframed painting. The light had touched it oddly, making it blend into the background. Char took a few steps forward, now hypnotized by the patterns and brushstrokes of the image, trying to decipher their meaning.

The painting depicted a scene atop a snow-covered cliff. The snow shimmered beautifully with flowing shades of white and blue underneath the light of the clear, starry sky. Upon the edge of a cliff, there stood a Glaceon, tensed, poised in a battle stance. It focused intently up into the sky. There, hovering in the air above it, was a majestic, stunningly beautiful bird. Compared to the tiny little Glaceon, it was a godlike being. A legendary. Its fierce stare and gorgeous blue feathers were exaggerated heavily by the artist; its wings spanned over half the length of the massive canvas as they were stretched open to slice through the air, riding the currents of wind as if it owned them. Its tail streamed wildly behind it, and the tips of its feathers sparkled like icicles wherever a star would twinkle at their edge. Char could not help but hold his breath at the striking detail of the piece.

"_The Flight of Articuno_, it is titled," Prince explained, entering the room behind him.

"It's beautiful," Char commented, still panning his eyes over the scene and trying to take it all in. "So vivid. It looked like it took a year to paint."

"Not nearly," Prince said with a little chuckle. "But I will tell you a few things about the painting. First, it was not drawn by reference. This was not a scene which the artist witnessed with her own eyes. The two Pokémon you see depicted on the painting, while they are real kinds of Pokémon, are fictional. The artist imagined them this way, and painted the scene she had created in her mind."

"Uh-huh," Char responded absently, still fixated on the image.

"The artist was a Smeargle, naturally," Prince told him. "Though I have never met her personally, she has made very clear the meaning behind the work, and her inspiration for it. Can you guess at the meaning?"

"The beauty of a legendary Pokémon," Char guessed. "And the hopelessness of trying to fight one…"

"As it would appear at first," Prince said, "but what if I were to tell you… that the two Pokémon depicted in this scene are the same person?"

Confused, Char looked closely at the great arctic Pokémon as it swooped down for its kill, and at the Glaceon as it prepared to stand its ground. He shook his head.

"I don't get it," Char admitted.

"They are the same Pokémon," Prince said again. "Think of one… as a product of the other."

Char looked again, taking great notice of the Glaceon's eyes. While they appeared differently at first, Char realized that there was not a shred of hate in them. Or even fear. Just intensity. Focus. Perhaps something also like hope, or longing. And the Articuno… its claws were not outstretched, not aiming for prey. It simply swooped down, perhaps to meet the other…

"I think I get it," Char said after a moment of thinking. "The Articuno is imagined. It's in the Glaceon's mind."

"Correct," Prince said. "One is the imagined, the other is the imaginer. The Articuno is the representation of the Glaceon's spirit, her hopes and desires, manifest before her eyes. Yet… to the Glaceon, the Articuno is as real as she is. Her intimate friend, giving her company and strength in times of need. In this picture, she calls upon it for help, and she finds comfort in its presence."

"An imaginary friend," Char said, still searching for all the minute details which hinted at this meaning. "I like it. But… what does this have to do with my Ember?"

"Just as the Glaceon in the painting, you must learn to see yourself as two spirits in the same body," Prince instructed, illustrating his point with some hand gestures. "For that is what you are. And that is what every Pokémon is, in the end. Two entities in command of one life, each just as real as the other, though one might be intangible and invisible. When you learn to understand this, you will learn to be in full control of yourself."

Char thought about it for a moment, wondering what in the world it could mean. Like the painting, it was certainly not obvious at first. He searched his soul for a second spirit, but didn't seem to find any, except for perhaps the spirit of the primal Charmander he sometimes fought for control. Could that be it?

"Think of it this way," Prince continued, sensing Char's confusion. "There are two facilities that are important to your everyday life. There is the facility that acts, and the facility that thinks and plans, which directs the other on how to act. The world can see your actions, but your thoughts are invisible… to put it another way, in the story of your life, you play two different roles: you are both the author of the story, as well as the primary character. The character acts out the will of the author, while the author is invisible. Does that make any sense?"

"Not really, but a little," Char confessed, staring at the floor awkwardly as he tried to piece together the point.

"On one hand, you are a Charmander. You eat, sleep, and live. You have friends and you fight in battles. Correct? That is you, Char, the Charmander. On the other hand… you are also a human."

Char froze in surprise. He cast a wondering, fearful glance back up at the Infernape.

"You know… like a Pokémon trainer who commands his Charmander into battle." Prince specified, confused at Char's sudden reaction. "He has hopes and dreams for himself and for the Charmander, and commands the Charmander with wisdom and foresight which the Charmander lacks. For a moment, try to think of yourself as that human."

_Shouldn't be too hard,_ Char sarcastically told himself, calming his startled heart.

Char imagined a life that could have been his, for all he knew: the life of a Pokémon trainer. He didn't remember very many specifics, or even any images, but he know how they worked. A human cared for his Pokémon friends and trained them for the greater good of the whole team. Though the human did none of the fighting. The human was only the commander. The Pokémon acted as extensions of his will. This worked well, since most Pokémon could not understand the trainer's master plan. Each knew their strengths, their weaknesses, their mastery of their elements… and it was those things on which they had to consistently focus in order to succeed. It was up to the trainer to see the bigger picture and to utilize the Pokémon's strengths. And it was up to the Pokémon to place their trust in their trainer.

_I'm a trainer,_ Char told himself. _I'm a trainer. And I'm commanding… A Charmander? Me?_

He imagined crawling through some dungeon, and meeting some enemy. He pictured himself as a disembodied spirit of a human floating above the Charmander which was him.

_Char, you have to fight!_ he told the Charmander, who looked back to him for directions. _These are rock Pokémon, so use your Metal Claw technique! You're the only chance we've got!_

He pictured himself standing in the Glaceon's place atop that snowy cliff, again, as the disembodied spirit of a human. Above him, swooping through the air, a giant Charizard approached.

_I need help,_ he told the Charizard, who listened intently to his cry. _Take me away from this place! It's cold! Fly me to safety!_

"And that is how it is done," Prince said, noticing the change in Char's flame. "To call upon your fire, place yourself in the mind of the Charmander. To quell your fire, become the human who commands the Charmander. As the situation demands, allow them to cooperate, and regulate how much of an influence one has on the other. It will take some practice before you can begin to rely on it, as everything does… but it's something for you to think about."

… … …

As Char followed his instructor to their next destination, he amused himself by stepping out of his own persona and pretending he was a Pokémon trainer. Though he didn't yet understand the correlation between this mindset and his Ember, it intrigued him to view himself in this light – especially since, ironically, he _was_ a human and a Pokémon at the same time in the first place.

_Stay with him,_ Char told himself. _He will teach you more about your fire. Listen to him._

As Prince kindly took the Charmander by his side, something stirred deep within his heart. This was his long-awaited opportunity to instruct a youngster. He had planned for this moment, after all, since the first stages of his ploy to draw the Charmander to the Emerald Division. What an honor, it was, to be of assistance to the Pokémon who had the Call! Especially since the last time the Call had happened, circumstances were less than ideal…

Looking down upon the budding little child, faint memories floated before his vision. Days long past gone, such as one late summer afternoon spent teaching a young but world-weary Growlithe to spit her first tongues of flame…

This was something, he felt, he had to do.

After guiding the little one up a narrow case of metallic stairs, Prince flung open a trapdoor set in the ceiling, causing the chilly late-afternoon air to sweep inside. It was a passage to the roof of Rayquaza's Clutch.

The afternoon was no longer young, though evening was still hours away. Upon emerging onto the rooftop, Char cast his gaze onto the uninterrupted view of the sky, finding it hard to believe that, a handful of hours before, _he_ was up there. The cloud blanket which filled the sky and dampened the light of the sun still remained there, motionless, casting the same dreary atmosphere over the land as before. The roof of the building, he saw, was mostly just an endless sea of reservoirs filled with bright white gravel with some raised walkways crisscrossing them. Careful not to trip and fall into the gravel, or worse, through a sky-window and into the floor below (he didn't see any, but wasn't going to take any chances), he tread lightly upon the walkway as Prince led him to the edge.

Peering over the raised guard-wall, Char found a vast yet surprisingly uninteresting view of the city open up to him. He saw how the mostly-empty streets of Fort Emerald formed the spokes of a wheel with Rayquaza's Clutch as its center. Interspersed with them, the same-looking buildings seemed like only a pile of bricks. The outer wall of Fort Emerald thoroughly blocked any view of the horizon line.

"You tremble," Prince noticed.

Char glanced down at his arms which held tight to the corner of the stone wall. Indeed, they were shaking slightly.

"I'm cold," Char said. "It's really cold here up north. It's taking me a while to get used to. Even inside, it's cold. Out here, there's a breeze, too."

"Would you like me to teach you how not to be cold?"

Char nodded, barely managing to contain his raving eagerness as the suggestion.

"There are two ways," Prince explained. "The first, which you probably already know because of what your instincts have told you, is to flare your fire to drown out the cold. Correct?"

"Of course," Char said. "Especially when I'm in battle. When I was back in the courtyard training with Scythe, I felt fine. And even when I was watching you and Scythe fight, I guess it was a little scary, so I still forgot about it being cold. But right now… I won't lie. It's not comfortable up here."

"In the wild, fire-types do not make their homes in cold places," Prince said. "And so, this is the reaction they developed, to shield themselves from the cold with a greater intensity of fire. Though it drains energy, it works to a degree. It can offer temporary relief when you need it, but in the end, it is simply that: you are hiding from the cold, rather than adapting to it. You are hiding from the problem, rather than fixing it. Do you know why fire-types are super-sensitive to cold?"

"Because heat and cold are opposite elements?" Char guessed. "They balance out one another?"

"Close," Prince told him. "Fire-types feel cold because their bodies are warm. It is not the true temperature of the air which you feel; rather, you feel the difference in temperature between your skin and the air which touches it. Hmm… this brings to my mind a funny old dilemma my human friends would always refer to. Many humans enjoy taking showers with hot water. It makes them feel comfortable. But when they try to leave, they get horrible chills all over, even if the air around them is normal in temperature. And so, many of them find it difficult to even leave a shower because of the awful cold. They joke that they become trapped in there."

_Heh, heh, that is pretty funny, actually,_ Char thought to himself. _I… I think I even remember something like that…_

"So, while you could drown out the cold in your own fire, you might just be making things harder on yourself when your fire calms down again," Prince continued. "The second way of keeping yourself warm… is to try to _lower_ your Ember's intensity. Calm yourself. Bring your heart down to a calm, complacent simmer. It will ease your discomfort."

"That's good to know," Char replied, smiling. "Thanks for telling me that. But I'm not sure that I can do it just yet. I still have to work on controlling my Ember like you said… making it go back down has always been subconscious to me. It's hard to do it willingly."

"Yes, you should practice," Prince said. "And again, that is only one of the two ways. You must choose between them. There are some times when the other way is the one you want to do, such as in the more intense cold. Now, in those cases, there is a way to raise your body temperature quickly…"

Prince then went on to teach Char another new technique: how to overheat his body.

He explained the nature of how the air he breathed affected his Ember, comparing it to the wind against a campfire: while a powerful gust of wind could blow the fire out, gentler, concentrated gusts feed the fire like billows, letting it thrive and grow. He instructed Char to breathe slowly but deeply, pushing his lungs as far in and as far out as they could go. After fourteen breaths, as his head was starting to tingle from hyperventilation, Prince instructed him to hold his breath hard.

The result was a strange, fiery tingling feeling sweeping across his whole body. A shiver of warmth. For the moments ensuing, he felt something intense under his skin, almost as though his own skeleton was trying to burst out from its fleshy prison. Pressure flooded all his nerves and muscles, searing with heat as it pulsed through him. He felt his tail flame leap marvelously in size. Most importantly, though, the cold of the breeze was completely lost upon him.

"Well done," Prince said to him, noticing the result. "You fed oxygen to your fire, as though you were in the heat of battle and preparing to expel a pulse of flame from your mouth. But instead, you absorbed it into your own body, trapping all that excess heat inside of you. Not only will that keep you warm for a few moments, but right now, your skin is far too hot for any other creature to touch! Just one brush against you would sear their flesh!"

"Hmm… so I could use it as a weapon?" Char wondered. "It could be a battle technique?"

"Certainly, if you find enemies surrounding you, grappling with you, then yes, by all means, use it to keep them away," Prince answered. "I know I've used it to that effect more than once. It's a helpful technique."

"I like it already," Char said. "I think I'll use it from now on!"

"Good," said Prince. "If you master the technique, it is even possible to send out dangerous waves of heat in all directions when you use it."

"Wow," Char sighed. "So… all this time I was afraid of the cold, I could have avoided it? I never have to feel cold again?"

"Well… not completely true," Prince said after a short hesitation. "There is such a thing as cold that is too intense for your body. Char… did Domo teach you about smoldering? Did he mention it at all?"

Char hesitated to respond. He searched his memory, trying to recall if Domo had ever mentioned "smoldering"… but his mind was blank.

"I don't think so," Char finally told the Infernape. "I don't know what that means."

Prince paused for another moment, staring down at the city with a blank gaze. He was facing a dilemma, Char sensed. Something pertaining to him. He looked displeased.

"Domo should be ashamed of himself, for thinking he can properly train you," he said finally, shaking his head. "Come. That will need to be our next lesson. You must learn to smolder."

* * *

**Fort Emerald**

"It can indeed be difficult to learn all the aspects of being a fire-type," Prince told Char as they walked down the street a block from Rayquaza's Clutch. "There are so many things to learn. Other Pokémon have simple natures. We, on the other hand, are not animated by the same life force or aura. Our fire animates us, a very physical and tangible force, and we must learn how to protect it and control it. As you said, your fire is closely linked to your emotions. When you feel angry, your fire grows bigger."

"And when it's strong, I feel less pain, and more strength," Char added. "It makes me keep pushing on. And when it gets small, so does my willpower."

"Your fire behaves the way it does for a reason," Prince said. "All of these things about your nature which I teach you, they're all driven by one central motive. To understand it, you must understand that when Pokémon came into being, the fire-types were given a special task which no other Pokémon shared. And to accomplish this task, we were each given a tongue of the sacred Ember to harbor inside of us. Our task… as dictated by the gods who placed us down upon the land to live with the other Pokémon… was to destroy the world."

A strange tremble of surprise ran down Char's back as he heard the words. His fire flared, as if he was being called to some grand purpose, but confusion set in just as quickly when he remembered that the world wasn't that bad of a place and that he really didn't want to see it go.

"I'm meant to destroy the world?" Char repeated, scanning his own feelings. "How… how am I supposed to do that?"

"You hold the Ember, so yes, it is your task, inherited from the ancients and handed down to every living fire-type," Prince said. "Of course, nobody is asking you to accomplish it. But that is why you exist. That is your purpose in nature. When Arceus formed the universe, he deemed that it should be held in balance. For every force, there must also exist a force to fight it. For every life, there must be a predator. And so as the world fills with life and beauty and majesty, there must also be a cleansing force to destroy that life and tear down that beauty, so that the world might be held in the balance. That is why he created the Ember and all the Pokémon who carry it, so that we may spread it far and wide and turn the world into ash. Of course, we will eternally fail, as we are also balanced by that same life we are driven to destroy… Even today, fire-types are growing scarce, since the nature of the world thrives to eliminate us…"

Char felt his fire flickering strangely as he listened to the words. It had a very different taste now, a significance to it that held him in awe. He felt strangely proud to accept his Ember and the reason it burned.

"Fire-types are proud by nature," Prince said, catching the gleam in Char's eye as he reflected on it. "As we are controlled by the Ember, we are narrow-minded, self-absorbed, and quick to anger. But things should not be any other way. For with our anger comes the Ember demanding to be expelled so that we may burn our enemies and survive in a world that is opposed to our existence by instinct. With the Ember at our cores, we should never underestimate what it can make us do."

"Heh. Hahah… wow," Char laughed nervously. "That's a lot to accept. I almost don't know what to think of myself now…"

"But doesn't it raise your spirit?" Prince chuckled. "Legend was the one who told me that for the first time. A long time ago, back when I was putting my team together, my pride had gotten me into a difficult situation with the division. He told me that story to raise my spirit, that whenever I made a mistake or made an enemy, it was my birthright to do so. The next morning… I let him join my team."

Char found himself paused in the street at the front of a windowless building. It stood only one floor in height, but it stretched in length, flat and square, back across a couple of blocks. Though it was made with the same kind of thick, sparkling, white-and-gray bricks as Rayquaza's Clutch, this building did not have an intrinsic sense of dignity to it. It was built with function in mind, not honor. Char guessed it was an underground warehouse or attack shelter, judging by how it looked so sturdy and reinforced. After a brief moment of pause, Prince ascended the ramp to the entrance and let himself in. Char followed.

"Wait… Legend? The Ninetales?" Char asked, the name suddenly clicking in his head, as he stepped through the doorway and felt the hollow echoes of far-away sounds resonating down the halls. "Was that the one we passed back in the courtyard? Was that him?"

"Yes, that was him," Prince answered, looking at a couple of doors before him as if trying to remember which way to go. "He's here because he has an event in town tonight. He still tells stories to the division every now and then. It's his passion in life, after all."

"Will I get to be there?" Char wondered. "I might want to meet him…"

"You'll probably have to talk Scythe into it, but otherwise, there's no reason you can't," Prince said. "But for now… come. This way."

A few paces away from the entrance, Char found himself staring down a long, huge hallway that converged down to a point in the distance as if it were endless. There were numerous doors and windows along the walls, some of which cast dim yellow light onto the silvery floor paved with some sort of metallic substance. He heard as more tiny echoes resounded down the long corridor, but more than that, Char suddenly felt distracted by something. There was something in the air that he couldn't place. It made his heart race to sense it, yet it was totally invisible. He tensed his muscles, wondering what the feeling could mean…

"Quickly," Prince tried again, his voice louder. "We do not have very long."

Char jumped and ran after him.

… … …

Prince passed the long hallway completely, moving quickly through a narrow side-hall and then down a flight of stairs. Char kept up to the best of his ability, afraid of getting lost in the unknown establishment.

After descending a couple floors, Prince held a small door open for Char. Stepping out from the stairwell, a feeling of tininess sank into Char's heart as he stared down a long, dark, silent corridor. It resembled the same one Char had seen in the upper floor, except it was much wider, and the ceiling was twice as high, and there were no lights. Char felt himself tense even more; it was like a dungeon, or a deserted mine shaft, or perhaps a giant the size of the earth had pounded a stake down into this building and then pulled it out quickly. The hall had a very distinct shape to it, the walls and ceiling sloped and formed something like an elongated pentagon.

And that scent… yes, a scent, it had to be… it was stronger here. It made his claws tingle, his throat tighten, his tail twitch. What was it? What was calling to him so?

Char wondered this as he stared down the horizontal shaft, watching how the shadows swallowed the tiny light from his flame like a bottomless pit. A measure of comfort came to him as Prince entered the room and came to stand at his side, the blazing mane atop his head dwarfing his own flames and reflecting strongly from the dull steel surfaces which surrounded him.

"I'm going to show you this the same way my father showed me," Prince told Char gravely, walking him down the huge cavern-like hallway. "It is something every fire-type must understand about their Ember. Before I do this, I must warn you that I am about to put your life in grave danger. You will nearly die. In truth, if you do not do exactly as I say, you may die. But this is something you must learn. You must experience this and never forget what I am about to show you. Understand?"

Char didn't know what the Infernape was about to commence, but standing in the digestive tract of such a large, steel beast, feeling the constant tingle of the cold that seemed to define every corner of the Emerald Division, he couldn't help but feel a sense of brotherhood with the fellow fire-type. He stood tall and held his form courageously, looking to his new mentor with respect and trust.

"I understand," Char answered as confidently as he could manage.

"Good," Prince said with a nod. "Now, you say you have experienced the blaze reaction before. You may have come to rely upon it when all hope seems lost. Indeed, it's a very moving force, and you should never underestimate what you can accomplish under its influence. But understand this: the blaze reaction is a response to physical trauma; it happens if you are injured or if you are losing in a battle. But there are times when it will not come to your aid. If your only enemy is the cold, the blaze reaction will not help you, as your fire itself is challenged."

Prince stepped to the wall of the hallway. Char made out the handle of a door near his form. Prince approached it, gripping a hand on the latch.

"This is cold storage," Prince explained. "In here, we keep our meat from decaying. Do you eat meat?"

_Meat!_ Char realized excitedly. _Meat! That's it! That's the smell! _

"Uh… uhm…" Char mumbled, a little ashamed to answer the question. "I uh… I've tried it before… But I… I don't eat it very much."

"You are ashamed," Prince guessed, seeing Char's reaction. "You enjoy meat. But you are ashamed of eating another living Pokémon. So you instead feast on seeds and berries. Am I right?"

"Y… yes," Char said. "Actually… I had meat once or twice. I didn't tell anyone. But I really liked it."

"Well, I'd hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you are a carnivorous Pokémon," Prince said distractedly, undoing the latch on the door. "Eventually you will have to learn to live with the guilt. You may enjoy your seeds and berries now, but as a Charizard, you will crave meat and meat alone. Learn to hunt and kill before you learn to consider it an offense to your morals. _Now…_"

Prince gripped the door handle tightly, preparing to open the chamber. Before he did, he sent Char one last glance.

"These freezers are colder than the harshest temperatures of Zerferia," Prince announced. "Do not use the techniques I taught you to stay warm; they will not work here. The cold is too much. Most Pokémon bodies were not meant to weather a temperature this extreme for more than a few moments. But to a fire-type, it is especially deadly. If your body temperature drops too far, your Ember cannot be sustained, and it will be put out. And your life will end."

A chill descended Char's back as he felt his knees turn to jelly. Fear flooded his body, and his fire rose to help him. Prince was going to freeze him alive?! He considered bolting for the door and never looking back.

Though Char was now uncontrollably cringing, imagining this fate worse than death, he stood his ground. Prince smiled upon him.

"Courage, little one," Prince told him warmly. "I will suffer with you. And I will not let your fire die. You will emerge from this a stronger Pokémon. It is a promise."

Prince extended his hand. Clenching his teeth, Char reached out and took two of the Infernape's fingers in his tiny grasp, holding them hard.

With a metallic creak, the heavy freezer door was opened.

It seemed like a horrible void had swept over Char as the first subzero draft engulfed him. It was as though he felt nothing, yet it hurt with such surprising intensity that he felt his breath taken away. He managed to produce a whining cry as he tried to pull away, but Prince held his hand firmly and dragged him forward.

As the cold enveloped his whole form, Char felt every muscle in his body weakening, the strength draining from him like a burst bubble. Again, his instincts retaliated and he struggled for freedom from the Infernape's grasp, but his struggle was weaker this time. He felt his legs give out. He closed his eyes tight, the sensitive nerves in his face pinching and burning. He felt the Infernape tug him forward, picking him up to carry him the rest of the way.

He heard the mighty door slam shut and click in place, sealing him in.

He felt himself being set down on the metal, frost-covered floor. He felt how the floor bonded to the skin of his feet upon contact.

He opened his eyes.

In the light of Prince's fire, he saw a dark, pitiless dungeon, running the entire length of the outer hallway. Glowing icicles hung from the ceiling, dusty frost was piled along the corners. A meat rack ran along the back, huge slabs of naked, dead Pokémon hanging from the ceiling as far as the eye could see, all stripped down to their muscles and completely unidentifiable. Char knew he should have been drooling at the sight of them. But he wasn't. Not now. They meant nothing to him.

Such agony he felt, unlike anything he ever thought he knew before. He knew his body had gone totally numb, yet he still felt an excruciating sting across every inch of his skin, as though the first few layers had been ripped off and he'd been left to bleed. Underneath that skin, a pounding headache formed, spreading to the rest of his body like a destructive venom. His arms shook uncontrollably. His jaw quivered. Tears bled from his eyes, but soon hardened into tiny droplets of ice. He felt no strength. No will to fight. In the face of this pain, there was only hopelessness.

"_EAAAAHUGHHHHHHAAAAH!"_ Char sobbed loudly, his body convulsing forward in Prince's direction. "_AUUUUUUUhhhh! ARUUGHHHHHH!_"

With a burst of energy, Char launched his feeble body at the Infernape.

"_P-p-p-p-p-plleeeeeeeeeease…_" he managed to gasp, struggling just to make contact with his flailing arms. "_P-p-p-p-pleeeeeeee…._"

"_No,_ Char…" Prince said sternly, giving Char's body a push and sending him flailing backwards. "You aren't done yet. Endure. _Endure,_ Char. Fight the pain."

Char flailed weakly as he stumbled backwards. He tried to stay standing, but his sense of balance failed him as he could only give his legs meaningless commands. With a soft _thump_, his body plopped onto the floor, where he tried to curl up into a trembling little ball.

As the dying Charmander lay curled up, Prince saw one broken little eye was still staring at him. Asking why. Pleading for relief, for mercy. Crying at this betrayal that had brought him down to his knees, and lower, in mere moments. And he felt pity.

Though he, too, suffered, his fire gradually dimming in the ungodly cold, Prince could endure. Years of trudging through Zerferia had hardened him, made his fur coat thick, made him understand his enemy - the cold - and how to best face it. But what he did not tell Char was that his father had not stayed with him in the cold when he was young.

… … …

_The little Chimchar watched in horror as his father set the latch that would lock the hatch from the inside. Watched as the light cast by his father's flames faded from the room, leaving him to die in the searing cold with no company but the shadows._

"_You will escape from here on your own," his father decreed, standing in the doorway, speaking down to the helpless little chimp Pokémon huddling his knees against his chest for warmth._

"_Wait… wait, no, dad! No!" the chimp cried in terror. "I can't… I can't lift the latch on my own! My fingers are already frozen! Dad…! I can't do it!"_

"_Then… you will die," his father said, turning his head and slamming the door closed._

"_NO! DAD!" the Chimp cried, bounding forward on his weakening little legs and pounding on the closed door, feeling the cold drain his Ember away. "DAD! COME BACK! DAD!"_

_He looked at the complicated door latch in disbelief. It was impossible! His fingers had lost all feeling. They were nothing but numb stubs that wouldn't follow his orders. He placed them on the hard metal, desperately, so desperately trying to yank it in place, but his fingers just slid off._

_Finally, he threw himself at the door, feeling the brunt of the concussion as it rippled through him, the pain halfway dulled by the numbness. He gave a final cry from the deepest recesses of his heart…_

_… … …_

"S…. Saura…" Char muttered, his body growing still, his voice now barely a whisper. "S… Saura… help… me…"

"Peace," Prince muttered. "Take it easy. It's almost over. We're going to get there together."

Char did not hear him. Char was beyond pain now. The cold had won. It was claiming him. He could feel his Ember, the life-blood of his body, simply giving up. He could hear nothing else, feel nothing else. He could not remember who he was, where he was, or why he was suffering. The whole world had disappeared. All he knew was the feeling of the tiny little Ember in his heart, the only warmth he had left, struggling so hard for survival but slipping away…

Time seemed to slow down for Char as his final moments ticked by. Every breath, every heartbeat took an eternity in that dark void of loneliness he had created for himself. It felt like a nightmare, but try as he may, he could not wake up from it. He knew he was dying. In his delusion, he welcomed death. He forgot his mission, his friends, his promises. He only yearned for death, to escape from the cold. He was done.

At last… it came. He felt the last little tongue of his inner flame dissipate, sizzling away. With a long sigh of relief, Char breathed his last, resting his spent body against the floor of his metal tomb…

_*Pop!*_

It felt like a bubble had ruptured in Char's head. He recognized the feeling – he'd felt something like before, when his body had started to burn as he tried to sleep inside of the torch at his bedside—but this time, he knew something else had happened.

Char's eyes blinked open.

He was in the same place, the inside of the freezer. At the Emerald Division. With Prince. As Scythe, Ray, and Saura were elsewhere. He was on his way to meet Dialga.

Char blinked again. Everything had suddenly come back to him.

Not only that, but in an attempt to climb to his feet, Char realized that he felt no pain. None.

It was like one of those spring mornings in the Goldenrod Meadow, where the temperature found that perfect equilibrium where it was neither hot nor cold. It was just there. Char looked at his hands, turning them over, wondering how it could be that was no longer feeling the harsh cold he knew still surrounded him.

"Am I dead?" Char blurted out, turning to Prince for an answer.

Prince's smile was wide, even as his own fire struggled to keep its dominance over the cold. He shook his head.

"No, you're not dead," he responded. "But look at your tail."

Char did as instructed, gathering his tail in his hands with a reflexive movement that he had learned, holding it before his eyes.

There was no flame.

Char blinked in confusion. His flame was out. It seemed like it should have been surprising. Horrifying, even. But for some reason, it wasn't. It was just interesting. Char took a closer look at the very tip which used to constantly expel his flame, and saw it riddled with a barely visible pinecone-like formation of holes, a spout that let the fire escape. Except, the fire wasn't there. It didn't seem right.

"What does this mean?" Char asked oddly to the Infernape, turning his tail around in his hands.

"You're smoldering," Prince explained. "Your Ember is now burning without flame. It is still alive, though the cold has defeated it, and it has retreated to its innermost sanctuary, where it will glow for as long as it can manage. But it is still there for now, and so, you are still alive."

"…Oh," Char simply said, shrugging. "Does that mean I'm about to die?"

"Yes," Prince said. "Smoldering means you're on your very last thread of life. If you cannot save yourself now, your Ember will cease to burn, and you will fall dead."

"I see," Char said, dropping his tail and looking to Prince. "So… when I start smoldering, I stop feeling the cold. But… um… should I be concerned about this? I'm about to die. That seems a little serious. Why don't I feel concerned?"

"Because it is your Ember which regulates your feelings. Even your emotions," Prince explained. "Since the flame has disappeared, your feelings have run dry. You shouldn't be able to feel anything right now. It could be a good thing, or bad. Good because it gives you some clarity of mind in your final moments and some relief from the pain, if that's what you need to escape death. Bad because, like you mentioned, without your feelings, it can be hard to feel motivated to save yourself."

Char studied himself amidst this very odd condition his body was experiencing. Indeed, none of his emotions where there. His mind felt blank, like a robot. He could still see, feel, think… but he couldn't feel pain, or excitement, or fear. It all felt very distant, as if it was happening to someone else.

"That explains a lot," Char said, pacing in place. "Huh. Actually, I think I might have smoldered before. Or maybe I was about to. I think I felt something like this."

"Really, now?" Prince asked. "When was this?"

"Once, I fought a Steelix. But Ray used this orb that made it rain in the cave," Char recalled, his mind strangely clear. "The rain was really cold. And then I beat the Steelix because I was blazing. But then the blaze ended, and I started feeling kinda weird. Like this. Like I should have felt happy, but I didn't really. I don't know what happened after that because I passed out and the dungeon expelled me."

"Could be," Prince said. "Water can sometimes put out the Ember enough so that it smolders. It's been known to happen before. I'd imagine it's more likely with Charmander, since your tail is easy to get wet."

Char began to wander into the back area of the freezer to inspect the meat, but a thought occurred to him. He turned back to Prince.

"Uh… hey, Prince? I have a question."

"Yes?"

"You're not really going to let me die, are you?" Char asked awkwardly. "I've been smoldering for two minutes now. I was just curious. I mean… if you're trying to kill me, I probably couldn't fight you anyway…"

Prince chuckled. "Oh, heh heh, no, little one. This is just a lesson. It's not over yet. But you're going to survive. After all, I promised you that I wouldn't let you die, didn't I?"

"…Oh, right," Char answered. "…That's right. I forgot about that. You did promise. Hmm… Well, then, how much longer?"

"Almost all fire-types can smolder for four minutes before they die," Prince explained. "That's somewhere around four hundred eighty heartbeats for a Pokémon of your size, if you feel you have to count. Stronger Pokémon can smolder for longer, depending on how strong they are. Me, I could probably survive for twenty minutes at my age. But you should consider four minutes your maximum. After that… you can't tell when death will strike."

"So… I'm waiting for my limit to be up?" Char wondered. "Is that it?"

"Yes," said Prince. "I need you to see what happens when you reach your limit. You need to experience it, and never forget it. I could explain it to you, but it will remain in your heart more powerfully if you see it for yourself. If this ever happens to you, you cannot take time to think about words you once heard me say. You have to _recognize_ it."

"Alright…" Char said with an emotionless nod. "I trust you."

Char waited patiently for his near-death experience to arrive. He glanced around at the architecture of the freezer, which he could only see by the dimming light of Prince's flame now. Pipe-like bars ran across the ceiling, and above them, he thought he could see some sort of vent. Around him, it appeared that the freezer held only meat, but he caught sight of a shelf with opaque white bags stacked upon it. On his other side, there were some boxes on the floor, but they were half-covered in a mound of snow. Char started twiddling his fingers and playing with his flameless tail, having run out of things to look at…

And then, after six and a half minutes, Char felt different.

"I think… it's coming," Char reported, standing before Prince with a dazed look in his eye. "I'm… I don't know. It's like I'm getting pulled somewhere. But I'm not moving."

"Alright," Prince said, standing over him. "Now… I want you to tell me exactly what you see, and what you feel. Describe it for as long as you can."

"I feel lightheaded," Char said. "Like I'm about to float away…"

Prince took a deep breath.

"Your fire… it's shining," Char rambled. "Brighter. It's getting brighter. And it's shining, like diamonds… My heart. I can feel my heartbeat through my whole body. Like an earthquake. But it's slowing down."

Char's eyes glazed over. Prince knew that he was no longer using them. He took another deep, steady breath.

"It's bright." Char said. "I'm looking right at the sun. It's bright. I… I can't see anything. I'm… blind… Prince…? Are you still there…? Prince…?"

The golden light swallowed Char, and he felt himself drifting off… perhaps into the spiritual realm.

… … …

_The Chimchar could feel his fingers now._

_He wasn't angry at his dad anymore. And he wasn't scared. He didn't know why._

_But his fingers worked. They were clumsy and they flopped around, but he could understand them underneath the numbing pain. The numbing pain wasn't even there anymore._

_It was dark. There was no fire to light his way. But he could feel the door. He knew it was the door. He knew what the latch felt like. He knew how to work it._

_He grasped the latch with his tiny fingers. He lifted the latch. It flipped over onto itself with a little clank. Then he grabbed the deadbolt mechanism, pulled it down, over, and then up…_

_One, two… no, there was one more. What was it? He tried to remember._

_The little metal thresh-hold. The one that kept the door closed completely. He grasped it and yanked, pulling it out of place._

_He pushed the door open, free of the freezer._

_He found himself staring face-to-face with his father, who'd been waiting for him just outside. The old Infernape smiled warmly, lovingly upon him._

_The little Chimchar was at a loss for words. He tried to say something, but no words seemed to fit. Nothing meant anything. Still he stood, halfway in the freezer, halfway out, staring at his father._

_His father, the great Infernape, said something. He was proud of him. Was he talking to him? Or was he talking to some other Pokémon? He couldn't tell, it seemed so far away…_

_And then… there came a light._

_The sun seemed to descend down into the hallway. The little lamp-lights next to the stairwell flared in brightness and never stopped growing. His father's mane grew brilliant and beautiful, swirling in miraculous patterns, as if Moltres were playing within it. _

_As the light brightened, he saw his father crouch down to embrace him. He felt the embrace. His head was pressed against his father's chest, his father's strong arms squeezing his back. He felt his father's heartbeat against his ear. He felt his father's breath against his forehead._

_The light became overpowering, until he couldn't see anything. It started to dissolve him, carry him away somewhere. But he still felt something. He still felt his father right next to him, holding him down, holding him tightly, not letting him escape._

_And just when that started to fade away, too, disappearing into the great light…_

_There was a roar…_

_… … …_

_**Fire.**_

_**Sweet, blessed, divine fire!**_

It erupted everywhere, covering him. Like food to a starving belly, like relief to relentless agony, it came, filling his withering body with a new wave of life. He writhed in joy as fire returned to his being, his reality, crying tears of happiness as he felt its intensity, its warmth, its dance against his skin. He had missed it so dearly.

He clung to the Infernape's chest with all his might as Prince allowed his whole body to combust, engulfing the little Charmander in his arms with a blanket of his own fire.

Char shivered as he felt his Ember thawing, melting like a little ice cube in the great blaze.

"You see," Prince told him, "when you find yourself smoldering, there is only one way to save yourself. If you want to live, you must find warmth at all costs. It is the only thing that can save you."

"Thank you…" Char whispered weakly, letting his body go limp in the Infernape's arms.

The two fire-brethren remained there in the freezer for three more minutes, their flames roaring in glory long after Char's Ember had caught again.


	42. Chapter 38: Conflict of Interest

_Author's note: I'd like to especially thank __**Gorsecloud**__ (formerly fallingautumnleaves) for her encouragement and support while writing this chapter._

* * *

**Chapter 38**

Char still felt a little loopy as he and Prince returned to the streets of Fort Emerald, but a grin remained frozen across his face. He tried to fight it, but he could never resist the urge to glance back at his tail and at the little yellow-and-red tongue which erupted at the end, right where it was supposed to be, making his smile return in full force. After almost freezing to death, Char was just happy to be alive and aflame.

"I just… I can't believe it… I almost died!" Char gasped for the third time, jumping on Prince's heels. "That cold was awful! It was a nightmare! It crushed me so fast, I couldn't even think! I bet the Master couldn't even find a better way to torture a fire Pokémon than throwing them in a freezer! And then there was that light… I came so close! I saw it! It was like everything was getting drowned in light, then I couldn't see anything… Oh, man, now everything feels so surreal, like this is all just a dream I'm going to wake up from someday. Will this feeling ever go away?"

"You'll get over it soon enough," Prince assured him warmly, amused at Char's hyperactivity. "But even as you do, never forget the lesson you've learned. Pokémon and humans alike fear death because they do not understand it. Now that you have witnessed it for yourself, you've nothing to fear. I've seen too many Pokémon fall in their final moments by blind panic. But you've watched your own fire go out and your life end. Do not let yourself be afraid or confused by the way your fire flickers. Instead, focus with all your might, and find the answer. Find a way to live."

"I… I just cheated death." Char gasped, his eyes widening as if the implications hadn't dawned on him until just now. "I just cheated death! What if I _died_? Saura! He would have been heartbroken! And Ray would have been devastated! They're all in this just for me! And Scythe… Oh, wow! _Scythe_! If I would have died… what would Scythe have done?! Oh, man! The Call! I would have just thrown it away just like that, killed everyone's hopes… I would have _destroyed_ him!"

"Indeed," Prince uttered. "Of course, you know not to tell Scythe about this. He would slit my throat the moment he found out. But it was for your own good, Char. Your strength is defined by your mastery of your fire. For the regiment my grandfather commanded, learning to smolder was an inseparable step in training for the fire-types. Some Pokémon even sparred with their flames out, just to learn to battle without the aid of the powerful emotions which they came to count on. It made them better warriors because it would teach the mind to notice things which the heart would miss."

"…I know," Char said. "That it was for my own good, I mean. Prince, thank you for teaching me how to smolder. And everything else. Showing me that painting, and teaching me how to cool down. Thank you for everything. It _is_ scary sometimes being a Charmander. I mean… not knowing about my own nature. Thank you for helping me. I really mean it."

"You're welcome," Prince said, "but do not credit me. I am only passing the flame to a new generation. In such a cold world, we fire-types must help one another out whenever we can, lest our command of the Ember go forgotten. Believe me, Char, given the chance, I would train you to the very best of my ability. I cannot list all the things you are still oblivious to. Endurance techniques. Battle strategies, especially versus certain enemies you are weak against. Knowledge of how fire works on a chemical level. Special diets you must follow during specific parts of the year to retain your internal health. If we had seven years, I would teach you everything I know. But today, we have only an hour together. And that hour is nearly up."

"Oh…" Char said, disappointed. "So… where are we going now?"

"Back to Rayquaza's Clutch," Prince answered. "Scythe's term in the courtyard will be ending shortly. He'll be wanting you back within his sight immediately, I think. But if I'm lucky, I might barter another hour or two with you before the sun sets too far. We will see."

Char took a deep breath, trying to calm the vibrant rush of energy which had filled him after having his life force restored. He looked at the cloudy sky and saw it darkening ever so slightly as the position of the sun shifted.

"Well… at least it got a little warmer out here," Char commented, stretching his arms contently. "I couldn't imagine how you could survive being so cold all the time. It actually feels pleasant now."

"Char… the temperature hasn't changed," Prince chuckled. "That is, if it hasn't gotten a little colder as the afternoon dies away."

"You're kidding!" Char yelped, stopping to look at himself. "It doesn't feel cold at all! It feels like a nice warm spring day! Even the breeze is comfortable!"

"Give your nerves time to return to normal," Prince told him. "After temperatures _that_ cold, everything is going to feel warm for a while. Maybe even for several days depending on how sensitive you are. But the cold still affects you. Like when you were smoldering, only your senses are numbed."

Char couldn't care less. He felt great. And he was still excited, ready for Prince to teach him something else.

"Maybe we can spar!" Char suggested. "I'm full of energy, and I didn't get very much exercise in with Scythe before you came. Maybe you could teach me some more battle moves!"

"That's a possibility, yes," Prince said as they approached the base of the staircase leading up to the rear doorway of the capital building. "Though there are more important things we need to cover before we head into Zerferia. For one thing… we need to find something for you to wear."

"…Wear?" Char echoed, blinking blankly at the suggestion. "What… do you mean? Like clothes? Like… human clothes?"

"Like them, yes," Prince answered. "Although, in your case, on a much smaller and more efficient scale."

Char opened his mouth, but couldn't find anything to say. He could only stare down at himself in bewilderment.

"You look surprised," Prince observed humorously, climbing the final stairstep. "Yes, I know it is an odd concept for you, having lived down in such a temperate climate. But bear with me. It will help…"

When Prince's hand went for the door handle, the door moved for him.

He leapt back, just barely avoiding a knock on the head by the wooden doors as they swung outward.

When Char leapt atop the last step, he beheld the figure of Scythe standing in the doorway, his gaze burning upon Prince.

He was not amused.

"What a coincidence," Scythe uttered sarcastically, stepping forward and practically pressing his face into Prince's, "I was just about to come looking for you. After having asked every passerby in the building if they'd seen you."

Char cringed at the sight of him. He looked exhausted, though not the least bit relieved, from his exercise. Instead, he was clearly furious, perhaps just as furious as when his battle took place. Behind him, Char noticed Ray and Saura slowly emerging from the shadows, though they held their distance; they, too, looked worn out, though not for the same reason. From their frozen expressions, Char knew that Scythe had become enraged in front of him.

And just like that, Char's joy was gone. Put out. It suddenly seemed like a good idea to crawl back into the dark freezer and peacefully die.

"What are you trying to pull?" Scythe demanded in a calm but seething tone, thrusting against Prince's chest with his blades and pushing him back farther. "I granted you permission to come with us to Temporal Tower. I granted you permission to train with Char. Was that not enough? I did _not_ grant you permission to sneak out while my back was turned, to run off somewhere to indoctrinate him!"

Scythe turned his gaze into Char's eyes, sending him a look of harsh disappointment. Char could not help but shirk backward when it struck him.

"I was training him, as you said," Prince replied, keeping his calm. "Not all training can be done at the scourging post. Char hungers for knowledge about his fire-type nature, which apparently the Gold Division did not provide."

"Do not smirk at me and tell me those lies. You are up to the same scheme as last time," Scythe hissed in the Infernape's face, the intensity of his voice escalating. "You kidnap him, take him away and tell him what he wants to hear until he trusts you… Was it not enough the first time? You have already destroyed one generation's future, old friend. Is that not enough? Now you are targeting Char? Well, I've got something for you, Prince. My Charmander trusts me far more than he will ever trust you."

Scythe turned to Char a second time, eyes narrowed in a demanding expression. Char bit his lip and held his breath.

"Char, tell me," Scythe asked, "what did he tell you?"

Char felt the moment freeze in time. He glanced at Prince, whose eyes betrayed worry. He saw how subtly they pleaded for that trust Scythe claimed he would not give him. They pleaded to him not to repay his kindness by backstabbing him. They both knew what would happen if he told the truth.

"Char," Scythe repeated, his command a challenge of Char's loyalty. "what did Prince tell you?"

Char turned to Scythe. His eyes, too, were pleading to him, as though he had made a claim he was not completely sure about, yet hoped it to be true. Like Prince, Scythe's eyes betrayed a deep weakness, a fear of treachery.

Gritting his teeth with regret, Char knew Scythe's words to be true.

"He taught me to smolder," Char replied, spitting the words out before he could hold them back, watching as Prince's eyes widened in defeat.

Scythe blinked. A puzzled expression came over him, lingering there for a moment… for two moments…

_*THUMP*_

In the blink of an eye, Scythe assaulted Prince with a powerful body slam and pinned him against the rough brick wall. His blade was leveled with the Infernape's throat.

"_Give me __**one **__good reason I should not destroy you __**here and now**__!" _Scythe roared. "_You took him to the warehouse and you __**froze him within a hair of his life?! **__You don't think I __**know**__ how many Pokémon have __**died**__ from that 'lesson'?! Do you __**realize**__ what you have put on the line?! You could have __**killed him**__!_"

"Just as you would have, in a mere couple of days!" Prince shot back, trying to lift his mouth from the wall. "You would have frozen him to death all the same, by taking him to Zerferia unprepared."

"Char has enough _real-life_ dangers to worry about for you to be adding _needless and senseless risks!_" Scythe hissed. "At this point, you are a _danger to us_. I could kill you right now in defense of the Call and the resistance would trust my judgment."

"How am I any different from you?" Prince challenged, struggling only to breathe in the Scyther's grasp. "I know how you have trained your students. They have told me themselves. You taught them everything they know by experience. I'm sure that 'experience' has put their lives at risk at times, has it not? Sending them out into dungeons, pitting them against foes? Yet you've gone through with their training anyway. In trying to help Char, I've done the same. How is that any different?"

"_The __**difference**_**,**" Scythe spat, thrusting Prince's body brutally against the wall, "is that these are _my_ students. All of _your_ students are either dead, gone, or have learned well enough not to trust your judgment!"

Char couldn't take the sight. His loyalty was to Scythe, but he knew Prince couldn't be as bad as Scythe was judging him to be. He knew that Prince was only trying to help him. He wanted this discrepancy to end.

"Scythe…" Char spoke meekly.

Scythe answered without turning his head. "Char, you should have known better than to follow him," he grunted. "I laid down the rules when we first arrived here, and you have broken the most important of them: _not_ to ask questions. It is for _your_ safety you must not pry into the lives of the Pokémon around here."

"But…"

"_Char_," Scythe interrupted, turning a reddened eye in his direction. "If you speak _one_ more word, you and I will be going to Temporal Tower _alone_."

Char's mouth instantly clamped shut.

Tension burned in the air for many seconds as Scythe continued to hold Prince hostage, yet found nothing more to say. Char resigned himself to the unpleasant scene knowing that he couldn't do anything to stop it, yet it kept hurting with such a heart-piercing sting that he begged for it to be over as soon as possible… much like being locked in cold storage. Ray and Saura stood just outside the still-open doorway watching the scene take place. Their eyes were wide and saddened, yet not surprised; Char knew they had been expecting something like this to happen the moment Scythe realized he had left the courtyard.

Char's legs were locked in place. His jaw was sealed in speechlessness. His fire raged in response to the stress, yet he could not do anything with it. This wasn't like the challenge between rivals that had taken place at the scourging post. This fight was dead serious. It was far over his head. And he knew it should not have been taking place.

Then… Scythe's expression changed. A glimmer of shame appeared in his eyes.

Blinking, he stared at the ground for a moment and ignored his hostage. With a slight thrust of his arms, he stepped away and let the Infernape go.

"I'm sorry," he muttered quietly, looking at nobody. "I realize… I am only making this harder on the five of us."

Calmly, quietly, he stepped toward the stairs leading back into the city.

"I begin to lose control of myself," he announced grimly. "I need some time by myself to think. I'm going to take a walk to the western border. Char… Saura… Ray… Prince will be your guardian while I am away. Follow him. Trust him."

Before stepping past Char and descending the staircase, he turned to Prince.

"I know you mean them no harm." Scythe told him. "Do with them what you will. I have no good reason to deny them your company and your words of wisdom. So go, train them. Prepare them. Just… do not consider this as an opportunity to redeem yourself for your past transgressions."

"And why not?" Prince returned.

"Because," Scythe answered solemnly, "you already have."

Scythe turned and began his descent down the staircase.

"I will be back by nightfall," he called from afar. "Do not follow me."

Without saying another word, Scythe just walked away, leaving Char and his friends in the care of the Infernape.

Char heard as the others fell to his side at the edge of the top step, Ray and Saura on his left and Prince on his right, all with their eyes fixed on the Scyther who marched down the city streets, alone.

"Wow…" Ray whispered.

"His anger is righteous," Prince noted. "He… he has a reason to despise me. You see… He stands in the same position I once found myself. Many years ago, the Call came. I was the one to capture the Pokémon who possessed it. But… in my duty to protect the Call… to guide it, to control it… I failed. And now, he has you, Char, and he does not want to fail with you the way I did. He knows that one learns from their mistakes, yet he can't ignore the gravity of mine. And after all these years, neither can I."

Char said nothing, only watching as Scythe became a tiny speck to his vision, approaching the convergence point of the road on which he walked.

"He has every right to be protective of you," Prince continued, sounding dumbfounded. "Yet… that does not completely explain his anger. Why is his anger so intense? There is something else going on here. I don't understand what's wrong with him. He fears this journey. After our battle, he told me that he was not ready for the pain involved on the journey. What… pain? I do not see it… What is he planning that I do not understand?"

"I don't think we should talk about it," Char said. "He's already had enough. Let's not gossip."

"Hmm, agreed," Prince hummed. "In that case… We will do as he says and continue to prepare. Come, the daylight wanes…"

… … …

It was a short walk to the next destination, another gray building about a block west of the capital, but Char knew his enthusiasm was already snuffed out. He tried to tell himself not to worry about Scythe and to just pay attention to whatever Prince was going to tell him next, but the thought of Scythe going mad was more distracting now than ever. For a moment, he even pictured a startling scene with Prince protecting him from a crazed Scythe as insanity set in. He pushed it away with all his might.

But the worst sinking feeling came when he remembered Scythe saying the plan involved _him_. Whether he understood it or not, he was caught up in this mess. He was possibly even at its core. It chilled him to wonder how he would fit into Scythe's unforeseen problems.

Along the way, Char tried to ignore the somber mood by describing the sensation of smoldering to his astonished friends.

"It was intense," Char admitted, as Saura and Ray both gaped in horror. "It was worse than… everything. Earthquakes are pleasant in comparison. So is being submerged in water. I was… reduced to a broken shell of a Pokémon. I'd rather get smashed by a hundred Gravelers than feel that cold again."

"Char… I think I'm with Scythe on this one," Saura managed to say, his eyes already watering from having witnessed Scythe's outburst. "First you disappeared without a trace, then you almost _died_? Don't _do_ that! Just… Wow…!"

"In his final moments, as his sanity blurred, he tried to cry out to you, Saura," Prince noted. "His greatest trust is in you."

Saura looked honestly touched at hearing the words. He blinked, causing tears to stream down his face. Char knew he wanted to break down, and admired how he struggled to stay in control.

"Indeed, Char could have died," Prince said. "Yet, do not dwell on what could have been, only on what could still be. Char has become stronger and wiser from his lesson. He now knows how to care for himself in the direst of circumstances, which we may encounter in the arctic. Speaking of which, Saura, do you understand how your body reacts to extreme cold?"

"I wilt," Saura replied. "Plant Pokémon turn brown and their leaves start falling off if they stay in the cold for too long…"

"And have you ever experienced this?" Prince asked.

"…No," Saura admitted with a sniffle. "Mom and dad have always taught me how to stay green… they always made sure that I would stay warm and sunbathe and drink plenty of water… I've always kept my seed fed and charged with energy… and it's always stayed healthy…"

"Then Char now has more experience than you," Prince said. "It was the best way I could help him with the time I had. Try to understand."

"Well… okay… yeah," Saura said, picking his head up. "Yeah… you just gave us a scare, there, I guess. That's all. But you knew what you were doing…"

Saura cast an uncertain glance at Char, the tiny streams of tears on his face no longer running. Char nodded in reply, as if to say "I'm alright." Ray watched the two of them, silent and deep in thought. Char knew how worried he was about Scythe, but he knew not to talk about it. Ray was following Scythe's orders to keep his words to himself unless spoken to.

"Now, Char, as I was saying before, we need to find something for you to wear, which is why we are here," Prince declared, arriving at the building's front door. "This facility belongs to Froslass, who manages our division's supply of clothing. Her personality is a bit fickle, but try not to let her bother you. We will probably be done and gone in a few minutes. She does her job very well."

Char felt a shiver of awkwardness fill him to imagine wearing clothes as a Charmander. It just felt… _wrong_, somehow. The power-imbued scarves and things he wore to missions were scratchy and uncomfortable as it was; he simply couldn't imagine having to lug around a whole outfit wherever he went. He imagined it to be worse than carrying the sack of supplies on a mission. Although, the thought _did_ resurrect a tiny, albeit unreadable, sense of remembrance from his humanity…

With a scowl of uncertainty, Char stepped into the building as Prince held the door open. Inside, it was a very poorly-lit establishment. Dark brown bricks fixed with black concrete lined the floor, Fort Emerald's ubiquitous grey blocks made up the walls, and there were no windows to give light to the dingy color scheme. Only a dull blue light emanated from some unseen source. As Char glanced around to find the light, the building's smell hit him in the face. It was dusty. The air seemed thick with invisible soot, as though the building were abandoned and rarely entered. It was also warmer indoors, Char noticed, even though the outdoors still didn't feel as cold as they once did.

"So, wait… _why_ do I need clothes?" Char wondered in an annoyed tone, this concept still uncomfortable to him. "I've never heard of a Pokémon wearing clothes before… I'm not sure I really want to try it..."

"Don't say it as though it's unnatural," Prince replied, letting the door close after everyone had come inside. "Wearing skins in the cold weather is an integral part of operations for this division. After all, every Pokémon needs protection from the elements. Many, like myself, as well as your friend Ray there, have a fur coat to insulate them. Some have thick fat. Some have bodies covered in steel armor which protects them from danger as well as the cold. Even Saura is in little danger of wilting since his seed is still surrounded by its protective shell. But you, on the other hand… you're small and vulnerable. There's just no other way to put it. You need protection from the weather if we are to go north."

"Hey… heh… I'm surprised you're not looking forward to this," Saura said, attempting some humor to recover from his bad mood. "Wouldn't it be, you know… natural to you?"

Char crossed his arms and sent Saura a "not funny" glare. He let himself slump into the corner to rest while he awaited further instructions.

The lobby room was empty and unspectacular, with only some hallways branching off deeper into the building and two large wooden hatches upon the opposite wall. The only furniture was a big block of wood against the wall which Char assumed to be the business desk, though it was difficult to see how someone could expect to get behind it. Prince glanced down the hallways, puzzled.

"Froslass?" he called down the hall. "Froslass, don't tell me you're busy…"

There was no reply. Char looked at his teammates and shrugged.

"Froslass!" Prince called again, this time down the other hall. "You have visitors!"

Again, no answer. Prince grumbled.

"We should wait for a moment, she could be in back," Prince instructed. "I hope, at least. She usually answers the door as fast as she can. She'd better not be out and about. These are still business hours…"

So, they waited in awkward silence. Not too thrilled of the place, Char occupied himself by tracing paths across the bricks in the floor with his eyes. Saura commented on the stuffy air shortly after breaking into a coughing fit. Ray played with some static charges between his fingertips. Prince leaned against the wall beside the door, tapping his fingers. Still, no Pokémon came to greet them.

"Looks like she might not be here at the moment, for whatever reason," Prince eventually said. "I will try to take her place. Follow me."

After hesitating just once more, Prince waved his arm and ventured down one of the hallways. Char followed.

A few dozen paces down the narrow hall, there was a previously-unnoticed door in the side of the wall. Prince clasped the handle and yanked gently, causing the door to creak open. A waft of sharp fragrance erupted from within.

"Wow… that's… really something," Ray noted, his eyes watering. "I've never smelled that before…"

"Cedar," Char said, having a moment of recollection. "That's Cedar wood. It repels bugs."

"Impressive. You _do_ know some things about humans, it seems," Prince commented, slowly stepping through the door and spreading his light into the shadows. "Yes… this type of wood is good for lining closets. All those little non-Pokémon bugs like to make their home in clothing and eat it… Though, most humans I've met enjoy this fragrance. I find it repulsive… now, step carefully. Follow behind me…"

As the light from Prince's mane spread, Char saw a descending staircase open before him. Cautiously and deliberately, Char lowered himself onto the first stair.

"_**AIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!**__"_

A ghastly, screeching cry rang from absolutely nowhere. Startled, Char slipped and flung himself off the stair. Without even enough time to gasp in shock, he felt the air whoosh past his head as he plummeted down into the dark abyss. Thankfully, Prince caught him by the arm and he was yanked back into motionlessness before he could tumble away.

Catching his breath, Char positioned himself down on the closest flat surface his feet could find and regained his balance.

"_Bad_fire Pokémon! Bad! _Bad!_ _**AIIEEE**__! _You get out of there this instant! _Out! OUT!_"

Char turned his attention back to the summit of the staircase, and beheld the figure of a being floating in the doorway. It hung in the air, much like a ghost Pokémon. Its body sparkled like crystals.

"OUToutoutoutout _OUT!_" it insisted angrily, pointing a finger back the way Char had come.

Unquestioningly, Char followed the Pokémon's orders and started to climb back up the stairs. Prince hung his head in shame as he exited the stairwell, the flustered ghost Pokémon practically yanking him out.

"Guh, fire Pokémon, impatient as usual! Are you deaf? I _said_ I was coming!" the ghost ranted after everyone had cleared out of the stairwell. "For the love of Lucario, stay out of there! Especially you and you with your live flames!"

"I'm sorry, Froslass, but we did not hear your answer," Prince replied honestly. "And we are in a bit of a hurry this evening, so I would have done my best to serve myself…"

"And you'd have gone and burned the whole closet to ash, you would have!" Froslass cried. "Not today, you won't serve yourself. Not today, not ever! I'll be handling things from here. So… what is it you need, Prince?"

"I need… something for the Charmander," Prince explained. "We're going north. _Far_ north. We do not know how long we will be staying…"

"Hmm, so you'll be needing something warm, _and_ fireproof," Froslass considered, turning her attention to Char and inspecting his form.

"Well… I do not believe fireproofing is necessary in this case," Prince replied. "The temperatures will be too cold for the fur to catch on fire, and if it does we can put it out right away…I was thinking… Linoone, perhaps? It has worked well in the past…"

"What, and put burn marks in it?" Froslass returned with disgust, floating around Char. "Rips, tears, I can repair. Well… not me. Spinarak does that. But burn marks… you can't get those out! It would be ruined. Utterly… completely ruined… Not a chance I'd let you have one of _my _Linoone coats, not over my living body… No, little Char here is going to need something totally fireproof… hmm…"

Char tried to hold still and stand up straight as the sparkling ghost Pokémon circled around him, eerily floating over his head and breathing on him as she performed her inspection. She reached down and touched a finger to the back of Char's head, causing a shiver to jolt his body; even though his nerves were still numb, her touch felt _cold_.

"Hmm… I was thinking Flareon, but… hmm… might be too big…"

"Wait… you actually kill Flareon for their skins?" Char spewed suddenly, his eyes widened.

"Oh, no no no, dear," Froslass laughed. "Flareon, we _shave_. They have so much puffy fur, they don't know what to do with it all! So then we can weave it into nice fireproof fabric… Only problem is they have a little bit of an overheating problem as they're growing it back, but it isn't a problem… at least, _most_ of the time it isn't…"

Char released his breath and relaxed at hearing the explanation.

"Flareon are lucky in that regard," Froslass continued, a silky yet disturbing ring to her voice. "We don't have to harm them to take their coats. Unlike most _other_ Pokémon… Spheal, Mamoswine, Linoone… nope, those Pokémon we've gotta skin if we want to make any use of their fur. That way we can take their meat, too, and feed all the carnivores. And maybe toss a bone or two to a Cubone. But, ah, yes, they make the _best_ coats…"

"…We never slaughter Pokémon for their skins," Prince quickly added. "We only use the skins of wilds, and that's only after they've been defeated for other reasons, such as for food… or in battle…"

"Most of the time, yes," Froslass replied with a gleeful little grin. "Most of the time…"

Char decided to just shove out all the mental pictures he'd just received. He rolled his eyes. Froslass was being a typical ghost Pokémon.

"… Well, now, I think I might have something for you, Char," Froslass announced, making a final circle around her subject. "I'll be right back. Do _not_ follow me!"

The ghost wasted no time, zipping past Prince and down into the dark staircase. Char sat back down on the floor, wondering unenthusiastically what sort of Pokémon skin the ghost would try to attach to him, and imagining how silly he would look in a poofy, striped fur coat…

But before he had too much time to picture it, Froslass returned brandishing something truly hideous: it looked like a scratchy brown burlap sack, modified to take the form of an ugly vest.

"Here!" she yelled. "This! This is just your size! This'll do perfectly!"

"Heh… w-what kind of Pokémon fur is that?" Char wondered, shuddering as he stared at the thing.

"Oh, this isn't fur!" Froslass cried. "This is a stringweed tunic, made from a very hearty species of vine that lives up north and likes to run across the ground and strangle other plants. Very tight-knit, very durable. Fireproof! And very cold-resistant! You'll overheat the moment you put it on, I swear! Here, try it!"

Without waiting for Char's approval, the ghost invaded and shoved the vest onto his back and over his arms.

At first, Char wasn't so displeased. It did fit him like a glove. But… within just a few seconds of trying to move his limbs and grow accustomed to the cloth hanging from him… the itch set in.

Char convulsed as a disgusting shiver washed over his skin. The vest was so prickly, so abrasive… it felt like a tingling, crawling swarm of insects covering his body. He emitted a moan as Froslass hooked a button into place, sealing him within this torturous prison.

"There," Froslass said satisfactorily. "Perfect fit. And fireproof, too! You could battle in that and it wouldn't sustain a scratch!"

"Very good," Prince said, nodding. "That'll work well. How's it feel, Char?"

Then, it got _worse_. Just as Froslass promised, the vest began to trap in his own body heat, covering his skin with a broiling sensation in mere seconds. The heat itself wasn't so bad, but this was _itchy_ heat!

"I _hate it!_" Char said outright, holding his hands at arm's length to keep the horrible prickly fabric from rubbing against his skin. "It _itches!_ I… I can't wear this! Please, take it off. Please…"

"What?! Come now, what's wrong with you?!" Froslass said, sounding offended. "That is a very respectable tunic! Masterfully crafted, and expensive! It was _made_ for you!"

"Char… please, just give it a chance," Prince said quickly, stepping in. "I know, it feels a bit strange the first time, but… you will get used to it. Didn't you say that you would rather be crushed by Graveler than suffer in freezing cold again?"

"This… this is… worse!" Char insisted through gritted teeth. "At least in the freezer, I had _death_ to look forward to! This… ugh, No! I can't… I can't wear this."

"You ungrateful little child," Froslass scolded. "If you're going to be leaving Ambera and going _that_ far up north, you'll be _thanking _me for this! Especially in this time of year! Grow up a little, will you?"

Char snapped. He couldn't take it. Grunting from the constant friction of the vest against his skin, Char's hands scrambled for the button on his belly that Froslass had done. He yanked, pulled, and finally slipped the awkwardly-shaped hunk of metal through the slit in the flap and tore the horrible rag from his body, slamming it on the floor in front of him.

_FWOOOSH!_

By total reflex, a wave of flames poured out from Char's mouth and engulfed the crumpled vest. Char wasn't even sure how it happened, but he didn't disagree with it. He was, however, disappointed as the fire failed to so much as catch on the fabric, dissipating weakly as smoke into the already-stuffy room.

Surprised at his action, though not too embarrassed, Char quickly glanced around at his onlookers. Ray looked like he was about to laugh. Saura looked surprised. Prince did not look amused one bit. And Froslass… she looked smug.

"See?!" Froslass yelped, floating before Prince and getting in his face. "See? See? _That_ is why we outfit _fire Pokémon _with _fire-proof_ gear! Because you _fire Pokémon _like to burn _everything you touch!_"

_SLAM!_

Everyone in the room jumped as the front door was noisily thrown open.

In walked a procession of large, bulky Pokémon. A massive Blastoise stepped into the shop, shaking the ground with his steps, followed by a sleek-looking Blaziken, a smug Glaceon, A muscular Machamp, and finally, a large, winged, dark-skinned Pokémon that Char didn't recognize. The group was yammering among themselves despite their weariness, as if back from a successful journey and happy to be home again. Char and his friends quickly parted from the center of the room to give the newcomers space.

"Team Homeless," Froslass addressed, quickly ignoring Prince and floating before them. "Back from a triumphant raid, I see…"

"Heck yeh," boomed the Blastoise. "But I swear, I don't care what Lucario says, I'm not going that far south again. Over my dead body. Enough with these six-month ventures…"

The elite team managed to totally ignore Team Ember as they filed into the place. Froslass looked pleased to see them. Char watched as the Blastoise, whom he assumed to be the team leader, Dropped a large chunk of metal next to the wooden desk. It hit the brick floor with a resounding _clang_. Froslass rushed over to inspect it. It was a heavy steel helmet.

"Ah, no rust, hopefully? Hmm?" Froslass rambled, picking it up and turning it over. "Augh, you did. You let it rust. But not too bad I see… that can polish out."

"You can thank Caron for that, there," the Blastoise grunted. "Lady had me trapped at the bottom of Greenrift Lake for a day. I _told_ her we shouldn't have moved in ahead of schedule. Almost got caught."

"How _else_ were we supposed to get into the city, Turq? _Fly_ over?!" the Blaziken returned. "And nobody asked you to take your armor with you into the lake. You can thank _yourself_ for that."

_Plunk!_ Another metallic object hit the floor, this one a great, riveted gauntlet which the Machamp added to the pile.

"Good glove," the Machamp told Froslass. "Sturdy."

"Oh, I don't stock _bad_ equipment, dear," she said, setting the helmet onto the table and picking up the steel glove. "You should know that by now! Good, good… Not a dent, not one… "

Char watched silently as the resistance team conversed, thanking Froslass for their items and bragging about their experiences on the assignment. They were all very noisy and celebratory… all except for the dark-colored Pokémon, who looked content to simply stand and wait impatiently next to the door. Char eyed this creature, still not quite sure what it was, and found his gaze soon returned condescendingly by the Pokémon's large red eyes…

But then, just as soon, the Pokémon diverted its gaze to stare past him. Char looked back over his shoulder and saw that it was locked with Prince's eyes.

"Naxi…" Prince spoke, crossing to room to meet with the Pokémon. "A surprise to meet you here. I was unaware that you were… currently employed with Lucario."

Char noticed that there was tension in Prince's voice, as though he was trying his hardest to speak without disrespect, but couldn't quite do it. The Pokémon Naxi's expression suggested a similar disposition.

"Prince," Naxi addressed simply. "I don't blame you for not concerning yourself in the affairs of other Pokémon. Though, likewise, I'm surprised to see you here. I was not aware that you were… planning to return from retirement."

_Retirement?_ Char wondered. _…Huh? Prince is… retired?_

Char felt uncomfortable. There was resent of some sort between Prince and Naxi, which he felt he did not want to get caught up in. They held a forced tone of politeness in their voices. Char caught a glint of displeasure in Prince's eye, suggesting that perhaps Naxi's comment about his retirement was not completely truthful.

"Will you be saying long, or moving on down south?" Prince asked. "I understand Team Shardrune might be interested in your business."

"After acting as a deadweight chaperone for these misguided Pokémon for half a year, I foresee that I might retreat from the resistance and work my own schedule for a time," Naxi responded, a hint of disgust in his manner. "I do not have the same luxuries as your team, Prince. I sometimes forget the appeal of working for no client, or no master…"

Blinking, the dark Pokémon's eyes returned to Char.

"Who are those children?" he wondered. "I assume those children are in your care, Prince? What are you doing looking after hatchlings?"

"What do you care?" Prince returned.

"I do not," Naxi answered. "Simply curious… May I remind you that you started this conversation, and you are free to end it at any point you desire. I was merely attempting politely to continue it."

Prince grumbled quietly to himself before responding. "They are… trainees, of sorts, from the Gold Division," he explained, nodding to them. "Scythe has brought them here on assignment."

"Hmm…" Naxi hummed. "Odd decision for Scythe to make… unless…"

Naxi winced. He shook his head.

"I have heard these rumors of Temporal tower," Naxi considered. "In fact, I have been bombarded with them ever since returning to the fortress the other day. And considering Scythe is one of the watchers of the call…"

Prince said nothing. Char froze in place, a little bit afraid, as the strange Pokémon's gaze shifted over his friends, and then finally to him. A hint of recognition appeared in the dark Pokémon's eyes as it locked gazes with Char, immediately reading his fear…

"So… it begins again," Naxi said, almost indifferently. "But you realize, Prince Distragnatia… if it goes wrong a second time, we will have to make steps to prevent it from happening a third… Lucario would place a bounty on your corpse. And I would gladly be the one to accept the assignment."

Prince diverted his gaze, already tiring of the conversation. Naxi's eyes remained locked with Char's.

"Charmander," the dark Pokémon said to him, "always remember, the power you have was given to you, and alone, to you. It belongs to no one else. Be wary of those who try to take it for themselves, to manipulate you. Such is the same corruption and greed of the Master in their hearts. It will only end in ruin. Serve nobody. Instead, make the world to serve you."

"Oddly profound words for someone who does not care," Prince replied sarcastically.

"Unlike the rest of this division, I choose to learn from the events of the past, and not endeavor to forget them," Naxi said. "What happened to the girl was a mistake this division cannot handle to be repeated. I would have told the same thing to her. Now, if you will excuse me… I must choke payment from my clients before nightfall comes…"

Buzzing his wings, Naxi fluttered back over to the opposite side of the resistance team. Prince eyed the dark Pokémon for a moment more before motioning for Char and his friends to follow him out the door. Ray collected the fabric scrap from the ground on the way out.

… … …

"Just curious… who _was_ that?" Saura wondered as he followed Prince back down the street. "He seemed… I don't know…"

"Naxi, the dark Flygon, as he is called," Prince mumbled, as if reluctant to answer the question. "He answers to nobody except those he feels like listening to. He floats between divisions and helps the resistance teams on his own terms. He's not always the easiest character to get along with, either… but he is one of the most competent."

Char had some other questions to ask, but he could tell by Prince's voice that he would not be thrilled to answer them.

"Anyway, Char… now that we have your coat…"

"I'm not wearing it," Char said quickly. "I… I can't. It's too horrible."

"Perhaps you will think differently when you're being frozen alive," Prince said. "You are too quick to forget what I have shown you? Have you blotted it out of your memory?"

"It itches. It's almost as bad as being cold."

"When you're numbed enough from the cold, you won't feel the itch. It's easy to ignore."

"Says the one who has never worn a coat…"

Prince scowled and turned around to confront Char.

"Has Naxi's attitude already rubbed off on you?" Prince replied in frustration. "I'll make you a deal. You won't have to wear the coat until the final leg of the trip through Zerferia. But you must wear it when I tell you that you must. Until then, fine, be stubborn."

Char folded his arms in defiance, but nodded his reluctant agreement. In truth, he figured it would give him more time to contemplate ways to keep from wearing the coat.

"Then… as I was _saying…_" Prince grunted, "Char, since we've gotten that done… you wanted sparring tips. Now is probably the best time and place. Any later and we would miss the opportunity to attend Legend's story like you wanted."

"Um… alright…" Char said, checking his surroundings. It was a deserted street corner, certainly spacious enough for some movement.

Saura and Ray both asked to be counted out, having already practiced their hearts out with Scythe and quite beat. They retired to the sidewalk to watch. Char started to feel ashamed that he hadn't been able to share much attention with the rest of his team lately. He also found it weird that Prince's attitude had changed slightly, as though this sparring exercise would be a chore for him, which he was only doing because Char had requested it. Char wondered if his meeting with Naxi had bothered him more than he showed. He also wondered if the Infernape was still tired from his duel with Scythe.

Nevertheless, Char readied himself for the lesson.

"Now, when you know you must fight, you assume the battle stance, and you ready your Ember," Prince spoke. "Do so."

Char positioned his stance accordingly and crouched forward. In his mind, he imagined himself as a Charmander whose trainer was barking orders to him.

"_Go! Char!"_ the trainer said. _"This is it! Get ready to fight…_"

"Char, that is not a battle stance," Prince sighed. "When you're preparing to fight, never remain on your hind legs. Always drop to all fours. You must be able to dodge in any direction at a moment's notice, and you can't do that on two legs. Understand?"

Nodding, Char threw himself forward and landed on his front claws. He didn't often battle in this stance, so it felt very awkward, but he was willing to learn if Prince claimed it was the best way. He noticed that Prince had done something similar, crouching down close to a crawling stance, ready to use all four of his limbs for motion. After bringing his fire up to a respectable level, Char stood ready for further instructions.

"Good, now… from what I've seen, you know of your basic fire attacks. Certainly the most important, sustaining a stream of flames. But have you learned anything more?"

"Of course," Char said. "I can't use fire against every enemy. Some aren't too hurt by it. I know Metal Claw, for one thing… and smoke screening… and if that doesn't work, I can always just try beating up the enemy…"

"As you may or may not know already, humans have titles for the different types of attacks which Pokémon perform. When you 'beat up' an enemy with your bare claws, they call it a 'normal' attack."

"I've heard that before, I think," Char said. "Domo used that term before… for when you just bite or scratch or hit the enemy, without using fire… or whatever other power a Pokémon has…"

"It is important to learn how to properly melee," Prince said. "Even if you master your fire, you can tilt the balance of a battle with good melee skills. See, some Pokémon have evolved to repel the elemental powers of their rivals and predators. If you were to breathe fire onto a Blastoise, it would have little effect, since a water elemental repels your fire. Likewise, if Saura were to hit you with a stray leaf, it would do little to you, since you naturally repel plant-based attacks."

"Yeah, I know the weakness web already," Char told him. "Domo taught us that in the first days of training."

"But this is where 'normal' attacks come in," Prince continued. "While a water Pokémon may be able to repel your fire, they cannot repel a good old knock to the head, or a deep scratch to the skin which draws blood. With enough skill, you could overpower them with brute strength. Fighting like a berserker is dangerous, but effective, if you can master it."

"What are you saying?" Char wondered. "That if my fire doesn't work…"

"It is good that you know your weakness web, and which Pokémon to be wary of in the wild," Prince said, nodding. "But if you try, for a moment, to picture 'normalcy' as its own element within the web, you could say that no Pokémon is especially vulnerable to it, and no Pokémon resists it. It is a reliable fallback if your enemy has a strong immunity to your element."

Char looked at the ground, contemplating this idea. It was an odd concept. "No element" is, itself, an element?

"Now… once you understand that concept, try to learn this useful battle technique," Prince instructed, motioning with his hands. "Have you ever set a foe on fire?"

"Burned them? Yeah, a whole lot," Char answered. "Happens all the time. Especially with wild plant Pokémon…"

"You would not know this, but sustaining a burn is very painful," Prince said. "It is different than other forms of pain. If an enemy's body is set on fire and it sears the flesh, it stings constantly for hours until it is healed, whether gradually or with medicine. The burned flesh becomes super-sensitive. Every touch feels like hundreds of knives cutting into the surface."

Char knew this all too well, but he wasn't going to mention that.

"And such, if you manage to burn your foe in a battle, you gain an advantage," Prince continued. "The pain is distracting. The foe will not be able to think clearly, and will become vulnerable to silly tricks and traps that it would have otherwise found obvious. Especially in regard to these 'normal' moves."

Prince approached Char, as if to test an attack against him. Char readied himself to dodge.

"In this case, you may find it effective to put on a façade," Prince said. "Mislead the enemy into expecting an attack, then change your mind at the last minute. Since the burn eats away at your enemy's attention, it will probably fall for your guise, and right into your trap. Use the opportunity to hit them hard. For instance, a common maneuver I tend to perform by instinct is to drop down to the floor to duck the enemy's assault, then counter with a rotating kick. Like so…"

Prince demonstrated this move, though in a slow and deliberate fashion. He ended with his foot practically in Char's face.

"But if I were to play a façade, I would second-guess myself," Prince said, withdrawing back to his battle stance. "Likely my enemy is already used to my favorite moves, so it would have already readied counters for them. I could do this same, distinct motion, but instead…"

Prince dropped to the ground, but instead of launching the kick at Char's face, he used his foot to catapult himself into a cartwheel past Char's left side. Char flinched in surprise and tried to leap forward, but the attack came and smacked him from behind, flipping him over and causing him to skid a few feet forward. He shook it off and flipped back up into his four-legged stance.

Char smiled. Maybe he _could_ get into this a little bit, after all.

"Surprised?" Prince laughed. "Most of my enemies are, too. If you noticed, I got Scythe not once, but _twice_ with that move during our battle. And he's one to usually predict an enemy's actions five moves in advance! But if you mix up your attacks well enough, the enemy will have to spend more time thinking about it than reacting… and if they are distracted from a burn, or perhaps something else, such as poison... they simply stand no chance. Now, it's your turn, Char. See if you can throw me off. Try to surprise me."

Char prowled forward on his four legs. He knew he couldn't surprise the old warrior, especially not with the first attack. That wasn't the point. He first had to make Prince expect something, and then quickly subvert that expectation. He considered his points of entry. He was small and agile compared to the primate. A pounce to the head was viable. Or perhaps a back-attack, if he was quick enough.

He lunged, motoring his feet as fast as they could go, closing the already small gap between him and his trainer. He watched for the inevitable counter-attack, a roundabout kick, which he deftly leapt over. Unfortunately, he did not keep an eye on Prince's other foot, which slammed him in the face as soon as the first one came back to rest. Char fell backward and scrambled to his feet, prepared to try something else.

_I'd use a smoke screen if I could,_ Char told himself as he shook off the hit, _but not now. This isn't about my fire techniques. This is about the 'normal' attacks. How… how do I get past his defenses? What wouldn't he be expecting?_

Again, Char lunged, keeping a careful eye on Prince's counter. Unfortunately, Prince attacked from the opposite side this time, swatting him away with ease. As he recovered from the hit, he felt a bit ashamed for not suspecting it, but he wasn't going to give up. He looked again, carefully considering the patterns Prince had displayed. This was a mind game.

And finally, without thinking too hard about it, Char lunged for the third time… making a small misstep to the side as he ran, but righting it in no time, and attacking in the same direction as his first two attempts. Prince jerked in amusement as his first counter sailed harmlessly past Char's head.

_THWAP._ Char once again went sailing face-first into the ground. A few stars appeared before his eyes for a moment.

"Good, good!" Prince congratulated. "Very good maneuver, there! See? Sometimes if the enemy is reading into the battle too much, you can outsmart them simply by making them expect something different… while you repeat the same thing!"

"But… I didn't hit you," Char mumbled in frustration, climbing back to his stance.

"I never asked you to _hit_ me," Prince laughed. "I only asked you to _surprise_ me, which you did. Well done. But if you want to _hit_ me, it's going to take a lot more effort than that!"

"I doubt that!" Char shouted back at him, playing cocky. "Just watch!"

He grinned. He was having fun now. Fired up and full of energy, he knew he wanted to try landing a hit on the legendary Prince, even if it meant getting pummeled. Poised like a primal Luxray, Char bared his teeth and prepared to put up an intense fight…

…Until he caught something out of the corner of his eye.

He looked back at his friends. Ray was squinting, staring somewhere far-off. And Saura…

…Saura was fast asleep.

He paused for a few moments, just looking at them. Wondering something, though he didn't know what.

… … …

Char sparred with Prince for about twenty minutes, though it turned out to be much less exciting and more forced than he wanted it to be. Somehow, Char just couldn't put his heart into it. Something was bothering him. _Something_. It was as if his mind had been absently piecing together a big puzzle, though none of the pieces had any sort of labels. He knew it had been happening not just that day, but all week. Ever since he first learned of the Tower. His mind was churning something, digesting something. But now, due to recent events, it seemed to be nearing completion, and it was unbearable to not know.

He knew it was true. Something… Something required his attention. His thoughts. His decision. But… what?

It was something he heard earlier that day. Or was it? Or was it a combination of things he had been told? By Naxi? Lucario? Prince? Scythe? Zahira? All of them at once?

It bugged him. It bugged him like a raw stringweed rag tied around his head.

_Well… of course Scythe bugged me,_ Char wondered, looking through his memories for the answer. _But… but that's not it… not like that. Or… or is it? I'm sure it has something to do with him…_

"Vitamins," Prince announced, breaking his reflection. "I'm sure back at the Gold Division, they put you on a healthy diet of vitamin supplements…"

_No, no…_ Char told himself, withdrawing back into his own thoughts. _No, I can't lose focus now. I'm onto something. Something… about Saura? That's when it ruined my flare, when I saw him… but…_

"This journey could last for months, you realize? Before we embark, we should get some vital vitamins into you…"

_Something… something about the way Prince was talking to Naxi… But that has nothing to do with Saura… or does it? Gah, I don't know! What is my instinct trying to tell me?! What's so important that I just can't see?!_

"I'm… really not all that hungry," Saura groggily confessed. "Scythe fed us a gold apple before we came…"

"This has nothing to do with hunger or thirst, but health," Prince told him. "Supplements invigorate and strengthen your internal systems."

Annoyed at the voices distracting him, Char decided to snap to attention. They were somewhere else now, in some other building…

It was a shop, with polished wooden seats and tables positioned atop a marble floor around the lobby. It almost reminded Char of a human café, but no… the architecture more resembled a doctor's office. It was deserted; there were no other guests, or any managers, at this time.

"Kecleon didn't sell too many vitamin supplements at the Gold Division," Ray admitted. "There were some, but they were really expensive… Kecleon sells gummis sometimes, though…"

"Gummis help you to open your mind, but vitamins boost your strength," Prince said, turning to inspect the front counter. "Hmm… Gardevoir decided to take the day off early, I see… Well, then, I will have to help myself and pay him back later…"

Char watched absently as Prince jumped the counter and began scrounging around in the cupboards behind. He wondered if the Pokémon in charge would jump out from somewhere just like Froslass had, scorning him from trespassing upon business property, but then again, he got the impression that Prince had some sort of a right to do so.

Before long, Char and his friends had stationed themselves around a table. Prince plunked down a few small, brown bottles in front of them.

"Here, Char," Prince said. "Protein elixir. Drink. It'll help strengthen your muscles, help with those melee moves you've just learned. You too, Saura, Ray. Drink."

Char looked oddly at the blank-surfaced bottle and the liquid that sat within it. He picked it up and wrung off the stubborn cap, smelling its contents. It smelled faintly of oil. He slid the elixir across the table, trading it with Saura who'd been staring blankly at the bottle and wondering how to open it. Sighing, he chugged it down as instructed. It was bearable, tasting only slightly vile, and mostly just annoying his internal fire as all liquid drinks would do.

_Plunk! Plunk!_ More, similarly-colored bottles were placed before him.

"And Calcium, to help energize your elemental strengths," he insisted. "Drink this, too… And then we can give it overnight to digest and soak into your system."

"This will actually make us stronger?" Saura wondered, staring hopelessly at the second capped bottle.

"Not noticeably," Prince answered. "Ideally you should be drinking supplements on a weekly basis. And, yes, you would start to notice a significant increase in your body's capabilities after a while. Like any good habit, each little dose counts."

Ray opened the bottle for Saura this time, and the three of them slammed it down. This one tasted powdery, leaving residue all along the inside of Char's mouth.

_Plunk._ Finally, Prince emptied his arms by dropping a big green, flat bottle onto the table.

"Ginseng," Prince said. "I could only find one, so you'll have to share it. It stimulates the nervous system. Unlike Chesto berries, which just block your ability to tire, this will really energize your-"

The door creaked open, and in walked a striking green-and-white Pokémon who looked genuinely surprised to see visitors. Prince nodded to the Pokémon.

"Good evening, Gardevoir," he said quickly. "I hope you do not mind that we helped ourselves. We were in a hurry, and these Pokémon needed—"

"Not a problem," Gardevoir quickly dismissed with a wave of his hand. "But… why are you here, Prince? Haven't you heard?"

"Heard what?" he replied, scowling in confusion.

"The weather report?" Gardevoir replied, making his way to the back of the house and eying the stolen goods with some annoyance.

"I… thought I did, why?" Prince responded. "There was nothing significant…"

"Nothing significant but the blizzard of the century…" Gardevoir returned, with what looked like a smirk. "all of the division is flocking for cover now in case it blows in early. Wasn't it Legend's night at the assembly hall anyway? I do believe most of the Pokémon attending are already there…"

Prince twitched in uncertainty. Char's stomach turned when he saw the Infernape's surprised gaze. Had something gone wrong?

"I… I have to check something," he muttered. "I did not hear of a storm front all week. I… I will be right back… You… stay seated right there, and drink your Ginseng. I will be back shortly."

Prince darted out. Char's mouth hung open, unable to say anything before the Infernape had vanished altogether.

"A storm?!" Saura cried. "That can't be good! What if it hits tomorrow afternoon when we're supposed to leave?!"

"I should have known," Ray added. "The sky's so dark today! You can just tell something was brewing… Maybe we'll get a taste of Zerferia before we even get there…"

Gardevoir reached a long, green hand down and snagged the bottle of Ginseng from the table. Team Ember turned in his direction.

"You needn't worry about a storm, children," Gardevoir said smoothly, walking away with the bottle. "The storm is only in Prince's head."

"Wait…" Ray stammered, looking confused. "You… you were…"

"Lying, yes," Gardevoir responded, turning a pleased grin in the Raichu's direction. "It is a small price for the high-and-mighty Prince to pay for his reputation that lets him walk among the fortress as though he owns it and everything inside. I figure I must be entitled to at least a small measure of retaliation for robbing my bar…"

Char didn't know whether to laugh or to feel disrespect for the fair-formed Pokémon. He chose to simply smile a little, watching as the Gardevoir worked behind the counter to clean up the disorder Prince had caused. He heard the gentle click-clacking of glass touching glass, and then he heard the sound of pouring water.

Gardevoir returned with three medium-sized glasses of a dark orange liquid, each with a colorful, leafed berry floating at the top. He gently placed them on the table before Char and his companions.

"Here," he said, "you might find that this goes down much more smoothly."

… … …

Char sat quietly with his friends, nursing his Ginseng cocktail (or whatever it was) while he waited for Prince to return. The flavor was pleasant and fitting for the powerful, almost repugnant bitterness of the elixir that it tried to mask, but he slowed down near halfway and couldn't quite finish. After a time, he found that his glass and the glasses of his friends were down to about half full, and that Prince showed no signs of coming back despite having been at least twenty minutes. Gardevoir had left the room, working somewhere in the back of the house.

"So… some trip so far, huh?" Char spoke to Ray and Saura, his first words to them in hours. "Prince seems overly interested in me… how are you guys doing?"

"I'm having fun," Ray answered cheerily, though Char guessed that at least part of the cheeriness was forced. "This place is really mysterious-like. I have to respect this place and all the Pokémon who work here. They seem to have a hard life. I don't think I'd want to live here, though. It'd be scary. I don't think I could do it."

"Me neither," Saura mumbled. "It's really harsh here. And I don't just mean the cold. All the Pokémon here… wow."

"Yeah… the resistance is sure serious up here," Ray sighed. "I mean, I always thought Team Remorse was the real deal. But up here, it's like that's how good you're expected to be just to make due. I can tell these teams have given up all their comforts and everything they have to keep the resistance going strong."

Char winced. He heard something in Ray's voice, just a subtle little wobble, as he mentioned Team Remorse. And he knew exactly why. Ray was putting his heart into pretending there was nothing wrong with Scythe. He was forcing it out of his mind.

"You doing alright, Saura?" Char asked tenderly. "I can't believe you fell asleep on the sidewalk…"

"Uh… yeah… sorry about that, heheh," Saura chuckled ashamedly. "I was trying to keep my eyes open. Prince was saying some things about fighting that I really wanted to hear. But I guess Scythe really wore me out."

"Saura… is something bothering you?" Char wondered, noticing something in the Bulbasaur's expression that seemed to have slipped out by accident.

"Oh, no, no…" Saura reassured, shaking his head and trying to smile. "Nah… I'm fine. I just… sometimes I keep thinking about my family. It's distracting sometimes. But I know I shouldn't worry…"

"Thank you," Char said warmly. "I don't know how many times I've said this already, but thanks for being here with me… I know that you're only here because I wanted you to come. Maybe I even made you come. You could have stayed back. But…I just keep imagining being here all alone…"

"Eh, what are friends for?" Ray said brightly.

"Just… don't run off and get yourself frozen to death _again_," Saura grumbled. "And no, for the last time, you didn't make me come. This was my decision. I made it back in Gravelerock Cave. Remember?"

Char was about to respond, but the words halted on the edge of his tongue and refused to come out.

He froze, wide-eyed, in revelation.

The world stopped turning. His ears heard no sound but his own heartbeat.

"Whoa, Char…?" Ray cried, noticing his friend's impossibly-wide eyes. "Char, you alright?"

"Y-you're not having another… vision, are you?" Saura gasped. "Char?"

Char ignored them, his gaze pinned into space.

It hit him.

As clear as day, as clear as the Articuno painting, as clear as the Poké Ball in his dream…

He saw it.

Moments were flashing before his eyes. Moments from that night outside of Alakazam's lair, when Scythe cried. Moments of that night he spied on Scythe talking to Shander, and telling him something about the nature of being a servant.

Moments of talking to Eva, and learning that Scythe had something dark hidden from him… but refusing to learn it for himself…

Moments of watching the sunset as Scythe told of Ambera's beauty…

The moment of dread when he saw Scythe's glare, burning into his eyes, for betraying his simple promise, on the walk to the fortress.

The moment of horror when Scythe first lost his temper. His forthcoming mixed fear and respect for Prince.

The moment when Lucario tossed him across the room, scorning him for being so weak, even though he himself was a powerless, aura-less leader…

The moment of revelation when Scythe threatened Prince's life, then walked off… The words he said… the threats he made…

The words of the strange dark Pokémon, telling him that his power was his own… that nobody should be allowed to manipulate him…

That point on the street. Saura… he fell asleep. He wasn't supposed to fall asleep. Thoughts of his family kept bothering him…

And finally…

The words of Ray, just moments before, still echoing in his mind.

"What are friends for?"

The last piece of the puzzle clicked into place, and the picture was spread before his eyes. Terrible. Beautiful. Final.

Just like that, Char knew the answer. He knew what he had to do.

"I… uh…" Char struggled to say. "I… I have something to say."

"What?!" Saura pleaded. "You're scaring me, Char! It's like you're having a seizure or something. What is it?!"

"I… I think…" Char stuttered, fear in his voice. "We need to have a talk."

… … …

The outer walls of Fort Emerald rose high across the land, a mighty wall of metallic-plated blocks, barring access from every sort of ground-crawling animal or intruder.

A Scyther sat upon the wall, his eyes fixed upon the western sky. The sun was not ready to give up just yet, but it was falling, fading, subtly shifting in color, and lowering itself beneath the eternally-clouded sky to show its face across the land. Seeing it warmed his heart, like it always did, for it still meant something to him. Ambera, his land, was still alive. In the face of his troubles, the beauty of the land caused everything to make sense, letting all of his entwined thoughts even themselves out, spelling clear goals and answers. Nothing in the world was more comforting.

He watched, motionlessly, ignoring everything else but the light of the sky. He saw not the Pokémon overhead which patrolled the airways and kept watch for the division's enemies across a distance. He saw not the resistance teams which traversed the roads far below, or the silhouettes of District Three and District Four on the faraway land. All he saw was the sky. _His_ sky. The sky above _his_ garden.

He prayed to it, asking it what he should do. How he should settle his problems.

Asking himself how he could come to accomplish the impossible and get away with it.

"Scythe?" a voice called from beside him.

Scythe turned quickly. He had not expected anyone to come. He had blocked his surroundings from his mind, ignoring those coming and going in the vicinity. And so, he was surprised to see the figure of a Charmander approaching him across the bridge-like surface of the fortress wall.

"Char," Scythe uttered. "I told you not to follow me. Why have you come!?"

Char ignored his comment. He walked forward, coming to the Scyther's side and taking an appreciative glance at the sunset along the way.

"What do you want, Char?" Scythe asked, though in a humble voice.

"I have something to ask you," Char replied, sitting down at his side.

Scythe bowed his head and closed his eyes. "Char, not this again…" he sighed in exasperation. "I thought we had a promise…"

"No… not that," Char said. "Something else… I had this idea. I wanted to know what you thought of it."

"Yes?" Scythe said simply, opening his eyes again and turning to him.

"I… I realize… that you're trying your hardest," Char began, mustering his courage to say what he wanted. "And I feel guilty because… I've made a lot of mistakes. And one in particular that… that I was… hoping to fix."

Scythe's eyes narrowed upon Char, but he kept silent. Char looked up to him, his eyes gleaming with respect and appreciation. He opened his mouth and spoke with total honesty, and even then, barely believing his own words:

"Scythe… how would you like it if you and I went to Temporal Tower all alone? Just you and me?"

The Scyther blinked, his head reeling back for a moment like he'd taken a punch to the face.

"Is that so wise?" he answered. "Your friends…"

"I talked to my friends just now," Char assured him. "They understand perfectly. They think it's a good idea. Look, Scythe… I know we're all in this together. But… it was a big mistake for me to force Saura and Ray to come here. I was being selfish. And so I brought them, and… and… well… I just thought it would help you feel better. Focus, you know. If you had less Pokémon to watch after…"

Scythe was silent.

He stared at the sunset for the longest time, totally silent. His breathing turned heavy, his eyes watched nothing in particular, focused only on his internal thoughts.

"Char…" he finally said, his quiet voice practically a whisper. "Those… are the most beautiful words anyone has spoken to me all week."

A smile was born on Scythe's face. It started tiny and wry, but it grew into a full, uncontained grin. Before long, Char beheld true joy upon the Scyther's face.

"How are we going to ditch Prince?!" Scythe said quickly, excitedly.

"I was thinking we could just leave first thing in the morning," Char answered, reflecting Scythe's beaming smile. "Saura and Ray could help to confuse Prince into thinking we didn't leave yet. When he realizes what's wrong, we'd be long gone."

"We'd have to go west first," Scythe determined. "West or south-west. He wouldn't think to track us in that direction. Wow… we'd have to move quickly in the morning, right on the heels of the Watchers, while the sentries are still taking their stations… Char…! This means… if we can pull this off… you might be able to help me with my mission! Only time will tell, but if things go absolutely perfect… Maybe… just… just maybe I wouldn't have to play these games with you anymore..."

And that was it. It was decided. Char felt such a profound peace in his heart, knowing that he'd finally done something truly, unquestionably right. It was his first action, he felt, as a true, mature leader of Team Ember, rather than the coward he always was before. And as he saw Scythe's beaming smile as his mind spun with possibilities and plans, as he saw the setting sun reflect from his eyes, he knew that he had truly helped the old warrior in some way that really mattered.

For a few fleeting moments, they sat side-by-side atop that high wall, human and servant, neither one regretting a thing.


	43. Chapter 39: A Tale of Legend

**Chapter 39**

Dusk had arrived, but the evening was still young.

As Fort Emerald settled into its dark twilight, the orange glow of the late sunset dampened by the high city walls and the lingering blanket of clouds above, many of the division's Pokémon filed into the streets and toward the city's gates. The day was over, and it was time to depart back to their places of residence among the outskirts, into their secluded districts, safe from the shadows of the night until the dawn of the next day.

Yet, for many other Pokémon, there remained one last obligation to fulfill before nightfall. Droves of resistance teams streamed to the city's center, gathering near a facility that was used but once a week, except for emergencies or special occasions such as this one.

The Emerald Division's assembly hall was much smaller than Char was used to back home. He imagined it was only a third of the size of the Gold Division's meeting hall, which seemed appropriate given the Emerald Division clearly had a smaller population. The room was shaped like a bowl, deeper on one side and shallower on the other, with the stage of attention at the very center. The steep side was lined with dozens of ledges for small Pokémon to occupy, while the other side was flat and wide-open, allowing the much needed room for the gigantic Pokémon to make their places. The ceiling was shaped like a cone, though a very flat and elongated one. A tiny circle in the center opened to let in the sunlight, or what was left of it at this point. Char wondered if it was covered by glass, until he noticed a Skarmory descend through it and take its place among the crowd.

Other than this simple and elegant architecture, nothing stood out about the room; there were no giant statues, no decorative etchings, nothing but the flat, silent stone walls to inspire respect or awe – or, perhaps, nothing to distract attention away from the center of the room. In all, like the rest of Fort Emerald, it didn't seem like a comfortable or pleasant place to be for an extended length of time. Char imagined that space would get very cramped if the entire division were to attend a meeting.

Char sat only a few rows from the front, right where Prince had directed him to sit, holding his tail politely in his lap to keep it from swaying into the seats behind him. As the evening settled in and the presentation came closer to beginning, he found himself absentmindedly wringing his tail in his hands in anticipation. The turnout to this event was a little shallow, but it was to be expected; Char knew that every Pokémon in that room with him was choosing to forgo several hours of a good night's rest to attend. Only about sixty or seventy Pokémon had arrived so far, most huddled around the center in the front rows. He wondered just what he was in for, and why this handful of the division's workforce had chosen to give up their valuable time for this.

"Wonder what this is going to be like," said Saura, who sat beside Char with a grin of excitement. "If this place has any culture that isn't all dead serious and depressing all the time, I'd really like to see it."

"Yeah, but we have an early morning tomorrow," Char replied. "I hope this will be worth it."

The two of them locked gazes for a moment, a mutual understanding. Char caught a glimmer of somberness in Saura's eye, and responded with his own sad smile. Between them, there was no resentment. There was nothing to forgive. Yet, there was still uncertainty. Worry.

"You sure you'll be able to do this?" Saura uttered sadly under his breath.

"No," Char replied, turning his head to stare at the floor. "But I'm going to try. It's just… there's…"

"It's the best way to handle the situation, I know. I understand that," Saura replied, finishing his thought for him. "Hey, you don't think I know it feels? I ran away from my own family. I _loved_ them. I still do. But it was the only way I could get out of being a slave for the rest of my life. I look back and I _know_ it was the best thing for me to do. But… even though I found you, and we met Scythe, and I'm really proud of living with the resistance and all the jobs we've done… it still hurts just a little bit when I think of my family. Even after all this time. Especially after meeting Saurlee and knowing how worried they are about me."

Char continued to stare at the ground, holding down his tail under crossed arms.

"Well… at least now, I know I'll get to keep my promise to her," Saura said, forcing a pathetic laugh. "One promise I can keep at least…"

"You kept your promise to me," Char reminded him. "You were always there to help me. Every step of the way, every big mission, you were always there. You taught me how to be a Pokémon. And you got me this far. If I meet Dialga, he might turn me back into a human, and you'd be the first one I'd have to thank for it. If anything, I'm the one breaking my side of the promise."

"Nah, you can't say that," Saura said with a wry smile. "You protected me from the Master. You forced me to be courageous when I didn't know what would happen. And now I made it to somewhere safe where the Master can't get me. As far as I'm concerned, you kept your promise."

"Well, what?" Char asked, looking at him humorously. "What does that mean? Are we… even?"

Saura looked surprised at the question. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He looked at the stage before him, needing a minute to wonder about the question and think of an answer.

"Hey! There you guys are," Ray's voice cried as he leapt down the room's isle and into the row ahead of them, pivoting on the bench to face them. "Scythe is on his way, finally. He had to get some things ready before _you-know-what_ tomorrow. And Prince is up there talking with Legend right now. In a minute, they're going to come in. Wow! We're going to see Legend tell a story in person, can you _believe it_? I've always wanted to come to one of Legend's stories! This is going to be amazing! Ha! I can't wait!"

"So… this is just a story, right?" Char implored to Ray, who appeared to know what he was talking about. "I thought this would be interesting to see. But what's so special about it?"

"Oh, Char! You have no idea, do you?" Ray gasped eagerly, leaping over the row of seats and coming to sit beside him. "When Legend talks, you _listen._ There's just no fighting it. Whenever he says something, it just captures you, and you can't escape! Pokémon say that your eyes can't even blink and your ears don't hear anything else when he's telling a story. Ohh, I've heard so much about him! He's famous down at the Gold Division, especially with the training teams since that's where he got his start in the first place."

"Well, what's the story?" Saura wondered. "What's he going to tell us?"

"Nobody knows!" Ray answered. "Might be some old legend from the history books. Or maybe something he made up himself. We'll just have to wait and see! Wow, we're so lucky he was doing this on the night we came. I hear he doesn't do this very often anymore."

Char's heart beat faster as he let himself get excited by Ray's description. A wide smile faded onto his face as he imagined himself being swept away just by a Pokémon's words.

"But uh… hey, Char," Ray said suddenly, lowering his voice into a serious tone. "Are you alright? Are you going to be up for tomorrow?"

Char sighed heavily, and his smile disappeared. "I'm not looking forward to the cold," he admitted, shuddering a little as he imagined it. "I… heh, if Zerferia is as bad as they say it is… I keep picturing myself freezing to death… _again_… except this time, Prince won't be there to pass me his flame. But… I can't back out. I have to try this, even if it means I won't make it."

"Hey," Ray said, looking into Char's eyes. "Hey… if it gets too cold, just remember: the fire will never die—"

"—Until the last ember fades," Char completed, starting to smile again.

"And you know that doesn't just mean to keep your tail burning," Ray said. "The 'ember' isn't really your fire power, you know. It's your will to live. No matter how bad it gets, you have to keep holding onto that. They say a Pokémon doesn't die until they want to die. Hold onto your will to live, and as you don't let it die, you'll keep going."

"Ray… thanks," Char said, nodding to him. "Thanks for everything. If I don't see you again… Thanks for always helping me rise to the challenge. Heh, ever since you joined the team, I knew I could never slack off with you around. You really taught me to discipline myself and push for the bigger reward."

"Hey, don't say stuff like that!" Ray warned, astonished. "You're going to come back. You'd better! I don't think Saura and I could run Team Ember without you. And hey, besides… don't you have a coat to wear that'll keep you warm?"

"No _way_ I'm wearing that thing," Char scoffed. "I don't care _how_ cold it gets. If I put that thing on, I won't be able to move a muscle without going insane. I'd rather have my tail chopped off than wear that thing."

"And I'd rather have _my_ tail _and_ my arms and legs chopped off than to have you die from the cold," Ray said sternly. "You thank me for helping you push yourself and you can't even wear a wimpy little coat? You know, if I would have gone with you, I'd have electrocuted you until you put it on."

"Then I _guess_ I have a reason to be _glad_ you're not coming!" Char said jokingly.

Ray was about to respond, but he hesitated. His ears perked, and he broke his concentration on Char. Flipping around in his seat, he took a look back at the facility's doors where another small crowd of Pokémon was entering.

"They're here!" Ray reported. "Scythe and Prince just came in. Here they come!"

Char tried to shake off his solemn mood, pushing out of his mind the fact that he was saying farewell to his best friends, and remembered the storytelling he was anticipating. At the very least, he couldn't draw suspicion from Prince. As far as he knew, Prince's powers of observation and deduction were near Scythe's level, and if that were the case, he'd be able to tell something was amiss if Char were to suddenly start acting lost and afraid. So, he put on his smile one more time, intending that he would at least enjoy this evening. It soon became genuine.

Scythe came marching down the aisle, looking mildly pleased to be there, with Prince a few steps behind. Soon, Scythe spotted his companions and gave them a nod of greeting as he approached. Prince gave them a passing glance as he ushered Scythe over to a seat which was two rows below Char's.

Char watched as the two heroes chatted amongst one another. He knew Scythe was probably trying to subtly reassure Prince that nothing had changed, but still, it made him happier to see the two of them side-by-side without so much as a flicker of bitterness or disgust in their eyes. Underneath all the conflict they'd gone through that day, they were still old friends.

"Aww, no fair, they get the front row!" Ray whined lightheartedly. "Hey, all those spots are empty! Can't we sit in the front row, too?"

"I don't think so," Saura noted. "Team Flamewheel probably gets to sit there. And Scythe is a guest of honor, I guess."

"Hmph," Ray said. "_Char_ should be the guest of honor! Hmm, actually, how many Pokémon do you think know about all this? I mean, obviously not all of them. But there was that one… in the store, remember? What was it…"

"...The Flygon?" a nearby voice said.

Char started at the sound of the voice, the source of which seemed to fade into the shadows only a few feet at his side. The dark Flygon had taken a seat just next to Team Ember, its winding body draped lazily across the stone bench, staring at them with his unnaturally deep red eyes.

"That Flygon, if your memory serves you, was out on mission while rumors leaked of a Charmander with the Call under Alakazam's care," Naxi said. "Naturally, I didn't hear about it. But a handful of the Pokémon in this base do know of you. Not all of them know. Only those who have been chosen to know, know."

Char looked with uncertainty at the dark creature, not knowing what to make of it. He spoke in a hissing, almost hostile voice, as though Char's presence annoyed him deeply. He knew that wasn't the case, though, because it was Naxi who had chosen to sit there.

"Oh, wow, didn't even see you there," Ray said, being the one to separate Char from the Flygon. "Actually, you're probably the last Pokémon I'd expect to come here!"

"…Why is that?" Naxi questioned.

"W… I don't know… you just didn't seem the type," Ray considered. "You don't look like you have the patience to sit down and hear another Pokémon speak."

"I barely have that patience," Naxi admitted, shifting his posture. "I would be lying if I told you I would rather be here at the moment. But I come because I need to come, not because I desire to come."

"Oh, I get it…" Ray guessed. "You promised someone you'd be here. Or maybe they're paying you?"

"I have promised none but myself that I would be here," Naxi hissed in a low, serious voice. "I am old. And as I grow older, thoughts empty from my mind, never to return. One day, the memory of an obscure battle tactic I rarely use. Another day, the memory of my greatest victory in the war. Another day, the memory of my childhood. Every day, until my mind would be empty, and I become insane. And so I come, and let Legend fill my head with new thoughts. Some fictitious, some memories of the past I had lost, it does not matter, as long as they are substantial. So I come, and Legend provides this service to me. The dragon desires to live forever, yet the withered sandworm is long dead."

"Wow… you're losing your memory?!" Saura gasped. "That's horrible!"

"…Just as you will, one day," Naxi said. "If you live to such an old age, that is. Just as we all will. But not the Ninetales. The Ninetales lives for a millennia, his mind never dimming. The Ninetales preserves the consciousness of one era to pass to the next."

The Flygon flicked his tail and turned his attention to the center of the room, indicating he had nothing left to say. Char wondered about his words.

"I know what it's like to not have memories," Char told Saura under his breath. "It makes me feel so anxious sometimes. I feel all this space in my head, but nothing's there… Maybe Legend can help me the same way he helps Naxi."

Char turned to Saura to await a reply, but found Saura's gaze glued straight forward.

"**_Listen!_**"

A voice rang through the room, deep and clear. Before it had finished resounding from the walls, every Pokémon present was as silent as the dead; not a shuffle, a scrape, or even a breath could be heard through the sudden, ominous stillness.

Char's attention snapped forth, and he noticed that the center rows of spaces were now all occupied. Pokémon had lined up, shoulder-to-shoulder, huddled around the innermost circles of the room.

There was a gasp-like sound as the torches around the room's perimeter, by some force of wind or magic, were all snuffed. The light gone, Char could only make out the silhouettes of the crowd, which could have been only shadows for all he knew, as no one emitted a sound.

At the center stage, a roar, and a mighty flash of light. A fire Pokémon's flamethrower attack struck a great mound of kindling, something that Char could have sworn was not there just moments ago. The fire spread, transforming the center stage into a blazing beacon, its red, flickering glow soon reflecting from the face of each Pokémon in the room.

Before the fire, there stood a fox.

Its golden fur shone gloriously in the firelight, its eyes gleaming as though miniature tongues danced behind them. The figure stood tall, proud, and confident, as though it were a legendary. As it walked, its many tales waved in its wake like a silken flame. For a second time, it opened its mouth to speak.

"Before I begin, I would like to make mention a few things," the Ninetales announced, bowing its head slightly. "To begin with, I must pay tribute to our guest of honor. Here, in our midst, a legendary Pokémon sits among us! But he needs no introduction. I would like to extend a heartfelt welcome to an old acquaintance of mine, whom I have not forgotten since the days of our partnership at the golden division. Scythe, head and founder of Team Remorse, it is an honor and a privilege to have you here! "

A roar of applause filled the room. Scythe nodded in gratitude to the Ninetales.

"Second, a confession," Legend continued as the applause died down. "Though I must say it at least once a year, I must say it again this evening. There are few greater joys in my life than speaking before an audience. Of course, as life goes on, obligations pile upon me. I must help to lead a resistance team. I must run my share of our assignments. I must play the role of an ambassador whenever Lucario calls upon me. If life were mine to command, I would be standing right here, speaking before the whole of the division every night! But it is not a wish life will fulfill. Time is scarce, and the opportunity to arrange a gathering such as this one becomes limited to only thrice or so in a year. Yet… at every waking moment, every step I take across our outskirts, and every dream which pulses through my mind when I sleep at night… I am distracted. Distracted thinking of you all, planning for this once-in-a-season evening with every day of my life. I am constructing my stories, and rehearsing every word I should say, so that when I speak before you, I will leave nothing to be desired. In my eyes, every one of you here is a guest of honor! It is not I who serves you, but you serve me by listening. And by the gods, I shall reward that service with every breath I have, and give you what you came for. So thank you, citizens of the Emerald Division, for attending."

Another roar of applause sounded. Legend took a humble bow.

"…That is why, dear listeners, I must confess something," Legend said, changing his tone. "While I can no longer tell stories as often as I want, I must still make sure the stories I tell are relevant to the present times. I would do you a true disservice to speak meaningless words and preach impertinent morals. Therefore, while I have spent the last five-and-a-half months preparing for this evening, I recently learned of an unlikely chain of events which might eternally shape the future of Ambera—and so, in honor of this historical development, I have thrown away all those plans as of a couple weeks ago. My words tonight will be largely unplanned, and unpracticed. But I will speak from the heart. And I will speak to pass my flame to you, a flame burning with the legacy of the past, and of a new one, born this very day."

The Ninetales paused again. As few murmurs rose among the room , apparently surprised at Legend's decision to change his plans on such short notice, Legend turned his head. His glowing red eyes, shimmering like rubies in the firelight, locked intently into Char's. Char trembled and froze in fright as he realized the storyteller was staring at him. The gaze lingered until the audience reaction faded away, and before Legend broke it, he gave a small nod of respect to the Charmander.

"And finally, I must make an apology," the Ninetales said. "Lest I may go unpunished for my crime, I'd like to acknowledge my failure to arrive on time this evening. I am sorry. Unforeseen circumstances arose as I was preparing to come here, and I have kept you waiting for far too long. Even now, I fill the time with a long preface. As it stands, when I am through with you tonight, you may have just half an hour to take shelter from the ghosts. Those of you from the far districts should consider taking refuge in the fortress, unless you can run like the wind. Furthermore, I probably have no need to remind you that tomorrow is assignment day, an early morning for everyone. Indeed, by detaining you here on this night, I am not making things easy for you."

The Ninetales paced a few steps around the fire, glancing at the eyes in his audience. Then, suddenly, he tilted his head back and shouted his next words in a loud, growling roar.

"But it is not I who has made your lives difficult, is it?" Legend proclaimed. "No… it is_ you_ who has chosen to be here, in this fortress of war, sacrificing every freedom, living each day in service to Team Regret. It is you who has chosen this life of difficulty. You've brought it upon yourselves. It is you, standing proud and strong in the face of difficulty, yet cowering in the cold corners of your homes when nobody is watching. It is you, soaring through the sky and bearing witness to the raw beauty of Ambera, yet feeling your heart break when you remember her beauty is not yours to enjoy. It is you, fighting against those who would murder you, resigning yourselves to the ways of the warrior, the ways of the explorer, the ways of the double agent. Obedient. Selfless. Expendable. You have placed everything on the line, expecting nothing in return for your effort."

This time, when the Ninetales paused, there was no sound from the crowd. Everyone was dead silent, his words still ringing in their ears.

"But then… what is the reason you have chosen this?" Legend spoke, lowering his voice but still speaking with power. "What compels you, every day, to rise and to fight? What compels you to take the difficulties of the world upon your shoulders, as your own responsibility, when you do not deserve them? What is it that inspires you so deeply, to leave behind _everything_, and to call yourself a member of the Emerald Division? _Whose __**fault**__ is it that you need to be here?_

"Ahh, yes… I see it in your eyes. You know the answer. You can't deny it. Every day of your lives, it bothers you. At every waking moment, you are distracted. With every step you take across our outskirts, and every dream which pulses through your minds at night… you are distracted. Distracted by _him,_ our faceless enemy, and distracted a possibility, a visage, a faraway dream – a dream of Ambera, untainted by his disgusting presence!

"But can you imagine it? You were all born in and raised beneath the reign of his empire. You have known nothing else. For all your lives, you have uttered his name in respect, or fear, or hatred; you have borne witness as he culls our population at random to his insidious will; can you truly claim to see in your minds what Ambera would look like without him? For if what you see is a utopian continent, with no suffering, no despair, no imperfections… a place where each Pokémon may live in peace and unity… you cannot be farther from the truth! It is the nature of life. We are not, and never will be safe from danger, safe from challenge, safe from difficulty and suffering. I know this because, if you can believe it, there was once a time when the Master was not there to bring oppression and holocaust to our land. And in this time so long before this day, there were the golden ages, when Ambera was in her prime, the days we look back upon with fondness and jealousy. But there were also the dark days, far darker than even we have ever seen.

"So imagine, now, an era so long before this day… A simpler time, a time without countries, a time without laws. A time when no Pokémon or man claimed ownership of the world or its people; a time when creatures bowed only to the raw forces of nature, and to the legendary beasts which controlled them …"

It was around this point when Char could no longer hear the words which Legend spoke. Instead, he saw images in his mind, heard the calls of the wild Pokémon which roamed the land. He transported himself to that world, pretending these vivid images were his own memories, that he'd seen this primitive time with his eyes as a human.

"A time even before mankind bestowed upon us the title of 'Pokémon', which only came once their spellcasters learned to capture and compress our bodies into metaphysical energy. We were beasts. Creatures to share the land with. Creatures to respect… and to fear!

"How terrible and mighty we were, back in that age! How ferocious our command of the wind and flame, how grand our dominion of the sea and sky! The humans looked upon us with awe, watching as we moved mountains, stirred the sea, set fire to the countryside… And they saw us, and they knew they could not defeat us. Unlike us, they were not gifted with our elemental powers, or our resistance to pain and injury, or even our claws and fangs… They had nothing but their minds, those brilliant, ingenious little minds they were given, able to plan and shape their thoughts in ways Pokémon still cannot match… And with those minds, they feared us, and learned to dig holes in the earth to protect themselves from our watchful eyes, just as we cower from the ghosts of the night. They crafted weapons, pointed things, crude yet effective imitations of our claws and fangs, to drive us away if we wandered near…

_I remember that,_ Char told himself, trying to pretend he had a history. _That time long ago, the time when I was a human…_

"But as the decades passed, and the humans grew in their wisdom, they came to realize they needed us to survive. And so, they gathered their courage, and set out to form an alliance.

"Thus was born the bond of the human and beast, and the first golden age of the Pokémon trainers. Some of us were docile and came willingly. Some of us were ravenous and had to be beaten down by the strength of many men, then locked away until we learned to obey or starve. Still others were hatched from an egg, taught to treat humans as their own family. In a myriad of ways, they took us, the feral, mindless beasts of the wild, and made us their servants. In return, we enjoyed the luxuries they offered us: the food, the shelter, the company. We were simple-minded creatures, offered these pleasures which surpassed those we had to fight for in the wild, and so, we were content to remain at man's side. We were complacent.

"But even the humans did not foresee what would become of our bond; in time, the humans offered us something of such immortal value, we will never become worthy enough to repay them: they gave us the gift of their intelligence. They taught us to think, to feel, to understand the world on their level, and to see them eye-to-eye. We started as mere servants, happy with our rations. In the end, we were friends. Equals. We lived in their homes and sat at their tables as family. They fought for our lives without concern for theirs, and we fought for them just the same."

"The world saw a new dawn as Pokémon learned the ways of humans. And like the sunrise, beaming with every new shade of hope and desire for the future, it was beautiful."

"But, as Arceus decreed when the universe came into being, there must be balance. Beauty must not last forever. It must be challenged. It must be polluted with tragedy and corruption! The corruption lurks within the hearts of man and beast alike, man in his desire to dominate and control the world, beast in his desire to evolve and strengthen himself, ascending to a higher level of being. These desires could not remain for long within the boundaries of trust and companionship set for them. Alas, in this era so very long ago, a golden time of peace reached its end, and a dark day overshadowed the land."

_Waves crashed upon the rocky shoals._

_Blood soaked in the sand._

_The clothed, two-legged creature known as a human stood beside his kills, dripping knife still within his clutch. Ignoring the fresh corpses of the fox-like sea demons, he advanced across the sandbar and into the sacred place the beasts had given their lives to defend._

_The human crouched, examining the haphazardly-buried nesting hole. His fingers sifted through the sand, excavating the ditch for the treasures within._

_There was a glint of blue._

_Without hesitation, the human gently lifted the egg from the sandy ditch. His fingers ran over the rough, white surface, around the blue splotches and across the brown streaks. _

_He felt movement inside._

"Years spent training and preparing for this day now behind him, he cradled his prize in his arms, his chosen egg. Relieved from the battle, and from the search, he held it compassionately, feeling its skin against his chest, feeling its vibrations, memorizing them, learning the ebb and flow of this little creature which now belonged to him, which would always belong to him from this day forth, the closest partner and friend.

"This desire burned like fire in him, since his earliest days, to be a beastkeeper. He watched these creatures of the earth, sea, and sky, watching with reverence as they wielded their terrible powers. He wanted to befriend that terrible power. Wanted to command it. But his tribe refused to train him, no matter how he begged. They left him no choice but to take the power into his own hands."

_A cracking sound._

_The egg shifted and wobbled upon the padding the human had piled underneath it._

_On his hands and knees, in the privacy of his own shelter, the human watched eagerly as his first companion tried to force itself from its egg._

_The egg bulged, the creature inside yearning to stretch its little muscles for the first time. An opening appeared, slowly shattering outward. _

_Behind that opening, a face._

_Matted brown fur, still soggy from the yolk. Tiny eyes closed tight._

_The infant collapsed in is position, exhausted with its effort._

_Overcome with compassion, the human took the punctured egg and tore the shell from the hatchling with his own hands, until the infant elemental-fox rested in his arms._

"The kit grew by its master's side, loving him as a child would love their father, for he was the only father it knew. It obeyed him, trusted him, gave him company. It learned to fight in defense of the human and those which he loved. It learned to hunt and survive, to stay away from those creatures which would kill it. It learned, when the world would turn against it and hope would fail, to plead to the gods for assistance. It learned to communicate with the human and understand him, and to help him with his duties. In return, the human poured his heart out before the little one, speaking to him a wealth of knowledge and experience, and the kit learned other things, things which no Pokémon could learn alone. And it learned, as the human gave it the greatest gift a human may give a Pokémon, to think for itself.

"And so the little one's eyes were opened, and it saw the world as the human saw the world, and it understood the hidden things only wisdom could reveal. The human was no longer a master, but a friend and an equal. As the little one grew, it came to understand this friendship it shared. And it was happy."

_The darkness of night._

_The peace and comfort of home._

_The fox slept beside his human friend, weary from the day's work,_

_Content… Happy…_

_But then…_

_A cry rang through the night, and the world heard._

_Like a silent ripple through the fabric of space, it erupted._

_Powerful, compelling, yet invisible…_

_From the prairies, the cliffsides, the shoreline… creatures stirred._

_Tunneling beasts buried beneath the earth squirmed at the sound._

_Sea monsters roiled in its tide. _

_The human's eyes opened._

_They fixed on the little brown-furred creature which slept soundly next to him._

_And he knew._

"It was the Pokémon who had captured the human that night, stirred his heart, roused his fire. For what creature, man or beast, would not tremble before power of that magnitude? The Call's power gripped him by the throat, and his love for his companion… was slain. Slain like the fox's parents. The darkness in his heart came through. For the last time, he had seen his companion as his own child. It was now his tool. He knew he would take the power in his own hands."

_The fox was tied to a post with powerful braids of vine._

_It did not understand._

_It yearned to please its friend, asking him why he acted differently._

_The human ignored its pleas, force-feeding it to keep it from starving._

_A week passed, and the fox was not freed._

_The fox watched as the human it loved worked with strange stones and metals._

_The fox watched as it conjured the forces of ancient magic, practicing them._

_The fox watched, helplessly, as the human drove himself near insanity, combining the magic in different ways, muttering obsessively. _

_The fox watched, helplessly, as the human approached it with a glowing stone he had created. It winced as the human shoved the stone upon its forehead._

_And again, a soundless cry shook the world, brighter than the sun, louder than the lighting in the sky, deeper than the sea._

_The fox watched, helplessly, as the world around him changed._

_It watched as the human communed with other creatures of all kinds, from dark-furred hounds to colorful birds to fiery dragons. It watched as they were also detained, yet did not fight against the human's will. He watched as they were given away to other humans, in exchange for different things._

_More weeks passed, and the fox still did not understand why his friend had forgotten about him._

_He returned to the stake, pressing the stone upon the poor fox's forehead. And the world shook again._

_More creatures came. Powerful creatures. Creatures that towered over the human, overshadowing him. Yet, they bowed to his will._

_The fox watched as the creatures did everything the human commanded of them._

_He watched, helplessly, as they built structures for him, brought his food, assembled before him. He watched as more humans came, as well, and bowed before him._

_And the fox began to understand._

"Two seasons, it remained this way… the human's dark heart for power was insatiable. He did not want Pokémon, or riches, or followers, no. He wanted _everything_. And so, _everything_ came bending to his will."

_The fox watched as the world turned to chaos before its eyes._

_The landside cracked and crumbled from the power of the underground beasts._

_The prairies died. The forests wilted. The ground became covered in carcasses._

_The fox watched, helplessly, as the world burned._

_The fire, like a mighty hurricane, engulfed the land. Brilliant walls of flame, burned offerings of the dead and dying, rising to the stars above._

_The fox watched as the fire crept closer, burning everything in its path._

_The human stumbled forth, holding the glowing rock. His body aflame, his flesh melting, his face ghastly. _

_He reached for the fox's forehead._

_His body collapsed to the ground, dead._

_The fox was alone now._

_At last, the fox understood._

_It struggled against the dried vines which held it captive. Struggled with all its strength, every ounce…_

_Its body would not move._

_The heat became unbearable. Relentless. Merciless._

_The fox understood that it would not live._

_The fox bellowed a cry to the stars. A prayer. A prayer to the gods, just as it had been taught. It prayed for deliverance._

"The voice carried nowhere, the roar of the apocalyptic blaze drowning every sound, but still the child wailed, knowing death was so near. It knew the flames intense and invincible; they would release the shackles, only to let a dead Pokémon fall to the ground. It wailed to the stars, to any spirits who might hear, until even its voice was spent…

"And hear him, they did. For as the flames licked its body and caught upon its fur, an answer came. The force of the man's dark magic stemmed from the ancient flow of energy which had borne the universe itself. Slowly, gradually, as the human had abused his friend with the spells of summoning the Call, the magic had filled its body, until now, in this moment of desperation, it was released.

"There came, manifest, a knowledge that was lost since ancient times. A knowledge we Pokémon of the present cannot comprehend, cannot remember, can never discover again. The Pokémon's body glowed as bright as the flames! It grew in size and strength, bursting the ropes which tied it in place. Undergoing evolution. But this evolution is an extinct one, something we in our age have forgotten how to trigger: paws turned to wicked talons. Scales formed beneath fur, sealing the fragile Pokémon's body behind a shining violet armor. Two magnificent wings graced its back. A ridged faceplate formed around the Pokémon's eyes, and four curved horns sprouted from its head. When the transformation finished, the Pokémon steadied itself upon its four legs, ancient magic pulsing within its heart. It had been reborn… as the _Wyvreon!_"

_The world was invisible behind the flames, and so the Wyvreon leapt through them, trying to flee from the horrible destruction._

_As it fled, it looked upon the devastated world. _

_There was nothing left. Nothing._

_As it flew above the land, it watched, helplessly, the blackened, destroyed ash which reeled by._

_Beyond the horizon, the earth had been savaged, shattered. Lifeless._

_The sky filled with smoke and the smell of destruction._

_It flew through forests, now filled only with ghastly, charred protrusions of barren trees._

_The fire, had left nothing. The fire which the human had started. The fire which he had wanted._

_The Wyvreon flew, tirelessly through this lifeless world, to the summit from which the answer to the prayer had come. It was etched in its heart now, a dragon's instinct._

_Temporal Shrine. A monument to the gods of creation. Upon it, the Wyvreon descended from the sky…_

_The Wyvreon clutched the stone it'd recovered from the human's body, pressing it against its forehead._

Char felt himself shuddering as Legend spoke with such intensity that it seemed to set the air on fire.

"Beauty of beauties, the dragon of diamonds appeared before the little one, shining in all its glory, its power pulsing through the air, rippling upon the sea of time…

"As the breath of a cold wind swept from the sky, the burst of thunder through the clouds, the majestic one who'd crafted time with its own claws stood in submission before the caller. It bent its mighty knee and genuflected, and it cried in its eternal voice…

**_What would you have your servant do?_**"

…

It took more than a moment for Char to realize the story had even ended. How long had it been? Three hours? Only a few minutes? He did not know. All he knew was that the room now exploded in applause, the Ninetales bowing in gratitude to his warm reception. Even as Saura and Ray shouted their appreciation, Char simply sat back, stunned, his mind swimming with questions.

… … …

"How!? How does the story _end_ like that?" Char shouted in grief as he filed out of the assembly hall with his friends. "I mean… wha… what happened? What did the Wyvreon tell Dialga to do?! What even happened to the Wyvreon? And what happens to the world now that everyone else is dead? I mean… he didn't even _finish_ the story!"

Char felt like blasting something with fire. This _bothered _him, especially after how immersed he let himself become in the story. He stomped down the path to the exit, his heart still clamoring for some sort of conclusion.

The building cleared out pretty fast, the resistance teams bolting for the door and the roads back home. The darkness outside already deep. The Watchers would be out in less than a half hour. Soon, all that remained in the facility were the members of Team Flamewheel, Scythe, and some other various Pokémon who had stayed to chat.

"I thought it was brilliant!" Ray exclaimed. "Char, look at it this way: you have to think about what he _meant_, not what he _said_. The story was about the human raising the Eevee, right? Legend said that the best gift the human gave to it was the ability to think for itself and make decisions. And then at the end, Dialga asks the Wyvreon what it should do. So it's the Wyvreon that has to make a judgment. It only has the power because the human raised it that way. So the story comes full circle."

"Interesting, I didn't look at it like that," Saura said. "I thought the story was all about the Eevee being naïve. It learned to love the human because it didn't see the evil in the human's heart. It grew up not even knowing that it was stolen from its nest as an egg. So it loved the human so much it had to be tied to a post and shown that the person he loved was evil. It took him that long to understand."

"Hey, don't insult humans when there's one right next to you!" Ray said. "I think this story was about the good effects that humans have on Pokémon. I mean, look. Even at the end, what was the last thing the human gave to the Eevee? That Call-triggering stone, right? So the Eevee could use it to call Dialga at the end. I wonder if the human was trying to save itself at the end or if he gave the power back to the Eevee in remorse? By the way, what do you think the Wyvreon asked Dialga for, anyway?"

"Probably to fix the world, I guess," Saura said with a shrug. "Actually, I was thinking, maybe the whole story took place on Ambera and the Wyvreon wished that humans couldn't come here anymore? So maybe that's why Ambera has no humans?"

"That's brilliant, too!" Ray said. "Yeah! I bet that's it! See, Char? The story had so much depth to it! And it makes you really think! That's the mark of a good storyteller!"

"Eh… but… It didn't have an ending…" Char mumbled, defeated. "It was good and all, but… ugh, it would have been so much better if I'd known just a little bit more…"

"There's a reason I left out the ending," Legend's voice said. "It was my hope that _you_ would supply one."

Char turned to see that the nine-tailed fox had approached him and his friends. He hesitated for a moment in respect for the storyteller, not really knowing what to say.

"Char… it is an honor to stand before you," Legend said, bowing. "I have heard much about you these past days. I see you've brought companions with you. Will they be accompanying you to the Temporal Tower?"

"Yes," the three of them said in unison.

"Good to hear!" Legend barked happily. "It is smart to bring witnesses with you, Char. My job will become much easier that way. Have you decided what you will ask Dialga for, Char?"

"…uh?" Char could only respond.

"Surely you didn't miss all the ways the story was parallel to _you_?" Legend asked. "You, a Pokémon with the Call of unmatched magnitude, see your world in shambles from the Master's oppression, and so you venture to Temporal Tower to implore help directly from Dialga? What if Dialga could not refuse any of your requests? What if you could have whatever your heart desired? I beg the question, what do you plan to _ask_ of Dialga? What would you beseech of a god?"

Char stood for a moment, totally speechless. He hadn't really thought of it _that _way before! Then again, he always assumed his transformation to a Charmander meant something important, and that Dialga had the answer. But what if it was true? What if Dialga would grant a wish or two?"

"I uh… Uh… Dethrone the Master, of course…" Char stammered. "Uh… "

"And I say to you, if that's what you want, and Dialga grants that request, you would be remembered in Ambera legends until the end of time," Legend said. "But… is there anything you desire for _yourself_?"

"Never thought about it, actually," Char admitted. "I just assumed that Dialga wouldn't grant a selfish wish, I guess."

"Well, be sure to keep it in mind on your way," Legend suggested. "I've done my part in trying to inspire you. You wouldn't want to miss the opportunity, would you? Think about it. If you were that little dragon-eon, standing before the being that set time into motion… what would you have it do? … For now, it is late, and I do seem to remember Prince mentioning you would reside with us this evening. Would you like for me to escort you to our hall?"

… … …

The moment he stepped outside, Char looked to the stars, a rare sight to see in Ambera. But the stars were invisible that night, blocked from view by the same cover of clouds. No light shined from that northern sky, making it seem like an infinite abyss.

It was a _very_ short walk to Team Flamewheel's base, as they lived _within_ the city of Fort Emerald. Along the way, Char had to cringe as he walked through the chilly nighttime weather. He knew the numbness caused by his nervous shock earlier had faded away somewhat, but at the same time, he found that thinking of his experience in the freezer made the wind chill seem more bearable. He tried to lower his fire to a simmer to help curb its sting.

Ray, on the other hand, didn't seem at all bothered by the temperature. He was too distracted raving at Legend.

"That was brilliant!" Ray cried, walking beside the Ninetales. "That was just… wow! Everything I've heard about you is so true! How do you have such a way with words?"

"Practice," Legend replied. "Practice and research. And I am glad you enjoyed it."

"I admit, I wasn't really sure about coming here, but you really showed me," Saura said. "My mind is spinning now. I feel so sorry for that little Wyvreon…"

"I find it funny, how I am known today as 'Legend the Storyteller'," the golden fox mused. "Even today, when I think about it, it seems too unlikely to be true, that my tongue has defined me. Do you know what I trained for, back at the golden division? I was to be a messenger. I had excellent stamina. I could run tirelessly across the land and not stop to rest. I could outrun the birds! And I remember how I excelled in battle. I taught wild Pokémon to cower before my might! But today, am I known as Legend the strong, the tireless, the brave? No… I'm Legend the storyteller. It seems my fate is forever sealed. Ah, but I am not one to argue with fate. I take what I am given."

After only a two-block walk, they had arrived at Team Flamewheel's settlement, which looked as featureless on the outside as any other of the division's buildings. Legend opened the door and slipped inside to light some of the torches in the entryway with his fire. As Char looked interestedly at the prestigious house, he couldn't shake a strange feeling about it.

"Hmm… This place looks familiar," Saura noticed. "Not too much, but… just enough to recognize."

"You're right!" Ray said amusedly. "This is just like our own base! Hah! That's probably because our base belonged to Team Flamewheel before we moved in!"

It was true. The general shape of the hall was very similar to Team Ember's own, with a long red rug and some similar articles of furniture. The resemblance wasn't striking, but it helped make Char feel at home and forget that his own base was hundreds of miles away.

"You took over our hall, did you?" Legend laughed. "I'm surprised they kept it vacant for so long. Alakazam must have been expecting us back. As you have probably noticed, we missed our old den enough that we remodeled this building as best as we could in its image. Though it's always made me nostalgic, rather than comfortable…"

As Char wandered down the hall, feeling right at home, the door opened a second time. Jumping a little in surprise, he turned around and expected to see Prince or Scythe coming in to retire for the night.

Instead, he saw a Bayleef entering the house.

"Lily, good evening!" Legend called to the Bayleef. "What did you think of my performance tonight?"

"Good, as usual!" Lily responded with a grin. "Though, it wasn't as good as last time. But I don't think that's your fault! The Black Division rebellion is a hard story to beat!"

"Remember, I had only three weeks to prepare this one," Legend said. "Actually, as it turned out, it was more along the lines of three weeks to decide the concept and three days to assemble the script. I didn't expect it to be my best work, but I hoped it would be fitting for the occasion of Char's visit."

Lily looked as though she was about to respond, but then she snapped to attention, surprised at the presence of the Charmander standing just across the hall from her.

"… … Char!" Lily said simply. "… … … … Nice to meet you."

"You, too," Char replied oddly.

For a few more seconds, they stared at one another in silence. The Bayleef looked as though she was searching for something else to say, but decided against anything.

"Well, I should get some rest, assignments tomorrow and all," Lily said, turning to one of the nearby doors. "Goodnight, Legend!"

"Sleep soundly," Legend called back as she disappeared into her room. "Well, then, you three should do the same. Hmm… Here, this room is vacant. You three can stay here if you want…"

"Wait…" Char said suddenly, a thought clicking in his mind. "Did you say that you created that story in three days? As in, _wrote _it?"

"Naturally," Legend replied dismissively.

"So you mean… it wasn't real?" Char said. "You made it up?"

Legend blinked. He turned his head toward Char. "It is a permutation of an old legend I have told several times in the past," he explained. "It changes slightly every time I tell it. I try to keep my stories relevant to the present, you see. The basic story stays the same, I fabricate many of the details. But the details are vital to the story, understand that. The listener needs details if they are to take the story to heart."

"I see," Char said. "In that case… is it true what you said about fire Pokémon?"

"Fire Pokémon?" Legend repeated. "What about them?"

"That they were destined to destroy the world," Char said. "Prince told me you said that fire Pokémon were destined to destroy the world. And he said you told him that. Is that true? Or is that something you made up, too?"

A smile crossed Legend's face. "Hah hah. That is a story of my own invention, long ago in our days back at the golden division. It was to light the heart of Prince one day when he was discouraged. Indeed, if I am to retell legends, it is my right to invent some of the legends that will one day be passed down through the millennia, isn't it? After all, to use the word 'legend' implies that it may or may not be true…"

Char scowled. "Well, then, when are you going to tell Prince that it was a lie?" he challenged.

Again, the Ninetales laughed ironically. "Do not worry, Char, Prince knew those words were nonsense from the moment I uttered them."

Char said nothing in return, but he didn't look satisfied. In truth, he was confused. Prince told him that story as though it were an indisputable fact, and it had moved him slightly. Why would he tell a lie like that? Legend turned to address him, trying to read his feelings.

"Char, you must understand something about my role in this world," Legend said. "I have spent decades pondering this question, whether it is right or wrong to tell fictional stories as though they were true. In the end, I realized the answer: it is not _what_ I say that matters, be it truth or falsehood. I am a storyteller. That does not mean I am a historian. It also does not mean I am a liar. Rather, I am a doctor. It is my duty to heal broken hearts and restore hope. I must say whatever is necessary, so that those who hear me will have the strength to carry on for one more day through the painful world we live in. I pass my flame to them, so they may live."

Legend paused to let Char consider his words.

"You should sleep," he suggested, turning to open their door for them. "Prince does not tolerate sleeping in."

Char hesitated one last time.

"Legend?"

"Yes?"

"There… is a story… a _true_ story… I'd like to hear you tell me sometime," Char said.

"Hmm… I would be happy to oblige, another time, of course," Legend said politely. "What did you have in mind?"

"The story of how your team saved the Emerald Division," Char said.

Legend's expression changed. He looked angry, almost offended at the suggestion. He gained control of himself quickly and replied with only a small scowl.

"No, I'm afraid I will not," Legend said in a lower voice. "You must wait until the next time I am ready to tell it. That story, I plan to tell until the day I breathe my last, but only once a decade. Because it is something the world must know, yet… it is a heavy subject. It would be unbearable to have it on my mind every moment of every day. I must be allowed some time to forget it."

Char thanked him anyway, admitting that, through his complaints, he really did enjoy the tale of the Wyvreon. Saura and Ray also yawned their goodnights.

From across the hall, Lily watched through the small opening in her door as Team Ember disappeared into the vacant room.

… … …

At last, the dreadfully long day came to an end, and Team Ember was together again for another night. Though not exactly their home base, it was close enough to make them feel comfortable, even if there weren't even any bed-pads and the three of them had to sleep on the floor. They were used to that, after all; they'd spent most of their time sleeping in Scythe's lair without even a room of their own. It was the fire that Char still missed, though he decided not to think too hard about it. It wasn't the time to feel sorry for himself again. He needed his sleep much more than ever now; he would need it to escape from Prince the next morning.

At one point, Scythe stopped by to remind them of the plan, that he'd have their bag from Alakazam ready to grab on the way out, and Ray and Saura would need to stand by in case Prince would have to be distracted from the fact that they were gone, just long enough to let them get away. But he stayed only for as long as it was necessary, and quickly departed; he, too, needed his sleep.

The three members of Team Ember laid motionless, eyes closed. Ray was already fast asleep. Char was curled up in the corner, though at this point he was only pretending; anticipation and fear still tingled inside him.

"Hey," Char said quietly. "You never answered my question."

"Alright," Saura responded. "If I don't see you again… alright, we're even. But hey, Good luck out there, Char. I really mean it. I really want to see you again."

"You know what Daemon says about luck," Char muttered back. "But I'll do the best I can. Don't worry about me. In a few days you'll get to see your family again."

"Heh… thanks," Saura muttered as his mind grew cloudy. "I'm really sorry if I made it seem like I didn't want to be here. It's just… I had a strange dream the other day, when we were in the desert canyon. I dreamt I went on the vacation my sister was telling me about. I was with them when they went to the shore."

"That must have been a nice dream," Char said.

"But no…" Saura said, sounding like he wanted to doze off. "That was the weird thing. It was like… I kept asking Saurvor why we were going on vacation. We'd always take trips as a whole family. But I kept asking him… why he only took Saurlee… and me… and he wouldn't answer me… I wanted to see mom and dad and everyone else again… I guess that dream made me a little anxious about them, that's all."

"Oh…" Char said. "Is that why you were… feeling bad earlier today?"

"Yeah, I guess that's all," Saura said. "I didn't mean to make you feel sorry for me or anything… Sorry if I did… But I tried not to let it distract me…"

"It's alright," Char reassured him. "You helped me give Scythe what he wanted. I think that's the best thing I could have done. So, go. Be happy with your family…"

Too tired to say much else, Char tried his hardest to calm his mind and lay motionless, trying to convince his mind to relax and delve into his own dreams. But there was one more thing he had to ask.

"Hey… Team Ember had a good run, didn't it?" Char asked.

"Huh?" Saura responded. "Team Ember won't die…"

"You're not quitting?" Char asked.

"Never…" Saura said. "The resistance… is the most fun I've ever had… I'm never going to quit… not ever…"

Saura said nothing more, but his final words made Char feel very happy. It was enough to let him dull his nervousness and let his exhaustion take over.

… … …

…

…

…

_No!_

…

…

_No! I need that! Don't take it away! I need it!_

Char found himself in a hauntingly familiar place.

It was the memory again, the same as always. Char saw the legendary dragons of time and space standing before him. He saw the Poké Ball which Palkia held before him. And he saw… that claw which held him fast…

_Let me go! LET ME GO!_

But this time, a different layer of understanding had been triggered in the memory. For Char _felt_, more than any other sensation in his dream, a raging emotion which drowned out all of his other senses.

_LET ME GO! LET ME GO! GIVE ME THAT BALL! PLEASE, OH, PLEASE! GIVE ME THAT BALL!_

_THAT BALL IS __**EVERYTHING!**_

Helplessly, detained within the body of his memory, Char struggled for freedom. That ball held the weight of the world. The weight of the universe, perhaps. That ball was his whole _purpose_. That ball was his _destiny._ He would challenge the gods for it! He would slay Palkia and rip it from the dragon's dead hands! He was driven by such a strong longing, greater than any he'd ever known, a powerful madness which consumed him. Yet, the claw held fast, and would not let him budge as he feebly squirmed…

_No! No! Please, you don't understand! Please! Pleeeease!_

**_HELP ME!_**

**… … …**

Char's eyes blinked. He realized he was awake.

He looked around, remembering where he was. He was in another team's room. His friends were there with him.

But something… _something_… wasn't right.

Char reflected on the compelling experience he'd felt in his dream. So, the Poké Ball was really important to him. That was good to know. His purpose was to find it, to use it for something. Or maybe to open it and release the Pokémon inside? He couldn't tell, his raging desire to simply obtain the ball had been just too great to understand its deeper motive.

Char felt better. One more layer of his memory had been revealed. He was closer to finding his purpose.

But…

There was something else about the dream. Something… _wrong_. Something… something familiar. What was this twinge of familiarity he felt? What was this sensation that he thought he knew? Was it… was it something near the end of the dream?

_No…_

And then it hit him; in a moment of realization, he knew _exactly_ what it was.

_No… it can't be!_

Char drew a quivering breath as he rose from his sleeping spot and crept over to Saura.

"Saura!" Char hissed, shoving his friend's side to wake him up quickly. "Wake up! Wake up!"

"Errrrgh… what's wrong?" Saura muttered, his limbs stretching and his eyes fluttering open. "What is it, Char?"

"Saura… I think… No, I'm pretty sure… it happened again. The Call. I just now did it."

Saura emitted a gasp. It didn't take much longer for him to wake up.

"Wow, really?" Saura cried, his eyes wide. "You sure?"

"Yeah… I was having this dream, and then…"

Ray yawned loudly, stirring from his own dreams.

"What is it? What do you want?" Ray muttered. "What's… oh… uh… sorry. Must have been having a weird dream…"

"Ray!" Saura gasped, leaping over to him and pulling him up with vines. "Char had the Call again!"

"Oh…" Ray muttered. "Wait… what? Is that why I woke up just now? What does it mean?"

"It means we have to find somewhere to hide now," Char remembered. "Well, maybe. The fortress is a pretty big place. I don't think I reached far enough to wake up everybody. But Team Flamewheel's going to be here soon. We'll probably have to—"

Scythe burst through the door, nearly knocking it down. He was panting as though on the verge of death, and his expression was _horrified_. He looked as though he'd seen a ghost.

"Char!" Scythe gasped breathlessly. "I heed your call! But come, quickly! We must run!"

"Yeah, I know the drill," Char sighed. "Let's get this over with…"

"Come on, come on! There is no time!" Scythe shouted. "No time! _Run!_"

Wondering what Scythe was so worked up about, Char scampered to his side and followed him out into Team Flamewheel's hall.

And then…

There was a screeching sound, like a noise from a nightmare.

An apparition appeared at the end of the hall. A grotesque, mutated figure. It was transparent, Sifting through the air like a gaseous substance, screeching like a demon as it charged near.

It took a moment for Char to notice it had a face. It was a ghost Pokémon.

Matching the ghost's cry, Scythe buzzed his wings and raised his blades, gathering shining energy within them. He shot forward to attack the horrid Pokémon, his blade somehow putting a dent into its incorporeal form. He dodged warily away before returning to strike again, a couple more times, until the ghost seemed to evaporate into a cloud of smoke.

"Whoa, what WAS that?!" Ray cried.

"W—Watcher," Scythe gasped, recovering from the effort of the battle. "They're… they're coming…"

"That's… that's impossible!" Ray gasped. "Watchers don't come inside!"

"They do… when they've… been summoned by a cry they cannot ignore," Scythe growled. "The last time… the last time this happened, we were a mile inside the earth, they couldn't hear you well enough… but now… they are about to swarm… And nothing is going to stop them…"

Char froze in his place, terror overcoming him. He knew, even though he had no control over his power, he'd just done something horrible. He felt nothing. He didn't know what to feel, or what to say. His mind told him only one thing:

_This can't be happening._

"Char…" Scythe sighed in exasperation, shaking his head. "What am I going to do with you? You'll be the death of me, yet…"


	44. Chapter 40: Nightmare

**Chapter 40**

_This can't be happening._

Char wished the ghost he'd just witnessed phase through the wall had been a hallucination. A bad dream. Something unreal.

But he'd seen those demented glowing eyes, and that captivated gaze drawn to his silent beckoning. He saw the intruder defeated upon Scythe's blade.

Worst of all, he saw the terror upon Scythe's face. This was a danger he did not know how to deal with. All of his battles, his wisdom, his life experience… none of it could have prepared him for this. He was like a child, trapped and scared.

Char felt disconnected from the world he stood in. He couldn't think, couldn't feel anything. Couldn't acknowledge his companions who clamored for his response. This wasn't happening to him.

The Watchers were coming inside. _Inside houses._ Where the division's Pokémon slept. All of them unsuspecting. Helpless.

And he had caused it.

"_Char!_ Snap out of it!" Scythe barked. "This is no time to stand awestruck. Pay attention, or you will _die! Char!_"

Char screamed as a painful jolt flooded his body, jump-starting his sluggish heart. He stumbled and fell on his back, half-paralyzed, his limbs still convulsing from the power of the discharge. Ray cringed in regret from having attacked so harshly, static sparkling upon his claws.

"Char, we have to listen to Scythe now," Ray said, grabbing his arms and helping him back to his feet. "Char? Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah. Yeah, I'm… here now," Char replied through gritted teeth. "I'll be fine… W-what do we do? Scythe? Can we do anything?"

"I don't know yet," Scythe rasped, glancing around the room. "It depends on Team Flamewheel now. They will have to help us. We should escape from here and regroup in the warehouse basement. That's a close enough shelter. But I do not know how we would make it there. Running would be suicide, unless Team Flamewheel has enough supplies on hand."

Char knew that most of the team members wouldn't need to be asked to come. He heard them stirring behind closed doors, gradually drifting from their beds and emerging into the hall. A Camerupt showed itself, looking half-asleep. A Heracross came soon after, looking just as dazed and aimless. And then there was the Ninetales, who burst from his room with such vigor that Char wondered if he had even been sleeping.

"The Call! I have heard the Call!" Legend proclaimed as he bounded into the main hallway. "I am compelled! Such a force of raw power compels me, rapture as none I have known! Who has summoned me? Where is my master who has summoned me into this unconditional servitude? I come! I am here! Here I am! What would you have your servant do?"

Spotting Scythe and his group, Legend came forward.

"You are a persuasive one," Legend spoke affectionately to Char. "Like Scythe, I hold the power to comprehend the Call when I witness it. And never before, never before have I seen and heard what you have created this very night! Never have had I witnessed a force so captivating! Magnificent! Legendary! It is as a whirlwind of force, a mighty tornado which ravages the land and extends to the clouds! I stand in awe before the magnitude of your cry!"

"Legend!" Scythe hissed. "Behind you!"

A shriek pierced the air as another Watcher drifted through the walls, its eyes wide in captivation as it aimed for the one who had called it. The deformed Haunter reached a disembodied hand for Legend's tails.

"Baaah!" Legend spat as he turned to see it. "Wretched demons!"

"Char! Stay back! Stay back!" Scythe ordered as he engaged the monster.

The room flashed with red light as Legend discharged his fire onto the ghost, which seemed to stun it for a moment. Scythe attacked, faster than the eye could see, slashing the thing with his own pent-up energy from the edge of his blade. Char was amazed at how Scythe and Legend both kept their distance from the thing, even though the ghost did not launch a single counterattack in their direction. It was merely content to float slowly forward, emitting an unnatural cry, as though oblivious to its attackers. Char was also frightened by the amount of powerful hits it took to subdue this one.

The fight continued for moment after moment, the Scyther and the Ninetales throwing everything they had at it, until a fiery fist shattered the demonic figure. Prince stood in the evaporating remains of the ghost Pokémon.

"Prince! Do you have any Sol-rock torches here?" Scythe demanded before Prince could say a word.

"We do," Prince replied.

"Get them immediately," Scythe commanded. "In a few short minutes, this place is going to be overrun. We need to escape from the focal point and regroup elsewhere. Everyone who stays in this building will die! Legend, run and wake everyone. _Quickly!_"

Legend didn't hesitate in following the order, dashing upstairs as swiftly as his legs could carry him. Prince also dashed off, heading for the closet to retrieve the torches. Scythe looked warily at the walls, expecting more intruders to come, before returning his attention to Char and his friends who cowered wide-eyed in the corner.

"Have you faced the Watchers before?" he questioned. "Ray, I know you have. Char, Saura, what about you?"

"N… never," Saura answered. "I always just… stayed away from them, just like you taught."

"Then listen," he barked. "The most important thing is to not touch them. Whatever you do, don't let them make contact with you! If they touch you, they could do _anything_ to you! _Anything! _There's no telling what they will do if they bond with your body. They could kill you in an instant, or worse… They could possess you. They could erase your memories. They could bury you in the ground. All of these things have happened to Pokémon before who have tried to face the Watchers. You understand?"

"Yes," Team Ember replied in unison with a somber nod.

"Use your elemental powers against them," Scythe reminded. "They are ghost Pokémon. So if you must repel them, use your fire, your electricity, your vines. Never strike at them unless the part you are striking with is already filled with the white energy. Don't try attacking them with blunt force, it'll be useless. Understand?"

"Yes," Char replied, forcing himself to sound confident. "We'll fight them if we have to."

"I was a coward and refused to train you against the Watchers," Scythe said seething in anger. "Now, you'll have to learn the rest by experience…"

More members of the team came wandering into the hall. A Shuckle and a Bayleef arrived from nearby doors.

"Oh, dear, was I sleepwalking?" the Shuckle yawned, drooping lazily from its shell. "Ugh… no, what was I going to do out here? I forget. Oh, Lily? What are you doing up at this hour?"

"I don't… I'm not sure," the Bayleef said, trying to blink her eyes open. "I thought Prince was calling me for something. But I must have just been dreaming… Ugh, what time is it? I'm going to be a zombie tomorrow at the meeting…"

And then the Bayleef opened her eyes and noticed the others in the main hall. She saw Scythe yelling harshly at Char like a father reprimanding a son for doing something wrong. The realization dawned upon her.

"No…" she gasped, shirking back. "Oh, no! No, no, _no, no_! Not this again! Please, no! Anything but this!"

"Wait, what?" the Shuckle asked. "What are you talking about?"

"I think Char did this," Lily answered blankly. "Oh, no… We're in some serious trouble if the Watchers heard! Oh, why does this always have to happen at _night_?"

Lily swallowed hard. She was _not_ looking forward to seeing the watchers again, _especially_ like this. Seeing that the team was already starting to panic, she looked among them for Prince. This was a time she needed to stick close to her leader and follow orders. She needed to work with the team if she wanted to survive.

Prince returned from the storage closet in a hurry, bearing a large wooden club with a chunk of rock mounted at the top. Scythe inspected them for a moment, not pleased.

"This is all you have?" he blasted at Prince. "Only one? In this whole building you have only _one?!"_

"They're expensive, and we only use them rarely," Prince replied. "Only for emergencies."

"Well, I'd say _this_ is as bad an emergency as you will see!" Scythe roared, drawing the other members of the team to gather around the ruckus he caused. "No, this is no good! One won't repel a swarm this dense. We'd need five, at least!"

Scythe silenced himself for just a moment, racking his mind for an answer. He glanced at the walls of the building which would soon fail to provide safety, and at all the Pokémon within. Finally, his glance fell to Char.

"Prince, light the torch," Scythe ordered. "Run, and take Char to the basement of the warehouse. He must survive, even if the rest of us perish. Go, quickly!"

"Wait, Scythe!" Char cried in surprise. "What about you?!"

"I will meet you there, if I can think of a way," Scythe answered, the uncertainty clear in his voice. "We have five minutes at least. I will have some time to think about it. But it is _you _who must get out of harm's way first."

"No!" Char yelled. "No, you come with me! You can't stay here!"

"Prince, go!" Scythe barked. "Take him! And if I do not make it… care for him in my place."

The words hit Char like a blow to the face. Was he _serious_?

As the realization overtook him, Char jumped to escape, but Prince acted quickly and captured him in his powerful hands, pinning the squirming Charmander beneath his arm.

"No! _Saura! Ray!_ Help me! Please!" Char pleaded desperately, trying to force the Infernape's arm from his belly. "You can't! You can't stay here! You have to come with me!"

"Char… listen to Scythe," Saura said sternly, not moving a muscle. "You're the one who has to live. Go with Prince. We'll survive if we can."

"But no! _No!_ You're not going to make it if you stay!" Char yelled.

It was then that even Prince himself hesitated. To him, Char's screaming became silent. He noticed his team standing at attention in the darkened hall, at each face which glowed in the dancing red light from his crown. He saw their gazes of confusion and worry, and knew that each one of them was willing to serve him, to fight at his side to bear this difficulty. Yet… by his own choice, he had crossed paths with Char, lured him into the Emerald Division, and now, he was the only one who could provide for the young one…

Breaking from his trance, he averted his eyes from her.

"I will go," he said. "Scythe… may Cresselia be at your side this terrible night!"

Not letting the struggling Char escape, Prince clutched the torch in his other hand and held it over his crown's fire. Once it caught, he dashed for the door and didn't look back.

* * *

**Dark Fort Emerald**

With only the blazing torch to provide cover, Prince emerged into the deadly night, holding the Charmander to his chest. Char saw nothing, his eyes nearly buried into the Infernape's warm fur. He only felt as his body violently bounced in place, the Infernape sprinting with all his strength… He only heard the sounds of the Infernape's feet colliding with the stone underfoot, and the sounds from the sky. The sky was filled with horrible sounds, the sounds of the roused watchers swarming near, keening and moaning in their unnatural ways, seeking what they had seen in their waking dreams…

"Stay still," Prince ordered to him, clutching him tighter. "Stay still. Don't look up. Keep your eyes closed. Eyes closed…"

Char did as instructed, closing his eyes tight, forcing a few tears to stream down his face. He kept hearing the moaning, cooing sounds of the ghosts, some almost inches away. He felt as the Infernape performed difficult maneuvers as he ran, dodging and leaping in unexpected ways…

And he felt the chill of the midnight wind against his bare skin, biting and clawing at him just like the freezer had. He felt it draining his hope away.

"Stay still, stay still, stay still…" Prince kept saying. "We're almost there, almost there. We're going to make it… "

Char saw them.

Though his eyes were closed, he saw the ghosts in his own imagination. They were swarming. Swarming the building that resembled his own team hall. He saw them attacking, in countless numbers, flooding into that tiny building like a waterfall.

"Don't squirm," Prince growled, his voice vibrating through his chest. "Stay still… we're almost there, Char…_!_"

Char felt his body wracked by a sudden upward force. There was a hissing noise. Scuffling underfoot. Motion in every conceivable direction. Prince's grasp upon him squeezed so hard, it felt like his bones would break.

"_Begone,_ you _demons!_" Prince bellowed. "Char, it's alright… I'm fine… Just another block… We'll be safe…"

"_They're coming too fast!" he heard Saura cry in desperation, who backed away from an incoming cluster of determined Watchers. "We can't hold them off any more!… Scythe! Scythe, what do we do?! We have to go now! How do we get away from this?"_

"_I… I don't know…" Scythe gasped, stopping amidst the raging battle to catch his breath. "I… I don't know… There's no way out… the moment we step outside that door, they'll hone in… there… there is no escape…"_

_He saw the horrified realization upon Saura's face._

"Saura, no!" Char gasped. "Saura!"

"Easy," Prince said. "Easy. Stay still."

"_Then, it is certain," Legend proclaimed to everyone in the room. "Here, tonight, each one of us will breathe our last! Let it be a breath not wasted! Let the legendary dragons behold our valor this final night, the valor of the Pokémon who fought to protect the Call! Though we shall be forgotten, let our legacy live on by the power of the Call, the Call which will cut through the Master's dominion! For this cause we have lived, and now, for this cause let us die! Now stand tall! Stand proud, like the legendary Pokémon you are! And fight! "_

"_This is it, huh?" Saura said blankly. "This is how we die?"_

"_Never…" Ray growled. "Do you remember the Iron Crevice mission? Never accept your fate! If there's some little chance we could win, we have to earn it! We fight like Team Ember fights! The fire will NEVER DIE!"_

"_until the LAST EMBER FADES!" Saura answered, gaining his final burst of courage. "We fight! For Char!"_

"_For the Resistance!" Ray said, his electricity coating his body._

"_Ah…" Scythe sighed, hearing them. "Frivolous optimism… Heh heh… it can be fun sometimes. Alright, ghosts. You want to destroy me? It's going to cost you! En guarde!"_

_And he saw, one by one, as the Watchers surrounded the Pokémon within and ended every last life. He watched as Saura breathed his last, as Ray went down fighting, as Scythe's magnificent spirit broke and let him become overwhelmed, as Legend stood in the corner and scorned the ghosts from the bowls of his lungs as they overtook him, as Lily collapsed trying to shake the abominations off her… And as all the other members of Team Flamewheel he had never seen, or never met, perished…_

"We're here."

* * *

**Warehouse Facility B2F**

Char jumped at the sound of Prince's voice. His face was dripping wet with tears from the intense visions his mind had conjured. He saw they had arrived to the warehouse basement, the spacious hallway Prince had taken him tearlier that day before leading him into the freezer. It was just as desolate and chilly as it used to be, except for the dazzling rays of sunlight emanating from the torch Prince still carried. Nearly winded, Prince gently set Char down onto the hard floor, where he collapsed against a freezer door. His throat felt tight, face felt pale, his eyes burned with pain.

"What have I done?" Char gasped, breathless.

"You have done nothing," Prince told him, lodging the torch behind a door handle. "You share no blame in this. This is the gravity of the power you were born with. For centuries, Pokémon have struggled to tame this power and understand it. None have succeeded. It remains beyond our control, beyond our understanding. It calls by its own will, when we least expect, when we least desire, like the wrath of a god. If anything, this is my fault."

"Prince, go back," Char begged the Infernape in a cracking voice. "You still—still have that candle. Go back and—and save the others."

"No," Prince said, pacing the floor before Char. "I cannot."

"Why?!"

"Because that is not what Scythe asked me to do."

Char tried to take a deep breath, but his heart was beating so rapidly and his chest quivered so uncontrollably that it suffocated his attempt. His lungs were running all on their own, constantly making short, painful gasps for air which he couldn't stop.

"But Scythe— won't—won't make it!" Char gasped.

"Scythe is not an unintelligent Pokémon!" Prince shouted angrily in reply. "There is still time left for him. He may figure out a way to escape before his time runs out. That is up to him, now. There's nothing we can do."

"So you're just—just going to let him die?"

"Char, do you think for _one moment_ this is easy for me?" Prince growled. "How many Pokémon were dear to you in that building? Three? Is that how many you had to leave behind? I had to leave behind _nine. _I had to leave behind nine of my own in that place, nine of the most faithful and talented Pokémon the world has ever known, nine Pokémon whom I would gladly die for on a night like this, and decide that _you_ were more important than all of them. How do you think _that_ makes me feel, Char?"

Almost exploding into rage, Prince stopped himself from saying anything else. He ceased his incessant pacing and stared down at the floor, clenching his hands hard. Char said nothing in response, his continuous gasps of weeping barely letting him breathe.

"Besides, the swarm has grown too thick," he said after a pause. "It worsened, as I was running… We just barely made it here. This one torch will be powerless to repel them now. Otherwise… if I knew I had any chance, I would have gone back."

"How—how will he make it? There's just—there's just no way," Char rambled, his eyes glazed over.

"He will make it," Prince assured, coming to sit by his side against the freezer door. "He has a god's intuition. He wouldn't have sent us here if he didn't have something in mind. I would give him a few more minutes before writing him off as gone. He has gotten himself out of difficult situations before…"

_Not this bad… _Char wanted to say, instead letting a tense silence linger for a moment. _I saw his face… he knew he wasn't going to make it… So he made sure I got out… _

"But if you're right," Prince suddenly said, his voice darker, "If you're right, and he fails to escape, a possibility I can't deny, then you and I will be alone in this world. Only the six who were out on mission will be left on my team, but they will not return for months, and they will not know what happened until then… Just as your friends will not be there to help you anymore…

Char tried not to listen to him. It was a lie. It all had to be a lie.

"… In the coming days, we will need to find trust in one another," he said solemnly. "Will I have your trust?"

Char lost it. He exploded in rage.

"_Trust?!_" he echoed, jumping to his feet, his flame roaring. "_Trust?!_ You wanted my _trust?_ Is that all you wanted? You have _exactly_ what you wanted from the beginning! This is what you wanted! This is why you took me away and made me go in the freezer! You just wanted to get me away from Scythe and my friends so you could _earn my trust!_ Well, he's gone now! They're all gone now! And now you have me all to yourself! Now are you happy?!"

"Char, I never wished hurt upon them," Prince growled back at him, raising his own voice. "Do _not_ accuse me of wanting this. It was never my intention to separate you from anyone. All I _wanted_ was to _help you_. I forced myself into your company because I knew you would not survive if you went north without me. You would have never made it through the first leg of the journey. I don't know why, but Scythe refused to see it, so I had to make _you_ see it instead. That's why I took you into the freezer and taught you what it is like to smolder, because that is how you would have died. In Zerferia, there is no warmth. You would need me to survive. So tell me, was I _wrong_ in persistently defying Scythe's wishes, so that you might have been safe? Was I _wrong_ in wishing for you to meet Dialga alive? Did I do the wrong thing?"

"You shouldn't have _**even brought me here**__!_" Char blasted in his loudest voice, clutching his claw as if he was about to strangle Prince alive. "I don't even _**matter**_ to you! All you care about is _**the Call**__!_ You just wanted to be the one to get the Call to work! You just wanted to _**use me**__!_ And now everything's destroyed because of you! Just like with Lily! Just like you destroyed everything with her! You want me to trust you just like _**she**_ trusted you? _**Where is she now?!**_You left her to _**die**_ up in that house just because I'm here now?! _**Are you going to leave me to die, too?!**_"

Prince scowled. "How… did you hear about Lily?" he demanded, deeply shocked. "Though I suppose it doesn't matter now. A number of Pokémon could have told you. I imagine it was probably Scythe himself, seeing how he's been trying to 'protect' you from me… But yes, you are right… Twice, I've tried to bear the power of the call as my own responsibility. Twice, it overwhelmed me. I have played with fire, as humans would put it. I've gotten burned. But before, with her, I was in a position to make a sacrifice, and make amends … This time, I am in no position to do anything, except to carry on and finish what Scythe started. I will take the blame for what happened tonight. I do not know where that will place me in this world. But I will care for you, as Scythe wished."

"I—I don't want you to care for me," Char sobbed, his voice waning as his tears began to overpower his anger. "I want them back…"

Feeling exhausted to the core, he fell back into Prince's arms, which accepted him and held him tenderly.

He tried to close his eyes, hoping that sleep would let him forget everything until his friends would arrive safe and sound, but the images still ravaged his mind, tearing at his soul…

"_IT HURTS!_" _cried Saura as a giant ghost seeped into his forehead. "SOMEBODY, HELP ME! IT'S SO COLD! I CAN'T… I CAN'T MOVE! I… I CAN'T…"_

_But no one heard his cries… no one but Char…_

Char rattled his head, shaking away the horrid ideas his imagination presented him with. He didn't need them, they'd just cause him more pain…

"The Master has done worse things than this," Prince whispered. "Anyone who lives in the resistance knows what kinds of tragedy and pain he brings. We must learn to bear the pain, and look to tomorrow. Tomorrow will come, all the same, and it will bring new Pokémon for us to be with. And when we remember those who died, we must not mourn for them, but ask ourselves what they would have wanted us to do in their place."

"You don't understand," Char said. "I _needed_ them… Because they—they're the only ones who know me…"

"I won't claim to be able to replace Scythe," Prince said gravely, "but I give you my word that I will try. With every fiber, I will try…"

"No, Prince, no, that's not it," Char said weakly, "They're the only ones—that know—I'm human."

Prince blinked, taken off-guard by these words. "What do you mean?" he said simply.

"I'm a human," Char said again, with less hesitation. "I'm trapped in the body of a Charmander."

Prince looked down at him, confusion drifting in his eyes for a moment, trying to decide what to make of the Charmander's claim.

"I would call you delusional," Prince said. "What gave you this thought? How can I believe you are anything but a Charmander?"

"Why do you think I know about human culture?" Char challenged. "Because I was a human once. It was my own culture."

"I find that difficult to believe," Prince admitted. "How do you claim this is possible? What culture were you from? How did you become transformed?"

"I don't know," Char said honestly. "My memories were all taken away, and I woke up in a cave. Saura found me there. And he's always been there to help me. But that's it. It was just me, in this body I didn't know how to use, and I didn't know how I got there, or who I was, or where I came from. All I remember is that I used to be a human, and that I met Dialga before, and he said something to me, but I don't remember what it was. That's why I wanted to go to Temporal Tower. To ask Dialga what I'm doing here."

Prince looked speechless, only humming for a moment in consideration.

"I don't care if you don't believe me," Char said. "Saura and Ray believed me. Scythe even figured it out somehow. They all knew. And they were all helping me figure out who I am and where I came from. The Call brought us together, but that isn't why we came for Temporal Tower, or why they were my best friends. They didn't really care that I had the Call. They did it all for me, because I'm a human."

Prince stared down at the little Charmander in his arms, looking into his eyes as though to catch any hint of dishonesty. But there was none. He knew Char had no reason to lie at a time like this. He knew also that it was Char's gesture of trust to reveal this hidden truth he carried with him. He remembered how the Charmander had acted, all the odd mannerisms so similar to his own, the human figures of speech he had used, the way it had startled him when he had compared him to a Pokémon trainer…

When another moment had passed, Prince understood.

Char saw as a glimpse of respect or awe flashed across the Infernape's face. Looking closely into his eyes, he also realized the strength of Prince's heart, perhaps stronger than Scythe's even, as the elder warrior held back his tears, tears which were struggling to prevail.

"So," Prince muttered, averting his gaze, "it was true. I have done the wrong thing."

Sighing, he clutched Char's trembling body tighter, and cast a regretful eye toward the torch propped by the freezer door's handle.

"If I would have known, I would have done as you asked and gone back for them," he told Char. "I have always obeyed the commands of a human before the commands of a Pokémon, always… But it's too late now. I'm sorry. The ghosts would skin me the moment I step out the door. But I will go, if that's what you want. Perhaps that is what I deserve."

Char closed his eyes and let his body go limp, saying nothing in reply. Prince cradled him like an infant, gently stroking his back as he let his own mind digest a new wave of thoughts.

"I fear I have little to offer you," Prince said further. "I have nothing but the promise that my team and I can devote the remainder of our lives helping you search for your origin. I can begin by taking you to see Dialga. I can train you in all the ways I know how. It… it has been such a long time since I have served a human, I have forgotten that kind of humility… But if you let me, I will try."

"I hope they come," Char uttered in a broken whisper. "They have to come…"

"Give them a little more time," Prince assured him. "They would be arriving soon… be still, and wait…"

… … …

"_You came back for me!" Ray shouted arrogantly at them. "You had to finish what you started, didn't you? Well, guess what? I'm not a Pikachu anymore! I'm stronger! You can take me, but I'm taking some of you with me!"_

_With a scream to the heavens, the Raichu's body lit up in a ball of electrical energy. Drawing static charges from everything around him, he became as bright as the sun, startling the ghosts which tried to close in on him. Then, with a final reckless lunge, he barreled into the wall of ghosts, breaking it open as a dozen of the Watchers reeled from the assault…_

…_But they rippled and closed back in, swallowing him. A shock of pain and insanity broke through his determined, energetic spirit, and he uttered his last words as the hazy skins of a hundred ghosts covered him…_

"_So… c-cold…"_

Char sniffed. He was so exhausted, too exhausted even to push these vivid images out of his mind. His body was far too tired to move, his mind too hurt to rest. All he could do was wait, and wait, as the moments kept passing by with no sign of his friends…

And he kept waiting, bearing the stillness and silence…

Bearing their absence…

But the waiting lasted too long.

The point came, an unspoken acceptance between the two of them, that nobody was coming. It had been minutes, too many minutes. Fifteen. Maybe thirty. He hadn't been counting, but Char knew that enough time had passed. Unless they had found a different way, Scythe had not come as promised…

It was done. He couldn't pretend they still had a chance.

They were gone.

It was like a cold, dull knife sliced straight through Char's heart that moment. It hurt him physically, a shot of pain down his spine and through every nerve. He tried to take his mind off the pain, to focus on his heartbeat, or Prince's breathing, or the searing of the fire in the room, but the powerful pain ate at him, and wouldn't stop…

"Through the ghastly shadows of the night," Prince hummed softly, "We cower in the corner_,_ we hold the candle, safe and near. And we keep our eyes upon the eastern sky. For there… there will shine the piercing rays of dawn, to slay the remnants of the past… to light the way another day… and help us carry on…"

They were gone.

He still couldn't believe this wasn't some terrible nightmare. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be real.

"Prince?"

"Yes, Char?"

"C-could you… take me into the freezer?" Char asked meekly. "I want to smolder…"

"Hmm… If that is what you want, I will not deny you that," Prince said in a heartfelt whisper. "But know, that if you smolder to relieve your pain, it will come back much stronger than before…"

"I don't care," Char said. "I just… I just don't want to feel anything right now…"

"Very well," Prince said, setting Char down so he could stand. "Come…"

Prince gasped. His ears perked, and he stood perfectly still.

"I heard something," he reported. "A voice."

"Really?" Char yelped in surprise, his eyes lighting up. "Do you hear them? Are they coming?"

"_Shhh!_ Quiet!" Prince hissed, glancing around in the darkness beyond the torchlight. "I don't understand it, but… they might be already here. I—I think I can hear their voices…"

Filled with a new hope, Char jumped to his feet and listened to the silence for himself. Prince wandered down the dark hallway, stopping just after a few paces. He closed his eyes, concentrating…

"It could just be other Pokémon," he said, "but... I do not understand. There are only two entrances to this chamber, one on either side of the hall, but… yet… I hear… Impossible! _Char! This way!_"

Prince got down on all fours and dashed into the darkness toward the opposite end of the hall, and Char followed close behind, finding new strength in his muscles where it seemed there was none before. Prince ran erratically, hesitating every so often to glance to his left and his right with a puzzled expression upon his face.

And then Char heard it. He didn't know whose voice it was, but it was unmistakable: ever-so-faintly, as if from behind a solid wall of metal, someone was crying for help. Someone he recognized. His breath caught, and wouldn't let go.

"_Here!_" Prince cried, dashing quickly to one of the freezer doors. "Listen!"

"… _hey! … … Prince? … Is anyone out there…? Can you please let us out…? It's really cold in here!"_

Prince's eyes went so wide, he looked ready to faint from disbelief.

"_Impossible!_" he gasped, clutching the top of his head. "I don't understand!"

Without waiting another moment, Prince unlatched the freezer door and tugged it open. A draft of freezing cold air pulsed into Char's face, causing him to wince. But when he opened his eyes again, he saw them standing in the open doorway:

Scythe. And Saura. And Lily. All shuddering uncontrollably from the cold, discolored and frostbitten, but happy to be alive.

Char thought he felt his heart stop dead.

Scythe calmly stepped out into the hall, looking ruffled but relieved. The two other Pokémon darted away from the cold like frightened rabbits, Lily leaping into Prince's arms, and Saura nearly tackling Char to the ground.

"Ahhh, you're warm…" Saura sighed, pressing his forehead against Char's belly, the very tip of his bulb turning brown and his body covered with powdery frost.

Relief drowned out his pain. Joy swept away his exhaustion. Char hugged Saura's bulb and didn't let go. It was true. It _had_ all been just a bad dream! He knew from the beginning it couldn't have been real! But the nightmare was over now, and he held close his living, breathing friend.

"You made it," he whispered, having run out of tears to cry in happiness. "I'm so happy… I thought I was going to be all alone… How did it happen? How did you get out?"

"I—you know, I don't really know," Saura admitted. "One moment, I was really cold, and then the next thing I knew, you were there…"

Nothing could matter less to Char. He said nothing more, content in giving Saura all the warmth he needed to thaw.

Prince held Lily the same way, the frost that had gathered upon her leaf now turning to dew.

"I'm so sorry, Lily," he told her. "I never should have left. Never again… Never again…"

"It wasn't your choice," Lily returned. "It's okay. You did what you had to do. I'm alright now."

His mind leaping back into the reality of the moment, Prince lifted his head and eyed Scythe, who stood over both of the reunions, watching them with annoyance.

"The others," Prince demanded. "Where are the others, are they safe?"

"They should be here," Scythe answered flatly. "Perhaps you should check the other side."

Prince didn't quite catch what he meant, until a surprisingly vocal noise sounded from down the hall, muffled behind another freezer door.

"_Let us out, relieve us!"_ it cried. _"Or we shall soon meet with the white light! Mercy, Articuno! Mercy! Prince, you must hear me! Please, deliver us from here, while I clutch the last thread of my sanity!"_

"Legend…!" Prince gasped. He parted from Lily and stampeded down the hall, opening the freezer opposite of the first. More frozen Pokémon poured out, including Legend, Ray, and a Tyranitar.

"Baaah! Horrid cold! As if the ghosts were not enough?!" Legend spouted, shaking the freezer's snow from his fur. "Does this night insist on trying to snuff my flame?!"

Ray spotted Char and Saura, and approached them quickly. He looked winded, panting short and heavily, and his electricity was still alive across his body. It took Char a moment to realize he'd arrived, and seeing him just compounded his gladness and comfort for his friends' safety. Words failing him, he found he could only smile.

Ray returned the smile, though weakly.

"How is this possible?!" Prince demanded of Scythe, totally baffled. "I waited, and I watched both doorways. I had given you up for dead! But here you enter through the freezer?! How—? How did you accomplish such a miraculous escape?"

Scythe began to answer, but he was interrupted when a shining ball of light appeared in the very center of the hallway, hanging in the air! A ringing noise accompanied it as it grew and elongated, like an ethereal oval, casting an eerie blue light upon the walls of the tunnel…

There was a blinding flash, and the oval was gone, but in its place stood three more Pokémon: a Camerupt, a Shuckle, and a Heracross.

"By Tangrind's horn, I have brushed with death!" the Heracross cried. "The cries still ring in my ears!"

Prince watched, floored, as the Heracross caught its breath, the Camerupt huffed and sighed, and the Shuckle wormed across the room to meet Lily. All after having appeared from thin air.

"Teleport…" Prince muttered in joy, realizing the truth. "You teleported!"

There appeared another glowing oval very close to the previous one, causing the Camerupt to move out of the way. Prince watched, his eyes dazzling in delight, as he saw every last one of his trapped teammates delivered safely to the haven of this basement, their nervous mutterings music to his ears.

The last three members of Team Flamewheel materialized: A Weavile, a Flareon, and finally… a Smeargle, looking quite proud of itself.

"Kabir, you learned to teleport?!" Prince laughed. "When was this?!"

"Something like a year ago, when we visited Alakazam," Kabir explained, waving his tail around. "Though, apparently I haven't practiced enough. I barely managed to aim at this place, and even then I deposited half of everyone in the freezers. But desperate times call for risks, do they not?"

"Indeed, they do," Prince said warmly.

Prince blinked, and his first tears were finally released from his eyes, streaming down the side of his face and soaking into his fur. Tears of happiness.

But he knew, as fortunate as it was to see them all safe, the night was still far from over.

… … …

"Now!" Scythe announced, silencing the chatter in the room and drawing all attention to him. "I do not claim to be your leader, but I will claim to have spent more nights fighting the Watchers than you have, so listen. We've made it this far, but this is not a safe place to stay. The Watchers are not finished swarming, they will find their way in here, and we'll be in a worse position than before. We must flee farther. Away from the fortress if possible. Any closer and we'll risk being overtaken. Prince… do you know of any shelters outside of the fortress?"

"None in the immediate area," Prince answered, approaching him. "Only the basement of Rayquaza's Clutch. But we have no chance of getting in there, especially if it's locked down already. We'd be better off trying to reach District One."

"That won't be easy," Scythe said. "Kabir. Could you try transporting us to District One?"

"If you wouldn't mind being dropped off a thousand feet in the sky, or perhaps inside of the ground, then yes, that's well within my power!" Kabir yelled sarcastically. "Scythe, I would _hate_ to be a disservice to you at such a critical moment as this, but I am not a psychic Pokémon! I have only learned to imitate the power on a basic level over some short distances. I am far from mastering it."

"_Fine_. I figured it can never be that easy," Scythe grumbled. "Alright, then leave us. Take our torch, use your power however you can and help the other Pokémon in the fortress survive this night. Have you learned any techniques that use the dark power?"

"I know enough to repel a few ghosts, yes, Scythe," Kabir returned in annoyance. "And yes, I'll _gladly_ risk my life teleporting into homes and freeing other Pokémon instead of fighting for the safety of my own team leader. _Again! _Since he _apparently_ doesn't desire my help!"

"Kabir, it is fine," Prince said to him, nodding. "Go, do as he says."

The Smeargle sighed, sending Prince a deathly glare. Reluctantly, he plodded across the room and grasped the burning sun-stone torch. Scowling in concentration, his body became encased in light, which changed his shape until he appeared thin and deformed. With another flash, the light dispersed and he was gone. The room filled with shadows, with only Prince and Char providing light.

"Now, getting to District One will be the issue," Scythe continued, the firelight flickering red upon his face. "We must face the Watchers. There will be no avoiding it. We will require Sol-rock. And if this building does not have a greater supply of Sol-rock than you did, I resign my effort."

"Of course it does," the Weavile confirmed, speaking up. "This building serves as a storage unit for the teams of the fortress. We'll have access to all their supplies if we know where to look."

"Do you know where to look?" Scythe asked.

"Of course," he replied. "This wouldn't be the first time I've picked the locks on the other teams' spaces…"

"Hmph," Saura whispered to Char. "Weavile… are they _all_ such petty thieves?"

"Pretty much," Lily answered curtly.

"Good," Scythe said. "Get on that. There might be ghosts in the halls upstairs, watch for them. We will need every torch we can find. If the way is clear, guide us. If not, take trips and bring them all down in turn."

"Ayah," the Weavile grunted before swiftly taking off for the door.

"Enough light will repel them, even in their crazed state. Otherwise they would still be out past dawn," Scythe continued. "Five combined should be enough to resemble the sight of the sun, or at least enough to keep them away from us. Every Pokémon with hands or claws will need to carry them. Prince, that will mean you and the Weavile and the Heracross."

"I can carry one, if you need," Lily offered, presenting her vines. "Only one, though."

"I can sustain flame," the Camerupt noted. "If the rocks are small enough, I can carry them within and combust them."

"I didn't think of that," Scythe said. "Camerupt. What's your name?"

"Iel," it answered.

"Good, Iel. If what you say is true, you could be a bright enough beacon for us all. Then we would split into two teams. The second team remains here in the city and we assist Kabir in his rescue attempts; if we are to steal these torches from the teams, it would be best if they were to help save the lives of their rightful owners. The first team escorts Char to District One."

"And Lily," Prince insisted. "Lily will come to District One with us. I will not part with her again."

"First we will see how many rocks are at our disposal, if we may even divide," Scythe returned. "Then we will talk about who is on each team. Know, that regardless of how bright we can make our beacons, there will still be Watchers who will face their fears and charge into our sphere of light. Those, we must battle."

"The first basement floor looks clear!" The Weavile called from the door through which he had left. "That's where most of supply storage is. Let's go! It might not be safe for long."

* * *

**Warehouse Facility B1F**

The group huddled close together as they marched up a flight of long ramps to the next floor, tense and ready to defend at any time. There, the Weavile managed to open several of the doors into the storage compartments, where he returned with at least a dozen of the precious rocks mounted upon staffs. They were soon lit, and given to all able-bodied Pokémon to hold. Rays as bright as the sun beamed from the blazing flames, and soon it was hard to tell it was still nighttime. The Weavile broke the rocks from a couple of the torches and managed to load them into Iel's body, where he held them and waited to produce the flame.

"Ugh," Lily muttered to Char, cringing as though she had bit her lip. "I'm not looking forward to this… I hate, _hate_ the Watchers… so much…"

Char really couldn't agree more.

Soon, too soon it seemed, everyone prepared to press forth into the terrible night. Scythe stood at the front of the procession, with Prince at his side holding two of the torches, and he turned to the crowd.

"We are about to go up to the ground floor," Scythe announced, his form now as bright as day. "There will likely be ghosts in the halls. Our light might repel them, but do not let your guard down. Char, and Lily: I do not want you to fight. Remain close to Iel, so we can protect you. The rest of you: watch for ghosts who dare to approach, and destroy them quickly! We cannot afford for them to approach us too closely. Every moment is vital."

"Once we are outside, we will go leftward down the street," Prince added, pointing in the indicated direction. "Then we cut into the alleyway behind the Hawthorn mansion, connect to the northward path, and leave the fortress. District One is six miles to the north north-east. If we follow the path, keep a steady pace, we should reach it easily within the hour, and take shelter."

"Should we split into two groups, like you suggested?" the Heracross asked. "How should we divide? And from where should we part ways?

"Hmm… if conditions are favorable, we may part ways at the city gates. Prince and I will continue to District One. My followers will come with me, as well as Lily, you, Weavile, and you, Heracross, to hold the torches. The rest of you, stay back by Iel's light, and do what you can within the city walls. That way, Iel will not have to keep up with our pace on the north road."

"Ayah, understood," the Weavile said.

The team confirmed the plan, and Scythe turned to begin the exodus up from the basement floor.

"We're going to make it," Ray said to his friends. "This will be over before you know it. We're going to make it."

* * *

**Warehouse Facility 1F**

The team stepped upstairs, eyes peeled for any trouble, with Char and his friends close together in the center of the procession. The north-side door stood at the very end of the long hallway. They moved forward at a slow and steady pace, eyeing every wall for danger. Char felt dread as he realized the continual songs of the Watchers could be heard again through the facility walls. He kept very close to the light.

Iel began churning the rocks, adding his own fire to the body of light which surrounded the team. Char almost had to squint to keep from going blind; the light radiated everywhere from the reflective metal that lined the hall.

"Ehhh, oh, this… this burns hot," Iel commented, wincing a few times as the combustion started.

The party crept forward, keeping quiet and focused. Only the torches seared away, and the ghastly noises from the sky rang through the air…

"This is a good sign," Prince said. "There are no ghosts here. Perhaps they aren't as concentrated as we feared."

Before Prince could breathe after having spoken the words, five Watchers bled through the ceiling and drifted into the hall, causing everyone to gasp in surprise and ready for battle. These ghosts, though, were totally silent, and paid no attention to the sunlight or the Pokémon within it. The party froze as they drifted away, watching them warily…

"_Behind!_" Legend yelped urgently.

Char turned around to see a Gastly drifting very near to the light, becoming transparent as it drew close. He tried very hard not to panic, cowering behind all the powerful Pokémon which were there to protect him.

"_Get it!_" yelled the Weavile. "Everyone!"

Several members of Team Flamewheel did as instructed, pouncing on the ghost and overwhelming it. The Tyranitar snarled and nearly body-slammed it, swatting it powerfully with the back of her claw. The Weavile leapt and slashed at it. The Flareon took aim and blasted. The battle was over within seconds, as the ghost seemed to lose its anchor in reality and faded away into the artificial sunlight.

"Good," Scythe nodded, satisfied with the quick disposal of the ghost. "That was a weak one. But good. Now keep going."

Char felt a little more comfortable, seeing the power of the Pokémon who protected him. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to keep standing and moving.

After the encounter, the pace down the hallway picked up, and at last they stood behind the main doors which lead outside.

"Let's go," Scythe commanded. "Steel yourselves. Prince… open the door."

Prince did as instructed, setting one of his torches on the floor, and holding the other carefully in front of him as he drew near to the exit. With a grunt of effort, he set his hand upon it and pushed, flinging the door open.

And the outdoors…

…they were a horrible sight to behold.

They were countless. Absolutely countless. The sky was darker than black, filled with the translucent figures of thousands of ghost Pokémon flowing past like an endless school of fish. The streets of Fort Emerald resembled bloodstreams, the ground and buildings barely visible underneath the flood. Some of the demons glowed in a dim spiritual light, twinkling among the ghastly fog. Their cries of excitement never ceased, harmonizing into one screeching, deafening chord. Some caught immediate sight of the Pokémon and launched themselves as them, only to avert their courses from the intense radiance of the Sol-rock and bounce away into the crowd.

For a moment, all thirteen of the heroic Pokémon stood still, captivated by the impossible visage, feeling their stomachs turn in silent terror. Their breaths caught, and words failed them, as they witnessed just what they were up against. Their hopes were challenged. The power of the Call was unfathomable.

"Change of plans," Scythe uttered, breaking the speechlessness. "We stay together, all the way to the district."

There was a nod of silent understanding. Prince bent down to retrieve his torch, and then slowly, warily, and fearfully, he took the first steps of faith into the night. Huddling close to one another, and holding the torches high, the others followed him.

* * *

**Dark Fort Emerald**

The combined light of the Sol-rock was enough to part the sea of Watchers and to allow passage, but at the cost of having insanity almost indistinguishable from reality. Char knew now why Prince had told him to keep his eyes closed before: the sight of what surrounded him was almost enough to freeze him to death with chills ascending his spine. There was no other way to describe it: he was trapped inside of a nightmare. Trapped inside of a bubble of light, which lit the surrounding terrain as if it were high noon, inside of a circumstance Arceus never could have allowed to exist without some disastrous mistake.

When Saura offered him a vine to hold, he squeezed it hard, as though it was his very last chance to wake up from this surreal world.

"Which way?!" Iel asked. "I can't see nowhere."

"Here," Prince directed, waving his torches out in front of the group. "The road is here."

"Uhhhh… My stomach…" Saura moaned. "I think I might be sick…"

"Just… just look at the ground, alright?" Lily suggested. "Look at the ground and pretend it's sunny out, with no ghosts…"

"_Up above!_"

"I see it! The Misdreavus!"

"_Get it!_"

Wings buzzing, Scythe took to the air and slashed at a Misdreavus that was fearlessly descending into the group. The Weavile also moved swiftly, climbing up the Tyranitar's body and leaping, slashing the ghost with dark power to defeat it.

"There's more!" Legend cried. "Targan! Next to you!"

Char averted his gaze and clung to Saura, nearly leaning into the Camerupt's fur.

"Got it."

"_Above you!_"

"Focus! Hit it!"

Char chose to look again for a moment, and caught a very disturbing glimpse: the Tyranitar had somehow captured a ghost Pokémon in her clutches, and was trying to _bite its head off._ He quickly looked back down to the ground.

"Count your steps, too," Lily said. "The more steps, the farther we go…"

_That's a good idea,_ Char realized. _Alright… one, two, three, four, five, six—_

"_HAUNTER!_"

"_You're hit!_"

"_Arceus!_ Raiden, are you alright?"

"I'll live…"

_Twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen—_

"There's too many! They're not going to stop!"

"We have to keep moving, or this is never going to end!"

"_**LILY!**_"

Lily panicked, screaming shrilly, as a Shuppet nearly descended upon her. She leaped back, quickly charging and releasing a large pillar of sunlight energy at the ghost, blasting it away. Char whimpered in surprise, losing count and not caring to begin again.

"Is anyone hurt?" Scythe demanded

"I think it burned me, but—I'll be fine," the Weavile responded.

And then… the ground shook. There was a sound of rumbling, like the collapse of a building somewhere nearby. The party stopped in their tracks and faced the source of the noise, though it was impossible to see what had caused it.

"Prince, what's that?" Scythe asked worriedly. "Do you have any idea?"

_CRASH!_ Another collision, even closer, making the ground tremble. Like a boulder slamming into the pavement. The mighty sound managed to even drown out the wailing of the ghosts.

_Crash!_ Another one, farther away, but on the opposite side of the first.

"_What is that?!_" Scythe demanded again, angered. His eyes darted around, frantically looking for the answer.

_**Crash! Bang! Rumble! **_The sound escalated on all sides, surrounding the group…

With a force that could have split the earth in two, and a sound that could have been a thunderbolt, a red-hot boulder slammed down from the sky directly in front of the party, knocking Char off his feet. It sat there, half-lodged in the ground, seething and smoking…

Scythe blinked. The rock had smashed a great number of Watchers as it had fell, creating a vacuum in the air above. He glanced upward.

The air above his head was cleansed of ghosts. Dozens of red-hot meteors fell like rain, smashing and annihilating any ghosts they hit. And in the middle of this newly-created bubble of empty air, there flew a draconic Pokémon, its rapidly-buzzing wings adding to the Watchers' song, its body glowing with energy.

"_Beautiful weather we're having tonight, isn't it?_" Naxi called down.

"It's Naxi…" Lily said. "I never thought I'd be so glad to see him."

Panting in exertion, Naxi dropped into the rays of light and stopped to rest.

"Naxi, _very_ well met!" Prince laughed. "Your meteors are a breath of fresh air against these foes!"

"Destroyed a facility or two with them," Naxi admitted. "I was researching in the commons when this started. Didn't hesitate to defeat them."

"I'd hardly say that's an issue at the moment!" Legend said. "Do you have any word from the other teams? Are they surviving?"

"I've met others, and they appear to be holding their own," Naxi reported. "Of course, the dead report nothing, so I do not know. I was scouting for others when I spotted your light."

"We are fleeing the fortress," Scythe explained. "We going to District One. Would you accompany us?"

"If you must flee because of your _precious payload_, then flee," Naxi grunted, indicating Char. "But I will not flee, not as the fortress is destroyed."

"Then escort us to the city gate, at least," Scythe demanded. "It will be easier for us from there."

"Looked to me like you were doing fine on your own," Naxi returned. "I must rest for a moment, so I will follow you. When I can attack again, I will leave… … Interesting, you have Iel is burning sunstone in his back. That… is a sight. But you realize all this sunstone is enough to amount to my life savings? Whose account will replenish all this?"

"This is not the time to speak of money," Scythe hissed. "This is a time to survive. Let's _move_!"

They kept moving. It was easier for a time, as Naxi's previous attacks caused the ghosts to disperse from the surrounding air, but the relief was short-lived. Before even two dozen paces had gone by, the Watchers filled the empty void and the group of warriors faced another dense wall of them.

"Dusclops," Prince muttered.

Scythe jerked in fright. "Where?" he barked, his gaze darting around. "You see a Dusclops?"

"There," Prince said, pointing forward, indicating a particular ghost a few feet from the ground.

"An evolved Duskull," Scythe acknowledged gravely. "Those… are rare to see among the Watchers."

"Well, it comes as no surprise in a concentration this heavy, we should be seeing some unusual forms," Legend noted. "I have never seen one before. Are they dangerous?"

"The deadliest I know of," Scythe rasped under his breath. "I once lost a teammate in a battle against one. Prince, if it so much as twitches in our direction, we need to counter it with all we have. Projectile attacks. Don't get close. It fights back, and it knows no fear."

"Ranged attacks!" Prince barked back to his team. "Kindle! I need your flames. Legend, same. Ready a flamethrower attack. Raiden, can you conjure ice? Subo! Can you try to spit acid at it?"

"Hey, it sounds like they need help," Ray said to Char. "They need ranged attacks. Electric attacks are the best ranged attacks. I'm going to go help them."

"Alright, be careful," Char told him.

"Nah, that ghost is the one who'll need to be careful, when I drop a lightning bolt out of the sky," Ray said with a smirk. "Don't worry about me."

Ray dashed around to the other side of the Camerupt to join the party up front.

"Heh, he asked you for permission," Lily said. "That's kinda thoughtful of him."

"Yeah, I'm not the best team leader, actually," Char said. "Sometimes I forget I'm even the leader. It's like all three of us are the team leaders at once. It's just that we try to all agree."

"Hmm, I like that way of running the team," Lily said. "I wonder what it would be like to be on a team like that…"

"That's the way Scythe runs his team," Char explained, enjoying this distracting discussion. "When Scythe trained us, he showed us how his team worked. They all operate as a unit. So when there's a meeting, everyone gets a say—"

Talking about his team, Char reflexively turned back to Saura, wondering if he wanted to participate in the conversation. What he saw was that Saura looked half-asleep, weary from the night's events, and drifting toward the back of the party, as though he kept forgetting to keep stepping forward.

There, directly above Saura's head and descending fast, and glowing a strange shade of blue in the light of the Sol-rock flares, was a Haunter.

For Char, time seemed to stop.

"_Saura!_" he cried frantically. "_Saura! Run!_"

Saura looked confused. He blinked, not understanding.

"_SAURAAA!_" Char cried as loud as he could.

He rushed to his friend's aid, not caring that he didn't know what to do. It was all he could do. And he saw the demon racing with him for Saura, so much faster than his legs could carry.

He saw the demon overtake Saura. He saw Saura's body shudder as the ghost covered him, wrapping its body around him, soaking into his skin…

"_NO!"_ Char wailed, making one final leap.

His claws grasped. He felt them hold onto Saura's paw as he collided with the ground.

And then everything went black.

* * *

Daytime.

A serene, springtime morning.

Birds singing contently from the trees. Animals scampering through the grass.

A long, winding dirt path.

Along the path, two Pokémon journeyed, happy in one another's company. They were taking a trip. A long, long trip. But it was a fun trip. They got to see a lot of new places along the way, a lot of new cities and forests and Pokémon they'd never get to see having spent most of their lives at home.

The smaller Pokémon was a Bulbasaur, and a very young one. She scampered across the land with glee, taking in all the fresh air and the gorgeous scenery, following the other Pokémon wherever he'd follow. They'd just gone to the seaside together, and it was the trip of her life! She loved frolicking in the rising tides, she loved the glow of the early sunrise against the endless ocean, and she gasped in delight as the Krabby perched on the docks and filled the air with colorful bubbles. But after a week on this pleasant vacation, she was glad to be on the road back home.

The other Pokémon was an Ivysaur, a much larger creature than his little sister. Dark blotches were scattered about his blue, scaly body, and his seed had bloomed into a leafy flower bud, a mature plant which granted him much more strength than the baby seed he'd kept before evolving. Far wiser and more intelligent than his sister, he was her guardian, guiding her down the road, caring for her, and keeping her safe.

"Saurvor!" the little Bulbasaur cried. "I'm hungry! Can we stop to eat? I wanna apple."

"Sorry, Saurlee," the Ivysaur answered, glancing back at her. "We have to make good time. We stopping in Nincadia tonight!"

"Nincadia?!" the Bulbasaur cried. "That's not the right way! I thought… I thought we were going home! Saurvor? Why are we going to Nincadia? I want to go home!"

"Listen… Nincadia is a cool place!" Saurvor said with a beaming grin. "You'll love it! They have honey! And apples that taste like cinnamon!"

"But I don't want to go to Nincadia," Saurlee whined. "You said we were going home after we came back from the beach! That's what you said after I got out of jail too! I don't want to go on any more trips! I want to see mommy and daddy again! I have to tell them that Saura's alright!"

"Saurlee…" the Ivysaur muttered, slowing his pace, and wearing an expression of hesitation.

"Come on, Saurvor! I promised!" Saurlee said to him, leaping around and up to his face. "I promised Saura I would!"

"Saurlee, I'm sorry, but…" he said, succumbing to a deep sigh and averting his gaze a little bit. "You… you really have to understand something."

"Oh… what?" Saurlee asked.

"We can't go home for a long time," Saurvor said. "We—we have to pretend home doesn't exist for a while."

Saurlee looked confused. "W—why?" she asked. "What about mommy and daddy? And what about everyone else?"

"They're all fine," Saurvor said. "They all took trips around the world, too! Just like us. Except they went to different places. Sometime, maybe in a few seasons, we can all go home again and talk about all the cool things we saw on the trip!"

"Oh…" Saurlee said, still confused. "But… why… why can't we all just go together?"

"Because Saura… did what he did," the Ivysaur sighed.

"Oh… because he ran away?" Saurlee asked. "Oh… but he said he was happy. He said he got a really good job!"

"But the Master isn't happy with him," Saurvor explained. "The Flareon came back, and… he said that we had a few weeks to find him. And we couldn't find him, so… well, we all left home because the Master's really angry at us, and we don't want him to catch us."

"…Oh?" Saurlee gasped, trying to comprehend it.

"And since the Master could find us at home, we… left home, so he couldn't find us."

"Oh… okay," Saurlee said, thinking about it. "So… this is all… because of Saura?"

"I'm… I'm afraid so," the Ivysaur answered gently. "Though, it isn't all that bad, right? We got to see a bunch of new places!"

"But when can we go back home? You said we could go home in a few seasons, right?"

"Maybe," Saurvor said with a new smile, beginning to walk with his sister once more. "Maybe we can make somewhere a _new_ home! The Tiny Meadow was getting a little boring, don't you think?"

"Yeah, it was really small!" Saurlee said.

"So maybe if we find somewhere cool to live, we can tell everyone, and that can be a new home!" Saurvor said, smiling at her again. "So, let's go to Nincadia next, alright?"

"Alright," Saurlee said, as they walked away down the path. "When we find a new home, let's find somewhere that has caves! I love caves!"

"_**Hey!**__ Char's waking up!"_

* * *

Char stirred. Something told him that he had slept for a very long time, though he still felt an exhaustion headache filling his forehead.

"Char! Wow, you were out forever!" Ray said, nudging him and helping to wake him. "We're safe! We all made it to District One. We're in a bunker. The Watchers won't get us here."

"W…watchers," Char uttered. "Watchers…"

"The Watchers were a formidable enemy, but we prevailed, and preserved you," Naxi said, his head hovering into Char's view.

"You stayed," Char said, managing to open his eyes halfway.

"I did," Naxi said with a nod. "After all, it was you who 'called' for my help, wasn't it? After I broke free from the common room's ceiling, the first place I was compelled to visit was Prince's lair. It was then I understood what had happened. Besides… after that Haunter latched onto your friend and knocked you both unconscious, I had to help carry you to safety."

"_Saura!_" Char gasped, sitting up and looking around. "Is he alright?"

"Sleeping like a rock," Naxi said, pointing to Saura's form lying still, just next to him. "Or… perhaps he's chosen to wake up, too."

It was true. Saura was squirming, moving his legs, and beginning to mutter and nod. He was coming to his senses.

"Saurlee… Saurlee…" he muttered. "Saurlee, it's me. Saurlee… No. No. _No!_ _No!_"

Saura's eyes snapped open. He looked panicked.

"Saura, it's alright, you're safe now!" Ray told him, patting him on the head. "We're in District One. We're in a bunker—"

"_NO!_" Saura screamed suddenly, wide-eyed. "NO!"

"Whoa, calm down!" Ray pleaded. "Saura, it's alright!"

"No, no it's _not!_" Saura yelped, still in utter panic. "I—I—I did this! _I did this!_ No! I'm—I'm—I'm a fugitive! My family are fugitives! I destroyed them! I destroyed them!"

"_Saura,_ hey! Listen!" Char said to him, coming to give him a consoling hug. "Saura! I saw that dream, too! Saura, it was only a nightmare! It was fake!"

Saura snapped a vine at Char's advance, whipping him in the face. It hurt.

"_Owww!_" Char cried in surprise, grasping the new scar on his nose. "Hey! Don't do that!"

"No, it's real! It's all real! It has to be!" Saura gasped, hyperventilating, with tears flowing from his eyes like waterfalls. "Saurvor… went on vacation… they were running! The Master came back! The Master was going to kill them! Kill them all! My family! The Master's after my family! I did this!"

"Saura, please!" Char tried again, raising his voice, though afraid to draw near. "_**Listen to me!**_ It was a dream! Listen! The ghost did that! That was just something it made up to scare you! It couldn't have known that! It just took things from your own mind to scare you!"

"_Noooo-oooo! It's all true! I did this to them!" _Saura rambled in a waving cry, eyes closed tight, as he convulsed upon the floor._ "I'm a fugitive! They're all fugitives! The Master's after them now, and it's all my fault! I did it!"_

"Char…" Ray said in disbelief. "I think… I think the Watcher messed up Saura's mind…"

Char gazed at Saura's squirming form, appalled.

"That is what I'd say, by the looks of it," Naxi said. "He must see a psychic as soon as possible, or his sanity might be jeopardized for the rest of his life."

"No, Saura…" Char gasped. "Oh, no… we have to help him. Are there any psychics around?"

"Likely you will not find any until the morning dawn, given the weather this evening," Naxi said, turning to leave the room. "Until then, you must hold out."

"_No, no, no, no, NO, no, no! Saur—Saurlee… Come back… I love you…"_

Char gritted his teeth. He couldn't believe one night could be so cruel to him. Now, it had damaged his best friend's sanity?

Watching Saura writhe and struggle upon the floor, grappling with some nonexistent foe, Char wondered: could he overcome this tragedy, as well?

"Ray… can you paralyze him?" Char asked sadly. "So he doesn't hurt anyone…"

Ray did as instructed, and Saura stopped moving, but his eyes popped wide open. They were terrified eyes, still flowing with tears. Char looked into them, feeling almost as heartbroken as he.

Not caring if it was against Saura's will, Char hugged him dearly, and told him everything would be alright.

… … …

Scythe and Prince gazed out the window of a nearby building, looking to the southern horizon. The Watchers still dominated the sky, and in the flashes of powerful Pokémon attacks, they saw that a funnel cloud of ghosts which still resided over silhouette of Fort Emerald in the distance.

"What do you think is going to happen now?" Prince wondered. "What is tomorrow going to bring?"

"I don't know," Scythe answered. "Nothing is certain to me, except that the living will remain. And we remain, so… we will see."


	45. Special Episode: Watcher, Part 1

"**Watcher"**

_The code of the Adrellos:_

_We obey no one. Power is the only god we serve._

_Children of the Adrellos must never abandon the hunt for power. We must never be content. Creatures who live without purpose are weak and useless; our undying hunger for power is the source of our strength._

_We are the watchers of the land, the cullers of the harvest. No other creatures may lay claim to our role._

_Children of the Adrellos must never trust. Children of the Adrellos must never be trusted. Trust is complicated and fleeting; fear is absolute. Every other creature must learn to fear the sound of our name._

_***Clang!* *Clang!***_

_We are the shadows which extend at dusk, we are the wind which sifts the trees: unconquerable, invisible._

_When you hunt, do not be seen._

_When you kill, do not be heard._

_***Clash!* *Clang!* *Clang!***_

… … …

By custom, the young Scyther hatched alone, so that it might imprint upon no one.

By custom, the young Scyther was left alone in its infancy, watched and protected from afar, so that it might learn to survive, learn to listen to its instinct. Learn the primal pangs of pain and hunger, and what they mean. Learn by nature how to walk, to eat, and to fly. Learn where to sleep safely. Learn which creatures were predators, and which were prey. Learn to respect the predators, and the dangers of the wild. Learn to fear them.

Learn to hate them.

Learn to hunger for power, so that it might overcome them.

… … …

_***Clash!* *Clang!***_

_***Thump!***_

An elderly Scyther hit the floor by the force of a body slam.

"Magnificent, hatchling," it growled, moving to kneel up. "Alrac has trained you well, it seems. I may have nothing to teach you."

"You're being easy," the hatching hissed back at it, standing over the old one and panting in exhilaration, its blades held in an offensive stance. "Don't be easy. Fight me."

"You want me to try to kill you?" the elder asked wryly.

"Yes," the little one answered without hesitation. "Otherwise I will not learn."

"Adron, I am your teacher, not your murderer," the elder reminded him. "Wipe away your pride. You would stand no chance against me if I didn't hold back."

"You've tried to kill me before, sending me into the wild alone," the little one replied. "Why hesitate now? _Fight me!_"

Returning to his feet, the elder Scyther stood over the short child, but the little one was not intimidated. It tensed its body, focus burning in the eyes, like a cat trapped in a corner preparing to fight.

Of course, the elder would not give the little one what it wished, but he doubled his efforts in hopes that the hatchling would be satisfied with a greater level of challenge. Opening his wings, he propelled himself far above the clay-ridden ground to attack his student from the air. The hatchling rose to the challenge, swarming at the elder and zipping past in attempt to strike from confusing angles. But every attack was blocked, as the elder expertly pivoted his blades to defend himself. The ringing cries of opposing steel filled the air once again.

_***Clang!* *Clang!* *Clang!***_

The little one's heart raced to the pulse of the battle, as did his mind. His senses burned with information, every little impulse meaning something. The angle of attack. The likelihood of a counter. The propulsion of his own wings. The shadow his trainer cast upon his body whenever he blocked out the sun, providing such a tiny advantage to move unexpectedly. The continual rhythm of the metallic collisions. _Clank! Clang! Clash!_ Over, under, around. Vulnerabilities, defenses always shifting. Patterns to see and to subvert. It all meant something, if only he paid attention to it.

… … …

_Focus, Adron… Focus!_

_Remember! …Remember why… _

…_Remember why we fight…_

… … …

_We are children of the blade._

_Children of the Adrellos must never don the red armor; it is a false strength. We are the color of the grass and leaves, so we may hide from our prey. We are swift and winged, so we may strike fast and overtake our prey. Our blades are nature's perfect weapons. We are hatched with them, we train to understand them, and with them, we will die._

_We are nature's favored._

_Children of the Adrellos must not mate unless they have lived to become an elder; a long lifespan signifies good traits to pass to the offspring._

_Once mated, children of the Adrellos must surrender all eggs to the clan; a father shall not know his son, and a son shall not know his father. There are no fathers or sons among the Adrellos, only brothers._

_We are one._

_Children of the Adrellos must never keep secrets from one another. We are one will with many blades. Silence and shame must not mar our communication. _

_We must never hesitate to pass judgment upon others._

_Children of the Adrellos must never hesitate to leave a brother behind; we are one entity, our strength must not be compromised by sympathy for our weakened brothers. We fight as one, we stand above our fallen brothers to defend them, but with blades we cannot lift a fallen brother back to his feet._

_… … …_

By custom, he learned the code. Learned that it held the secrets to acquiring power, the power which he hungered for, the power he required to defeat the dangers and enemies he had once respected and feared. Power which would let him do anything he desired.

By that code, he had been tested. His faith, his willingness to follow the code was challenged each day of his life. He had undergone hunger and thirst, loneliness and abandonment… special tests, difficult decisions… and battles, so many battles, until sparring came as natural as walking or flying…

Passing every test, a place among the clan had been reserved for him…

…Reserved, but not assured…

…And in these final months, it was the hatchling's goal to claim that place, to prove once and for all he was worthy of being called a child of the Adrellos…

…And so he would be a hatchling no more…

…Hungering for this place of power, he fought on, mastering all he was taught…

…Until…

… … …

_***Slash!***_

The elder Scyther staggered in the air, a bloodless scar now visible across his face. The hatchling's attack had connected, clashed against the skeletal armor of the elder's forehead. The hatchling wore a smug expression, drifting away from his opponent and preparing for a counter-attack, but one did not come.

"Wonderful," the elder gasped, withdrawing from the battle. "Adron… you are a gifted hatchling, if I've ever seen one. Your concentration, your focus… I have never known anything like it."

"You still were holding back," Adron said condescendingly. "How am I to learn?"

"Adron… I think you have learned enough."

"I don't know that," Adron insisted, as the two of them settled back to the barren ground. "I can't assume I'm skilled enough to be accepted by the elders. And my time runs short."

"Adron… you are only a hatching," the elder Scyther told him. "We have taught you how to take control of your own self, but that is only the beginning of your life. Next, you must learn to take control of the world around you; and _that_ you can only learn when you become involved in the affairs of the Adrellos and you gain experience. And believe me, they _will_ accept you. You will be a pride of this clan."

The hatchling held his head high. He _loved_ it when his elders said that. They constantly were praising him about how he was the superior of his generation, how he excelled at the tests and demonstrated outstanding judgment for one so young. He loved the praise, and so he kept on challenging himself, pushing his abilities forward, hoping to keep this favor and increase it as far as it would go.

After all, it was the first law of the code:_ never_ be content with your power. _Never_ abandon the hunt for more.

"But your mind is still small and closed," the elder said. "Only by growing and living will you learn more, do you understand? Your pride can strengthen you, as I see that it has, but do not let it blind you to the reality of things."

"Yes," Adron replied. "I know."

"But by the gods, I have only met you weeks ago, and already you hold yourself as a war hero, and you fight like one as well," the elder complemented, stepping close to the little one. "The other hatchlings… they are all so easy to distract. One little diversion in battle brings their demise. They have much training to do in these final months. But you… your mind is already as bright as the sun, your focus as sharp as steel! What has Alrac done to you that she has neglected to do with your brothers, huh? Or, should I say… what has great Arceus given to you that the others do not have?"

"Arceus has given me nothing. I have earned everything I have."

Amused, the elder chuckled. "That very well might be, little one," he said affectionately. "Well, you have no more business here. Go and rest. We will train again, but you must let me focus on the others. They require much more of my attention than you do. If you would like to better yourself even beyond what you are now, I'm sure you will find other ways to do so. You can consider helping to train your brothers. Understand?"

"Yes, Sensei Adram," the hatchling replied respectfully, though with a hint of reluctance.

"Good. Now leave," the elder commanded. "Tomorrow I must work with Adarc. His mind is so slow, he hesitates before every move. And Adiel, he is too reckless. And Alros, she has a lingering fear of heights, doesn't trust her own wings… Perfection is rare among you hatchlings."

_*Thwack!*_

As was customary when two Scyther parted ways, Adram swung the back of his blade as though to blindside his student in the head, and it was promptly blocked by Adron's own blade. It was a reminder to always stay alert, even among trusted companions.

"Share some of yours with the others, if you might," the teacher uttered, looking the young one straight in the eye.

_… … …_

_***Clang!* *Clang!***_

_***Thump!***_

_What is this… what is…_

_No… this… this isn't right…_

_I can't focus…_

_Why…? Why can't I focus…?_

… … …

The young Scyther returned to his clan's nesting ground, a maze of rock piles and stone protrusions that towered like a forest above the brown, hardened badlands. The evening growing near, the sunlight dimmed, darkening the shadows around the stones and obscuring the passages within.

The Adrellos had no home to call their own. All of Ambera was their home, and occasionally the neighboring lands as well. As a Scyther bears blades, not claws, the clan could not easily stockpile food and resources in a permanent residence. Instead, they moved about the land, settling where food could be found for the season, and leaving when the setting was no longer acceptable to them.

In this fall season, the Adrellos had moved into a treacherous place known as the Shattered Plateau, a maze of sandstone cliffs and towers. It suited them, providing shelter while confusing any intruders who would trespass, while they memorized all the ways to and from their nests.

As the little Scyther stepped through the branching paths between the rocks, he did as he had been taught, taking note of every detail to assure himself everything was the same. He felt the cold breeze as it swept over him, moaning and howling as it flowed between the many rocks. He listened to its voice, and the voices of the wild Pokémon as they scavenged for their final meals of the day.

A pebble shifted in a direction he had not expected. He smirked.

"Adiel, is that you?" The Scyther called. "No… it wouldn't be. Adarc?"

There was a scratching noise. Adron's wings trembled in amusement.

"You don't want to fight me right now, Adarc," the Scyther teased. "You might find it painful. I just finished practicing."

_*Thwap!*_

Adron spun around just in time to block the blow to the back of his head. He twisted his body and swung his other blade around, swatting his opponent in the back and sending his fellow Scyther stumbling away.

"Too predictable, Adarc," Adron taunted, standing cockily over his fallen brother. "And you forgot the first of the mistakes when deceiving an enemy,"

"Be sure the enemy is not deceiving you instead?" the other Scyther recited regaining his balance and casting an annoyed glare in Adron's direction. He realized that Adron had turned his head in the wrong direction on purpose.

"No," Adron replied, setting off to walk farther into the craggy maze. "Do not attempt to deceive an enemy who cannot be deceived."

"Lies. That's not one of them at all," Adarc shouted, hurrying to catch up. "And there's no such thing as an enemy who cannot be deceived!"

"Then maybe you will prove it the day you manage to deceive me," Adron returned, now with an affectionate smile.

… … …

Adron knew his other brothers looked up to him. He was always the one who could never seem to be outsmarted. When they went hunting, he was always the one in command. When they trained with the elders, he was always the one who remembered everything he was taught. Knowing this, he cared for them in his own ways and helped them where they could be helped. They were, after all, his future allies in the clan, friends he would need to rely upon in whatever wars or battles it was that the Adrellos fought. He didn't yet know the role his own clan played in the world; he could only guess it was important, given the high standards he'd been brought to live up to.

While Adron and the other hatchlings lived under the wings of the clan, and often met the clan's warriors in person, they were forbidden to become involved in the clan's affairs. Instead, some of the elders took turns raising and watching them, until one thousand days from the hatching of the youngest child when they would be presented to the clan for acceptance. Sensei Adram was the fourth and final caretaker of this generation's hatchlings, and as such, he was not a lenient teacher.

Though, Adron wouldn't have known that if it hadn't been for the other Scyther children constantly complaining about his methods since three weeks ago when they had all been handed over to him.

… … …

"You beat him, didn't you?" Adarc laughed in surprise. "You wouldn't be smiling otherwise. Adron, how do you do it? Last week he kept talking about how he wasn't going to go easy on you anymore. How do you manage to read his mind so well?"

"He went easy on me, that's how I beat him," Adron huffed. "He could have challenged me, but he decided not to. He doesn't think I'm prepared for a true duel. And it worries me, because that's what the Adrellos are going to expect from us when we're presented. They're going to challenge us to a true duel. I don't understand how I'm supposed to learn if sensei Adram won't teach me."

"I can't even stand up to him like you can. Where do you think that places me?" Adarc returned. "If you're not worthy of the Adrellos, none of us are. Please, stop pretending to be so humble all the time, Adron. We all hate it."

"I'm not humble! I only see the truth," Adron insisted, appraising the rock walls and deciding which path to follow. "Why do you think I fight so well? It's because I can see the truth and not the lies the enemy wants me to see. The little tremble in their form when they're trying to deceive me. Like you. You had the perfect chance to strike at me, but you hesitated, and you kicked a pebble. You're too shy, that's your weakness."

"I am working on becoming more certain of myself, but not all of us are prodigies. We can't all see into the future like you can."

"I'm tired of telling you, it's not magic. It's focus," Adron insisted. "Focus is everything. Teach your mind to see what is happening, see what will not happen, and see what may happen, and don't see anything else. Don't see what you wish to happen, and don't dwell on the details. Just look, and see the truth. Focus!"

"Hmm… You speak of focus, but this is the wrong way," Adarc noted, stopping in his steps. "I know we've not walked these paths since hatching, but even I know the way to the den is in that direction."

"Go to the den if you want, I'm hungry," Adron said, walking in the other direction. "I haven't eaten in two days."

"The cache is empty by now, you know!" Adarc called. "It's too late. There will be nothing there by this time…"

"If you haven't noticed, I'm not going to the cache either," Adron said, disappearing around a bend in the path.

"You're going to hunt…? It's too late to hunt! Adron!"

Adron said nothing more, his path taking him deeper through the maze of stone pillars. Puzzled, Adarc decided to follow him, opening his wings and flying forward to catch up.

… … …

_***Thump!* *Thump!***_

_This must stop! _

_***Clang!* *Clang!* *Clash!***_

_This is too much!_

_Great spirit of Adrel… please, make this cease!_

… … …

In a secluded stone alcove already drenched with the evening's shadows, six Scyther hatchlings were huddled around a ditch in the base of a cliff face, all visibly upset. They grumbled to one another in frustration, scratching the rocks with their blade tips. Adron approached. Adarc hung back in the shadows, afraid he was getting into a matter he did not want to face.

"Out of the way," Adron ordered. "I need to eat."

Despite their irritation, they knew better than to disobey the alpha of the group. Upon hearing his voice, they leapt out of the way and let him through… only to reveal that the ditch was empty.

Adron scowled. This was their secret food stash, rightfully claimed on their own hunting trips. The elders filled the food cache with fresh kills only once a week, and if the children wanted anything else to eat, they would have to hunt on their own. A few of the hatchings, however, kept a few secret stashes of their own hidden from the elders, so they never had to worry about pacing themselves—they could eat whenever they wanted. Except now, where there had been a plentiful, rotting corpse just a half-dozen hours earlier, there remained only a few discarded bones. The food was gone. Adron snarled in disgust, his grumble adding to those of his hungry brothers.

"Where's the swine?!" he blasted at his brethren who stood nervously around him. "You can't tell me you finished it! I _told_ you to leave me some! Who? Who ate it?"

"No one has, I swear it," another Adeis pleaded. "It was too much for us to finish, and you know we're the only ones who knew about it. It's gone missing! Besides, look at us. We're all as starving as you."

"The elders must have found it!" Adlam guessed. "Or maybe the other hatchings!"

"The hatchlings couldn't have!" Adron growled, stomping around and glancing at the surrounding paths. "This is too good a hiding place. Nobody would have found it unless they were told."

He turned back to the small crowd of his brothers, his questioning gaze passing to each one of them.

"Who? Who betrayed?"

… … …

_***Thump!* *Thump!***_

_I don't know…_

_Everything is so fast…_

… … …

Nervously muttering, the others all denied having spoken of the hidden food stash to everyone.

"I'm certain there was no bribe. There could be no incentive great enough to convince us to tell the others," Adiel noted. "As you said, this is the perfect hiding place. No reward is good enough to lose it."

Adron glared at them for a moment longer, then sighed and glanced at the ground. "It's true. It couldn't have been found," Adron admitted. "It's likely the rats got to it. Or a wild blue lion wandered too close and spotted it through the rocks. Whatever the case… We're all left hungry."

"I swear upon Adrel, if I would have caught the thief, he would have filled our stomachs first!" Adlam roared, swatting his blades upon the ditch ridge in anger. "I must fight the sensei tomorrow and my belly is empty."

"I battled for the last of the fruit in the cache, but Alwry and her gang defeated me," Alros added. "I'll be starved tonight."

"Then let's not stand for it," Adron suggested, raising his voice. "We are enough to form a hunting team. Let's take back what nature stole from us."

"We can't," Adlam said. "Look at the sun, it's too late. Sensei forbids us from hunting so late in the evening."

"The sensei's rules are for our safety, not his," Adron reminded. "We're free to risk our own lives whenever we want. You aren't afraid of dying on a simple hunting trip, are you?"

There was silence among the Scyther group. They were all a bit speechless at Adron's sudden suggestion, and hesitant to reply: afraid both to defy his suggestion, and to agree with it. It was a dangerous place beyond the Shattered Plateau, especially in the evening when the nocturnal Pokémon crawled from their dens and began to prowl the land. Even the adults, the warriors of the Adrellos, never stayed out at night alone.

"He's right," Alros declared. "If we can't learn to break the rules when they need to be broken, we'll be hatchlings for the rest of our lives. I'm starved. I would hunt."

"Adron, you say you haven't eaten in two days," Adeis said. "I haven't eaten in four. If you would lead us on the hunt, I would follow."

"I will," Adron decided, addressing them all. "My belly is impatient, and so am I. I'll wait by the northern stream. Follow me if you will, we'll regroup there and plan our route."

Adron didn't have to wait long. One by one, his kin followed his suggestion, turning north and leaving the secluded hiding place. But the last member of the Scyther group hesitated, eyeing Adron suspiciously.

"It was you," Adiel said wryly. "You moved the swine."

Adron said nothing.

"You wouldn't have led Adarc here and allowed him to eavesdrop on us if you hadn't already known the hiding place would be empty," Adiel said, eyeing the shadows where the hidden Scyther lurked. "You did this on purpose. You wanted to hunt."

Adron didn't respond and refused to look Adiel in the eye, but the slightest hint of a smirk crossed his face.

"See, brother? I learn, too," Adiel told him. "Very well, then. Lead the way. I will follow."

… … …

The hunting party of eight began their excursion into the Savage Meadow to the north-east of the clan's ground. They moved across the land quietly and carefully so as to not bring attention to themselves, either from the wild Pokémon or from their own superiors…

Adron headed the party, crouching low in the tall grass as he crept just beneath the crests of the hillsides. The others kept a full watch in the other directions, as he had ordered them; they could not afford to frighten away whatever wild animals they would choose as their prey. A prowling band of Scyther was a feared force to any creature, and wild Pokémon species often aided each other with alarms or mobbing cries when a mutual threat had been sensed. He breathed a long sigh through his nostrils, testing the scent of the air.

"You must be mad," Adarc hissed in Adron's ear as he peered over the hillside, appraising their next route. "Do you know what the elders will do to us?"

"You didn't have to come," Adron reminded him. "You followed me out of curiosity, you've got nobody else to blame for being here. Besides, I'm not doing this for myself. Pay attention, and learn what you see."

They laid in wait for a moment more, the various creatures of the land moving about upon the plains ahead.

"A migrating flock of Doduo, to the east," Adiel reported. "Those are easy to kill. Though not so easy to sneak up on silently."

"No… I'm not interested in those," Adron decided, focusing on the surrounding terrain. "We need something else. Something… more difficult. Adiel, signal the rest. Let's move under the cover of those trees. I think I know where to find our prey."

… … …

_It won't… stay still…_

_I am lost…_

… … …

Minutes later, the group had advanced to a small patch of trees at the eastern edge of the meadow. From there, they watched as a heard of brown beasts crowded around a great lake to take a drink. Adron grew excited; it always thrilled him the way the sunlight changed colors and deepened as the sun would set. The land, and all the creatures upon it, turned into a giant blood-stained battlefield in his eyes—a battlefield he commanded.

"Tauros?!" Adarc cried. "You want to kill a Tauros? Adron, even the warriors have trouble facing a Tauros heard."

"I want something that tastes good," Adron said wryly. "Tauros are only difficult because they stay in a heard. If one member of the heard falls, the whole heard stampedes to defeat the enemy. That is why other creatures fear them. It's an evolved behavior for survival. Each one of them could trample a Scyther with ease. But we have one thing they do not have: focus. They have only their instincts. We have our minds."

"And wings," Adiel added. "They might find it difficult to hit us in the air."

"We can take them," Adeis assured him. "If Adron says we can take them, we can do it. What is the plan?"

"We have to trap them, to begin with," Adron explained. "We have to move immediately, since they don't linger around the watering hole for long, especially not this late in the evening. First, we surround them, so they become frightened…"

… … …

_***Thump***_

_Blood everywhere…_

_Charging Tauros…_

_Why… why am I still alive?_

_They charge when they're attacked…_

_Even… even if… one is defeated…_

_Is that why… is that what has… happened?_

_Is that what has caused this…?_

_No, it wasn't… it was something else…_

_… … …_

Commanding his followers, Adron cornered the herd against the watering hole, so they could not understand which direction the threat came from… They were spooked, huddling against the water's edge, as the Scyther clan loomed around them, hungry for blood…

At once, like the cornered beasts they were, they charged.

"Here they come!" Adron hissed. "Now! _NOW!"_

… … …

_Why!? Why can't I focus…?_

_***Thump!* *Thump!***_

_Oh, Adrel, hear me…_

_I am lost…_

_… … …_

Once the provoked heard began to retaliate, the Scyther children fled and caused the heard to scatter in many directions. In the confusion, Adiel and Adeis pounced from their hidden positions by the lakeside and slew three Tuaros who had yet to find an escape route. When the other bulls noticed their fallen companions, Adiel and Adeis retreated over the surface of the water, where the bulls could not charge.

Eventually, the bulls had all cleared the waterside and stampeded off elsewhere, leaving the fresh prey for the Scyther children.

One Tauros was too much for eight Scyther to eat in a single evening, but the children had won themselves three. Victoriously, they sliced open the dead animals and filled their bellies, and Adron watched in satisfaction.

… … …

_Why is everything so fast…?_

_***Clang!* *Clang!***_

_I can't… see…_

… … …

Adron noticed when two large, dark-furred hounds prowled upon the hilltops, watching the Scyther clan warily. The creatures of the dark were emerging and claiming dominance of the land, and it was his job as a leader to protect his brothers.

"We must return now," he announced. "The darkness looms. Adiel, guide them back to the den. The way is not far; you shouldn't meet any opposition."

"Me?" Adiel answered. "Why not you?"

"I'd like to stay out here for a little while longer," Adron replied. "Sensei Adram has told me that he has nothing to teach me, and I should find my own means to better myself. So I think I will say out here for a time. I have never fought a fire-breathing hound before. I think it would be a thrill."

"Do not get cocky, my brother," Adiel warned. "It would dishearten us all to know that you died in the field.

"Even if they overpower me, I know how to retreat from a lost battle," Adron assured him. "I will not die. I promise…"

… … …

In the dead of the night, Adron began his journey back to the clan's grounds.

Alone, he had wandered the land and explored the cold, dark meadows and forests as they were after the sun went down. They were filled with insects, and vigilant predators such as owls and wolves. He knew how to remain hidden, so he did not fear an attack, but as he watched the dark lands he made the judgment that he would not battle any of these savage creatures. He just didn't understand them well enough, and would not foolishly assault them from the shadows they probably knew more intimately than he did.

One day, he determined, he would rule the night. But his clanmates would need to be there at his side. That day would come much later. Right now, he knew he was only an oblivious hatchling…

The autumn moon peeked from behind the clouds, and the countryside lit up before him. He squinted and saw how close the Shattered Plateau was, content that he would soon be resting for the night.

But as he was about to fly across the quiet stream on the northern outskirts of the clan's domain, a frightening sound came from above.

"_EEEEEEaaaah!"_

Adron tensed. He crouched low to the ground, hid beneath the tall grass, and opened his blades wide.

"_EEEEEE-Eaaaaaahh! EEEEheee!"_

Frightened that he could not imagine what sort of creature made this noise, Adron held his breath silently as he peered through the grass to watch for the source of the noise. It was somewhere in the air, somewhere on the other side of the river…

…Something which _glowed_.

It was a tiny, black-skinned creature which drifted in the air without the aid of wings. It s form was small and circular, wrapped in a cloak of tattered flesh which waved like a flame in the breeze, its color such an invisible shade of bluish-black that the creature seemed like an unnatural shadow cast upon an invisible surface—except for the eyes. Two monstrous yellow eyes glared from its dark form, glowing as though the sun itself sat behind them. Between its eyes there sat a dulled horn, an awkward weapon, but not one Adron was willing to underestimate.

For a few moments, the young Scyther held his position, simply admiring this strange new wonder of the world as it sang a strange song, its brilliant eyes reflecting upon the surface of the stream below.

_What could it be?_ Adron wondered. _I've never seen anything like it. Is this one of those ghost-creatures Alrac spoke of from time to time? What is it doing here?_

Nagged by his curiosity, Adron shifted in the grass and started crawling towards it. The creature didn't appear to notice his presence as it drifted over the stream, emitting its soft cry.

_I should slay it, and bring it to the elders, _Adron considered. _They will be able to tell me more about it. And if it is too powerful for me, I'm close enough to the den. I can outrun it easily._

_**No!**_

Though he'd been growing weary on the return home, it was gone now. His heart was racing, his mind brimming with questions and possibilities. He focused on the creature, watching its tiniest movements, wondering if it would retaliate to his attack…

Silently, he positioned his feet to spring him forward with undetectable speed.

_**No! No!**_

His wings twitched, prepared to spring open and to motor him forward. His scythes were held in the striking stance.

_**NO!**_

The Scyther's muscles tensed one last time, building up a final surge of energy. _This was it._

As fast as the speed of sound, Adron pounced, his eyes locked onto his target. In the split second it took to close the distance, it surprised Adron that the creature had not even flinched when his presence was made known as most creatures have a startle reflex when something unexpected happens. This one, though, still floated distantly, obliviously, above the water…

With a skillful maneuver that had been burned into his instincts, Adron thrust his scythe forward, moving to decapitate the apparition as he passed it. He expected to feel a quick bump of resistance as the creature's body would come apart; but what he experienced was a strong, unknown throbbing sensation from the nerves behind his blades.

A few feet past his target, Adron halted his attack and pivoted his head to survey the result.

The creature was still whole. And now, it _had_ noticed him.

_**No, no, NO!**_

It was an awkward standoff for the following moments, Adron staring baffled at the creature which should have been dead, and the creature returning its bright, glowing gaze.

He knew he had to make a decision. His blade had not cut the creature, so the creature did not conform to normal, physical laws of being. He guessed that a spiritual-based attack could harm it, though he did not know how to wield spiritual attacks with any kind of consistency. He assumed that trying again would yield similar results.

_Fine, then_, Adron decided, continuing to eye the creature as he walked away. _You live. I will not fight you—_

_Skreeeeeeeeeaaaaaah!_

Wailing like a pained infant, the shadow-being launched its own attack. It spun through the air directly at its assailant.

Adron felt himself flooded with adrenaline once more. He opened his wings and fled as fast as his body could carry him.

But, still, it wasn't fast enough.

_**STOP! STOP! STOP! NO! STOP THIS!**_

Adron saw a flash of light, brighter than the sun, as the creature collided with him.

A screech rang out through the night. It was his own voice wailing in shock. But it felt so far away… it felt disconnected…

A cold sort of pain flooded every nerve, like he had been submerged in freezing water. He knew that he had probably stumbled into the stream. But that didn't matter now, it was so far away, so disconnected. He couldn't even see himself anymore, couldn't control his own numb body, didn't understand where he was…

Visions pulsed in front of his blinded eyes, distorted images from his own memories…

He struggled with all his will, but he couldn't escape…

For so long, he couldn't escape the confines of his own mind… The convulsions, the impulses, the flood of emotions and sensations would not let him go…

_**I cannot survive this any longer!**_

Vaguely, he heard his own voice, begging for relief and freedom from this whirlwind of visions.

_***CLANG!* *CLANG!***_

He heard the ringing of his own blades against rocks as he blindly struggled to overcome himself… He felt his head thumping against something, each forceful collision changing the flow of thoughts and memories through his confused consciousness…

At last, there was another blinding flash of light, light that existed only within his own head…

And it stopped.

The Scyther's eyes snapped open. His heart raced as fast as a Beedrill's wings. His breath panted uncontrollably, hyperventilating him and causing his nerves to tingle.

He groaned and tried to stir himself in an attempt to survey his surroundings, but he found it painful to even move. It was still the darkest hours of the night, with only the dim light of the autumn moon to bring any sense to the setting. He had been washed somewhere downstream, and was sopping wet, his body sprawled across the riverbank. There were numerous scratches in the rocks around him, rocks which he had attacked with his blades in blind rage, as well as several dents where he had rammed his horned faceplate repeatedly.

His own body was pained with bruises, all of them pulsing in and out of his perception as the pain-killing adrenaline still raced inside of him. He looked upon his left blade, beholding a crack in the very steel. His blind rage had been intense, his assault upon the rocks had been merciless.

"Muuugh," he groaned, reluctant to even twitch a muscle. "What… I was struck… I was struck with… a psychic attack…"

The realization dawning upon him, he by habit remembered the five questions of self-orientation. He was taught to always recite them upon gaining consciousness, whether it'd be from a night's sleep, a concussion, or a psychic attack. It had always been such a simple recital, but now it seemed the questions were not so simple; his thoughts were fuzzy, as if he needed to grasp for them…

_The first question…_ he recalled. _Who am I? I'm… I'm Adron… A Scyther… Adron the Prodigy, they call me…_

His stomach roiled in disgust. His own thoughts did not sound right.

_The second… Where am I? I'm… the outskirts of the plateau, my home… It has to be… I was… I was washed downstream…_

He did not even care to rise to his feet to verify this. His energy was gone, replaced with a cold, painful exhaustion, and an icy throbbing in his head which seemed to disrupt his thoughts… he remained sprawled upon the rocks, allowing his eyes to flutter closed again.

_Focus…! Focus…_ he commanded himself, struggling to regain control of his mind. _Third… Third question… whom do I serve? Power, power is the only god we serve… No, that's not it… The Adrellos… I serve the Adrellos clan… I serve… Sensei Adram…_

_Fourth… What is my purpose? I must get home… I must get home… I need help… Healing… I must… return… home…_

_Fifth… Am I capable of accomplishing my purpose?_

_Can… I… get home?_

He tried to imagine his position relative to the Plateau… but he couldn't.

He tried to remember the many paths and routes through the maze of the Plateau, his favorite routes back to the nesting grounds… they all became a tangled mess of memories to him.

His mind couldn't concentrate. He couldn't think.

_I don't know…_ he realized, his blood running even colder than ever. _I can't answer the question! I don't know! Why don't I know…?_

That was when he felt it for the first time: there was a great chasm now in his mind, a chasm which swallowed many of his thoughts, and caused others to drift off-course…

And from this chasm, many new, foreign, nonsensical thoughts bled forth with impunity, like a broken dam washing away all semblance of reason…

_I…_

_I have lost my sanity…_

Powerless to continue sustaining his consciousness, he surrendered to the exhaustion and fell into a deep sleep.


	46. Special Episode: Watcher, Part 2

"_Your mind is already as bright as the sun, your focus as sharp as steel!"_

"_Honestly, Adron, it would not surprise me if you were to become the next candidate to father our clan."_

"_It's not magic, it's focus. Focus is everything."_

"_Arceus has given me nothing. I have earned everything I have."_

… … …

Adron woke the next morning with a clawed foot to the chest. He gasped silently as his mind stirred from his disturbing dreams.

The sun had risen again, though he couldn't tell how late he'd slept. Two Scyther stood above him, though he couldn't tell who they were.

"I'm surprised at you, Adron, sleeping past dawn!" a voice said from above him. "And I thought you were pretending to sleep so you could counter me. We were concerned for you since you never came back last night. Come on, Adron! Rise!"

"He does not look well," the other Scyther realized. "Adron! Were you harmed? What has happened to you? Tell me who has done this, so we may destroy them!"

"I was… struck with a psychic attack…" Adron mumbled, painfully trying to rise from the ground. "My mind is damaged…"

"Oh, is that it?" one of his companions replied. "It will wear off before this day is through, then. Wild animals are not skilled enough in the psychic arts to inflict any lasting damage."

_Are these my friends?_ Adron wondered. _They are. They're Scyther, like me. They're part of the clan. But… are they close to me? I don't recognize their voices… I need reorientation…_

_I am Adron, a Scyther… I don't know where I am… I serve… the clan… My purpose… home! _

"Home," Adron muttered, remembering the question. "Take me home. Show me the way… I can't remember the way…"

Adron finally knelt up, his body still throbbing and difficult to move. He anchored a blade on the ground, tilting his head up and squinting into the powerful daylight.

_Oh… that's Adiel,_ he realized, gazing upon the faces of the others. _I know him. He respects me. The other… is someone else. Adarc. We are rivals._

"His eyes move so unnaturally," Adiel commented. "The psychic assault must have been strong. We should let him rest until he regains his sanity, but not here."

"I'll help, then," Adarc said. "He has done a few things for me yesterday which must be repaid, such as showing me where you've been hiding your food."

Adron felt as the two Scyther hooked their arms under his, helping him stand.

"You will tell no one about our hiding places," Adiel warned. "If I learn you've spoken to others about it, I will personally make sure you never speak again."

"It's like Adron said," Adarc replied. "I have no reason to tell anyone else. It's such a good place, why should I waste it?"

"What do you feel, Adron?" Adiel asked concernedly as they helped him walk. "Have you lost your memories?"

"_See, brother? I learn, too."_

"_We do not capture prey. We kill prey."_

"_There is no beast father Adrav could not destroy without the proper planning."_

"_There are no fathers or sons among the Adrellos, only brothers."_

Adron shook his head. "No… I remember things," he struggled to reply, the words hard for him to find and latch onto. "But my mind races… I can't focus… Too many things force themselves in front of my eyes…"

"You must rest," Adiel told him. "Your confusion will disperse soon…"

… … …

Adron cowered in the cold stone den for the rest of the day, watching as his rampant thoughts danced through the shadows. He waited for the rush to subside, like a stomachache usually would, but after many more hours the buzzing showed no signs of ceasing. It was always as though he no longer commanded his mind, only able to offer it the most feeble of suggestions which it never bothered to follow. He often found himself entranced in his nonsensical dreams, sometimes not telling whether they were real or not, before emitting a frustrated squeal and snapping himself back to reality.

"_Alrac taught me something today," a voice said. "You can help me practice."_

"_If you can get your opponent enraged, they often forget how to defend themselves and charge in headlong to conquer you. You must use this to your advantage."_

"_Tell me who has done this, so we may destroy them!"_

Adron shook his head, batting the ground with his blades again and clinging to the sound they made as an anchor to reality. So many useless, random thoughts pulsed through him, each with no relation to the others. They were like a dozen hatchlings clamoring for his attention, his favor, but each cry was fleeting and half-hearted, offering nothing in return for his effort. He wondered if the ghostly creature had actually lodged itself inside of him, and was occupied with browsing his memories against his will.

And it just never stopped. He could not break free from the madness.

It became more difficult as he tried to reflect on his own life. He managed to conjure images of Adron the Prodigy, evoked by the sight of the den's size and shape and the flavor of the shadows which filled it. He knew exactly who he was, and who he was supposed to be. He remembered how he had planned to play a trick on Adarc that day as a price to pay for learning his secret. He remembered how he was supposed to help the other hatchings with endurance training before they would confront the sensei. Time and time again, he tried to muster his courage and force himself out of the den, reclaiming his life and his identity—but his thoughts did not follow one another, as though great chunks of his mind were simply missing, and he always fell back into the all-encompassing daydreams.

"Are you recovering, brother?" a voice asked, causing Adron to snap wildly to attention. "Easy. It is only I, Adiel…"

Adron shook his head, afraid to babble anything.

"Alwry listened to the wind and heard you were ill, and she decided come and bully you," Adiel reported. "I chased her away."

"_When Alwry was in the egg, Arceus chose to slice out her brain."_

"_I'm not going to fight you, Adron. I don't fight cowards."_

"_When you strike, keep your blades level with your direction of attack. Your limb could be ripped off if you strike at the wrong angle."_

"_There is a storm. I see it approaching. It will graze us before dusk."_

"_A Scyther can survive a fall from up to eleven body heights. Anything greater can be lethal. This is why Arceus made our wings to tire so quickly; they are not meant to let us fly, only to complement our movements."_

"Thank you," Adron could only reply.

"She's bound to be back, and with her friends next time," Adiel said. "I don't know if I would hold them off. I hope you would recover. We could spring a trap on them."

"I… I fear… I am not recovering at all," Adron uttered. "How long has it been? I feel no different. I need someone to help me…"

"It has only been less than a day, and you know there are no psychics among the clan," he said. "There would be none to help you. And you still speak coherently. You understand me. You are not insane. Ride this out, my brother. Your mind will prevail."

Adron locked eyes with his brother, forcing hard to keep them still as they desired to follow the many objects which flowed across his vision. "Adiel," he returned, a slight whimper in his voice, "any semblance of… sanity… you see in me… it's an illusion. And I… I don't know how much longer I can keep it… Adiel, please. Help me."

Adiel blinked. He found it difficult to accept how desperate Adron was acting. It was unreal. Adron had never pleaded for anything, he had always been the one to take things for himself. But now, broken by this harsh blow to his mind, his face betrayed a disturbing vulnerability.

"When this is over, I will not have been the one to betray you when you needed me," Adiel decided. "I don't know what you expect me to do, but… I'll find something. You have my word. I will find some way to help you."

"Thank you," Adron said again.

"_Adiel, I have always been able to trust you."_

"_I only trust those who are worthy of my trust."_

"_We could spring a trap on them."_

"_Try not to dodge attacks so much. Instead, block them."_

"_Do not open the battle with your most advanced techniques; use only those which might disable the opponent. Keep your true skills secret so that you might be underestimated."_

_***Thump***_

Adron bumped his head forcefully against the wall, hoping that the physical trauma would help him gain some control.

… … …

On the second day, another hatchling arrived to the den bearing a message. Adron was sore and stiff, having not moved from his position in over a day, though his mind had run several laps around the Shattered Plateau and the surrounding outskirts against his will. He didn't immediately recognize the messenger and didn't care to try remembering him, but the message was quite clear to him.

"Sensei Adram wants to see you immediately," the messenger reported.

This confused him, though he didn't remember why. He stared blankly at the messenger for a moment, waiting for the right thoughts to fall into place to ask for elaboration. The messenger apparently took the hint before he remembered.

"You were not scheduled to train again for seventeen more days, but he insists," the Scyther continued. "He seemed excited about it."

"Lead me," Adron ordered.

… … …

As Adron stood before his gleeful trainer, dread mounted in his heart. He did his best to hold a dignified stance as his trainer paced around him.

"I have heard about your escapade last night," the sensei said sternly. "Heard it from downwind, I did. Quite conceited of you, not only to break my rules without a shred of regret, but to drag seven of your friends with you."

This did not feel right. _At all._

It should have been so familiar. He should have known a comeback to the sensei's accusation. Yet, he felt lost, as though he was exploring a deadly forest in the dead of night. He felt fear.

"Nothing? You've nothing to say in your defense?" the elder teased. "Well, well… the prodigy is speechless. Surely you didn't expect to get away with this? What? You think I wouldn't find out? Do you really underestimate my powers of observation?"

"No, sensei."

"Didn't think you would," sensei Adram returned. "You're better than that. You _knew_. You knew exactly what the consequences would be. And you went forward with it anyway. Tell me, Adron, how did those Tauros steaks taste? Were they satisfying?"

"Yes, sensei."

"Were they worth it?"

Adron shuddered. This was a loaded question. His favorite type, even. It required a clever, political comeback. He had never failed to outwit one. Now, if only he could just _focus_…

He couldn't. After sensing the wait was becoming awkward, he accepted defeat and replied with the only thing his mind had made of the question:

"I… I don't know," he finally said, hesitantly. "Were they?"

The sensei grinned. The answer had satisfied him, somehow, for now he responded with an evil, diabolical smile. Adron knew he should have been satisfied. He knew his heart should have been beaming with pride. Instead, it sank lower.

"I have been pondering about you," Adram explained, pacing some more. "And I think I understand just what kind of challenge you crave. You are not just a warrior. You are a _leader_. Your brothers respect you and do as you say. Your presence gives them confidence, at least enough confidence to risk their lives for a mere Tauros steak, apparently. And you have certainly demonstrated you understand them well enough to manipulate their strengths to further your own goals."

_Tauros…_

_They charge when they're attacked…_

"_Adron, even the warriors have trouble facing a Tauros heard…"_

Adron bit his tongue. He could _not_ afford for his mind to wander. Not now. He drew a deep, quivering breath and tried his best to dwell on the physical things around him, the beating of his heart, the sounds of his trainer's feet colliding with the rocky ground.

"I am your final trainer, and I refuse to be outdone by one of my students," Adram decreed. "So, this is what I have decided as punishment for you: _I_ am no longer going to train the hatchlings. _You_ are. _All_ of them. But you will answer to _me_. You will teach them what I say, on my schedule. But the methods will be your own to decide. You want a harsher duel from me? Fine, but you can have it not as an opponent in battle, but as a rival leader, as you take command of your brothers and strengthen them. And be sure you prepare them well, for I will test them harshly…"

"Sensei… no."

"I understand that some of the hatchlings would be unwilling to take orders from you, even if they are only my orders which you are delegating to them," Adram continued, disregarding Adron's feedback. "Therefore, I will give each hatchling a choice between answering to you, and answering to me. Only, those who choose me will find that my methods have become so harsh, they would not last for eight days under my command!"

"Sensei… no!"

"And furthermore, I _refuse_ to believe that you honestly think your skills are still inadequate," Adram rambled. "Mark my words when I say that you would be a dignified member of the Adrellos by this evening if the confirmation had been scheduled for this very day."

"Sensei!"

Adron was panting now. This was impossible. This was wrong. So wrong!

"Well, I have made up my mind, and there's no changing it! I have not a _shred_ of regret!" the sensei proclaimed. "Ooh… look at that! You should see your own eyes right now, Adron! Is that euphoria I see? Does this proposal please you? Or… perhaps, you are overwhelmed by it? Is that true fear in your eyes? Perhaps this isn't what you wanted at all… Hmm… You are being so quiet this afternoon, it's difficult to tell what you truly think."

The elder stepped closer to the little hatchling, intimidating him. "Well… if you dislike this proposal, then I offer you a way out. Defeat me in battle! And I warn you, I will show you a little of my true skill. I may even try to kill you once or twice. It won't be easy! Show me how badly you wish to defy me!"

_*Clank!*_

The first attack was blocked purely by luck. Adron had cringed at his teacher's sudden movement, and managed to block the path of his opening blow. The impact felt like a jolt of raw force to his unbalanced mind, and his vision shook.

The second blow, however, was not.

_*Thwap!*_

A forceful, back-handed blow. Adron saw stars, and his body spun out of his control and slumped to the ground. For a moment, he felt his body submerged in a rushing stream. He saw a flash of a ghastly figure, yellow eyes gleaming. Heard its haunting cry. He was only vaguely aware of his teacher's soft laughter.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh," Adram chuckled. "I was right all along. You _do_ want it… I'm ashamed for having doubted myself."

Shaking his head violently, Adron kneeled up and returned to his feet.

"How do you… how do you know where to block?" he said, practically without wanting to.

Adram blinked. This was a strange question, and it took him a minute to formulate a reply. Perhaps Adron was asking for advice in elementary teaching techniques, since he would soon be a teacher himself.

"The tells," he finally answered. "You learned this since you were in infancy. You read your enemy's tells. Look at the way my blade swings, watch my muscles, and you will always tell where and when I will strike. So… you want to try again?"

"Yes," Adron said, facing his teacher once more.

Adram opened the battle a second time. He swung his blade, back-handed, to Adron's left. Adron jerked his own limbs and blocked it. Adram followed with a swing to the right. Adron followed the path with his eyes and blocked that one, too. Then Adram swung to the left, but used his other blade to strike Adron's right. Adron once again flew a foot and crashed into the rocky ground, which felt like the sustained force of a waterfall against his face as he skidded to a stop.

"But I blocked," Adron whined. "What happened?"

"I deceived you," Adram answered. "Since I knew what tells you were watching for, I fabricated them… Adron, this isn't a prank you're playing on me, is it? Your pranks have always been intelligent. Never… juvenile."

"Sensei… listen."

"I am listening."

Not bothering to get off the ground yet, Adron sat up, groping in the chaotic darkness of his mind for the proper words. Whenever he found one, it would seem to flee so quickly…

"On the hunting trip… the Tauros… I was harmed."

"Oh…?" Adram said, surprised. "You are injured?"

"My mind," the hatchling said. "I was hit with a psychic attack. I am confused… still…"

Adram blinked again. "So this is your matter? You're confused? Well… I'm sorry, I couldn't tell… Well, then… perhaps we will have this conversation again when you've recovered."

"Teach me," the hatchling pleaded, climbing to his feet and standing submissively before the elder. "Teach me to fight."

"Hmm… I am not the best elementary teacher," Adram admitted. "And I don't have the time to train you from your level of infancy again…"

"No, please, sensei!" Adron cried. "Please. Teach me. The very basics. I… it'll help me recover, if I can remember the basics… Please, just one lesson!"

"Very well…" Adram grumbled, a little disappointed in how this session had turned out. "Alright… the very basics… If I can only find the words for them… Alright. The key to defeating any enemy is to understand them. If your enemy is inexperienced and has a shallow strategy, you might crush them without wasting effort. But if your enemy knows how to fight, or if you suspect they are trying to make you underestimate them, then it becomes vital to understand them. When you begin, be defensive. Learn their tells, but do not always make it apparent what you know. The battle is a rapid dance, both of learning tells and fabricating tells, so that in essence it becomes an extravagant game of fire-water-leaf… Learn to play that game to the rhythm of the heartbeat, and the battle is yours to dominate…"

… … …

It was an awkward hour of training as Adron went through all the motions he already knew so well. It gave him a level of comfort to practice the art of battle, even if the battles were slow and deliberate. It was all he could manage. He knew all those fast-paced tells, all those means of learning what's in the enemy's mind, were all beyond him now. Wherever he chose to store them in his mind, they wouldn't stay put, and would be gone the next time he would return to find them. Whenever he tried quickly to move his body, swing his blades, his mind would always ask "where?" and he would forget the answer.

And he thanked the sensei when the session had ended, but he had not the heart to tell him the practice was not helping him to recover. When he returned to his den, it was shame that now colored his thoughts. He was afraid to confront the sensei another time. He was afraid to confront the other hatchlings. He felt capable of nothing but lying in the back of the den, watching his thoughts dart around the room like shooting stars.

Adron pressed his head against the wall, feeling a reaction he hadn't experienced since the youngest days he could remember. Tears dripped from the ridges of his faceplate.

… … …

On the fourth day, another messenger entered the den.

"Adron?" it called quietly. "It is I, Adiel…"

Adron felt relieved at hearing this. He turned to look his friend in the eye.

"Come with me," Adiel urged him. "There is something you must see, but try not to raise suspicion as we go."

… … …

"I have broken a lot of rules for this to happen," Adiel said quietly as he led Adron northward past the river and into the Savage Meadow. "I would think you would be proud of me if you were in your right mind. I have kept my word to you."

Not understanding what Adiel referred to, Adron followed him across the meadow and to a small hidden valley between two steep hills. Between them, there stood an unusual creature.

It was a four-legged creature, its fur a very light shade of violet. By looking into its eyes, Adron could tell it was probably intelligent; it clearly did not look forward to the meeting, but it waited patiently all the same. It rose to stand on its four legs as the two Scyther walked near.

"This is him?" the creature questioned from afar.

"Yes," Adiel answered. "Do whatever you can to help him."

"You are lucky I can read your mind and know you are not planning to blackmail me with this," said the creature. "If my tribe learned I was assisting Scyther, I would be a laughing stock."

"I would not betray you," Adiel assured him. "Now, I have paid you. Please perform your duty."

The creature approached Adron, keeping a wary eye on his twitching scythes.

"I am Espeon," the creature said politely. "I am an experienced psychic. Your friend tells me your mind has been tainted."

Adron nodded, his eyes growing hopeful.

"I'll waste no time, then. Here, I will enter your mind," the Espeon explained. "Do not be alarmed if you feel my presence. I will only be looking."

The Espeon then cast his eyes downward, letting his eyelids fall half-closed. The pink jewel upon his forehead gleamed in the sunlight.

Adron felt as the psychic wave penetrated his consciousness. He fell back and relinquished control to it, staying out of its way the best he could. It first probed the outer surface once before plunging deeper, triggering some visions and memories as it went.

"_I am Adron, a Scyther, servant of the Adrellos. I lie in the care of my teacher, Alrac. My purpose is to strengthen myself to impress the elders with my skill. I am not yet capable of fulfilling this purpose, but with more practice I will come closer."_

"_So this is Adron the Prodigy. I've been looking forward to this meeting."_

"_Surely you were not expecting me to be… easy on you?"_

"_The code is your identity. Never forsake it. You will later learn why it is such a vital law."_

"_If we can't learn to break the rules when they need to be broken, we'll be hatchlings for the rest of our lives."_

"_EEEEEE-Eaaaaaahh! EEEEheee!"_

Adron could no longer see in front of his eyes. All he could see were mental impulses as the psychic splashed around within them.

"Hmm," the Espeon commented, twitching his ears. "I can see how you are overwhelmed. This is chaotic."

"_The darkness looms. Adiel, guide them back to the den. The way is not far; you shouldn't meet any opposition."_

"_I should slay it, and bring it to the elders. They will be able to tell me more about it."_

"_EEEEEEaaaah!"_

"Wait, wait, hold on for a moment," the Espeon muttered, ceasing his exploration through Adron's mind for a moment. "You said that a wild Pokémon hit him with a psychic attack. You failed to mention that it was a ghost-type."

"Ghost-type?" Adiel echoed, not understanding. "I… wasn't there when it happened. I am only telling you what Adron told me. What is a ghost-type, and what power does it hold over the mind?"

"I believe I know what happened," the psychic reported in an unfortunate tone. "Your friend has encountered one of the Watchers."

"Watchers?" Adron repeated, remembering the yellow glow of the ghost's eyes.

"Yes, the Watchers," the Espeon explained. "I have been hearing reports of them over the past five years. They appear only at night resembling the forms of ghost-type Pokémon, though we are unsure if they possess any consciousness. Some think they are only catalysts for souls, without souls of their own. But they possess terrible power we don't yet understand. They have been given their name by how they seem content to just sit back and watch the world, their eyes blank as though they only see though to the spiritual realm. They are very rare, though they are more common now than they were five years ago. We fear they might be increasing in population."

"Then, what has this 'watcher' done to Adron?" Adiel implored. "Can he be healed?"

"I will determine that next, as it's a difficult question to answer," the Espeon said. "But I will tell you this, your friend is very lucky to be alive. He has only lost his mind figuratively. I have heard of an incident where a Watcher caused a Pokémon to lose his mind literally, that is, it plucked the brain right from his skull. You Scyther would have probably liked to see that," it added with a sneer.

Again, the Espeon's gemstone became lit, and Adron felt the awkward intrusion of the other mind inside of his own. This time it was much more forceful, wading through the cascade of thoughts and appraising the very structure of Adron's mind.

"_We are the shadows which extend at dusk, we are the wind which sifts the trees: unconquerable, invisible."_

"_Do you know how to outwit an elder? Do you?"_

"_I know how to outwit a wild beast!"_

"_Always hold your stance. Your stance is what keeps the enemy from reading you."_

"_Always listen to the wind, sometimes it tells you everything you need to know."_

"_For every move in battle, you are only allowed one thought. Never hesitate. Never over-think. Look, and see the truth."_

It lasted a long time. The Espeon gave him company in his bewildered mind for nearly a half hour, testing his rampant thoughts for reactions, and watching where they would lead. He was very persistent, exploring even the corners least likely to be damaged. But even Adron could feel his tension through the mental link. The Espeon was being overwhelmed. Things did not make sense to him. Many of his tests failed. He cringed at the idea of giving the Scyther bad news, which he tried to delay for as long as possible, always searching for new possibilities. But eventually, his psychic power became tired, and he had to give up.

"I know now what the Watcher has done to you," the Espeon reported, closing the link. "To put it… in a way you would understand, it has ruptured the barrier between your consciousness and your subconscious mind. The images you would see in your dreams at night, you now see constantly, and it's difficult for you to distinguish dream from reality.

"You fear the way your thoughts flow now, but understand that they have always flowed like this. It's the very way the mind works, traveling from one sensation to the next at the speed of light. It's how you think. You were a genius, your thoughts have always moved as rapidly as they do now. But it was your consciousness which could always make sense of these thoughts, correcting them when they go off-course, and taking meaning from them. Now, because of the attack, your consciousness is disarmed, and you cannot stop the thoughts from going whichever way they please."

"I… I see," Adron muttered in reply, partially comprehending the Espeon's words. "Can you heal me?"

The Espeon bowed, taking a deep breath before answering. "I cannot," it admitted. "I consider myself a masterful psychic, but this wound is such that if I were to even try repairing it, it is too likely you could end up with no more rational thought than a rock. I'm sorry, Scyther. The damage is permanent. You will have to learn to cope."

"You must help me!" Adron insisted. "Change something in me, please!"

"I told you, I will not," the Espeon said forcefully. "The chances of doing anything meaningful are roughly the same as getting a second Watcher to attack you and hoping it reverses the transgressions of the first. I refuse to be blamed for your death, and spend the rest of my life running from your clan with a bounty on my head. I know you Scyther do not forgive!"

"What… do I do?" Adron asked blankly.

"I told you, you cope," it replied simply. "You can't be a warrior anymore, but you can still live. And really, that's all any Pokémon can ask for."

"_We must never be content. Creatures who live without purpose are weak and useless; our undying hunger for power is the source of our strength."_

"_Someday, you will learn why."_

"_Do not let them escape! Attack!"_

"Help me! Or I will _kill you_!" Adron screeched. "You can't _leave me like this_!"

Adron lunged uncontrollably.

There was a loud roar as the Espeon braced himself, his gemstone shining again. Adron felt as his limbs became frozen and refused to move further. He struggled, but his body had been possessed, disarmed by the psychic's power.

"Dear Arceus, Scyther!" the Espeon growled. "Stifle your bloodlust! I have held my end of the bargain! You have no reason to kill me. Please, detain him…"

Adiel made a move to hold him back, but there was no need. As the Espeon gently released him, Adron slumped to the ground. Without further hesitation, the psychic Pokémon made a quick getaway and ran behind the curve of the hill before Adron could curse at him again.

After the Espeon had left, there was a full minute of silence between the two Scyther brothers. Adron gasped for breath, hearing the ring of the psychic's voice still in his ears.

"_The damage is permanent."_

"_You will have to learn to cope."_

"_The damage is _permanent._" _

"_You can't be a warrior anymore…"_

"I can't… I…" he gasped. "I don't know what to do now…"

Adiel stood over the body of his fallen brother, saddened for him.

"There is only one thing left you can do," Adiel said. "Talk to Sensei Adram about this. If he doesn't understand… I don't know, either. I have done what I could. You… are on your own."

… … …

"It's permanent?"

The old Scyther looked as though someone had just murdered his best friend. He was disturbed at the news, but managed to keep his temper calmed only because he did not yet believe it.

"Yes… sensei… "

"Surely, you must be exaggerating!" Adram pleaded. "You mean to tell me the confusion hasn't even subsided in the least bit?"

"No," Adron confessed. "A psychic examined me,"

"Psychics are conniving liars, Adron! You should have known better than to trust one!"

"Sensei… I'm sorry," Adron said. "I didn't… I didn't know what else I could do…"

"I'll _tell_ you what you need to do!" Adram screeched. "You need to _wake up!_"

_*CLACK!*_

Adron cringed, and just barely managed to block the full-forced blow his teacher had launched at him. His mind rattled. He did not fall this time; he stepped backward and kept his balance. But his perception spun in circles as though he were falling.

He held the parry as his teacher forced him back, looking intently into his eyes.

But as Adram looked closely, he could not deny it wasn't the Adron he knew which gazed back at him. It was a different, weaker Scyther. A very young, confused child.

"It's true, isn't it?" Adram whispered. "Adron the Prodigy is dead?"

"Teach me," Adron begged. "Teach me everything. From the beginning again."

Blades rang as the elder parted with the child, standing back and looking at him in amazement.

"I can't."

"Please," Adron pleaded. "It's my only chance!"

"No!" Adram insisted. "No, it is not. That isn't my job, Adron… I'm… not that sort of teacher. Those were the sort of teachers who raised you first, not me… I… have warriors to train now. I can't be… spending time rehearsing things you should already know. I gave you your one lesson, as you wanted..."

"What will I do?!" Adron blasted. "Where… is my place… now?"

"If… if this is true, and you can't snap out of this stupor of yours, then… I regret to say this, with every bit of my being, but I cannot hesitate to pass judgment… your place is no longer here. Perhaps… it is not even among the Adrellos."

"You… are abandoning me?"

"I must," Adram said forcefully. "I can do nothing more for you. It… it's a shame. Just days ago you were such a sharp little blade… And when this condition struck you, I feared for you, I had nightmares about it, and the nightmares came true. We Adrellos cannot expect nature to be merciful. Indeed, that's why I train warriors, to conquer nature… but those who fall… we must also learn to accept the loss and to let them go. It is not the place of a Scyther to sympathize where it would become a detriment."

"Sensei, listen…"

"You _babble like a Vulpix!_" Adram yelled. "Go! Leave me. Stop bringing me this pain."

"Listen…"

"_LEAVE, _I said!"

_*THWACK!*_

Another harsh blow to Adron's head, and this one wasn't blocked. It was the traditional parting strike, but it had been launched too quickly for Adron to comprehend. He stumbled and eventually toppled over, watching in disbelief as his trusted teacher simply left him alone.


	47. Special Episode: Watcher, Part 3

"I refuse to submit to you."

Adron lurked in the lair for fourteen days after the incident, but the shame grew to be too much. He could no longer look his fellows in the eye. He no longer hunted, trained, or sparred with them. He became ashamed of even taking food from the rest of the clan, knowing that what he had become was no greater than a wild animal.

After those fourteen days, when Adron could not bear another pitiful visit from one of his brothers, he knew he had to leave. He had to find a place to be alone with the voices in his head, far away from the Adrellos or any of his brothers. He could not be a burden to them anymore.

_Go. Leave. Stop bringing this pain._

So, one quiet evening, he dragged himself out from the dark, comfortable safety of the den, and wandered through the branching paths of the Shattered Plateau. He knew not where he would go. The wild was no place for him; living among the feral animals of the wilderness without even the ability to raise a blade and defend himself was a suicidal concept. But waiting until the Adrellos denied him shelter for his incapability would be more dishonor than he could bear to live with. So, he wandered the dark paths, trying to find a place somewhere between the two fates.

He found a secluded ditch on the very south-eastern corner of the plateau, a place swarming with enough of the little purple rats to sustain him, and he buried himself there, where no other Scyther could find him.

And each day when he opened his eyes and found himself still existing in the world beyond his meaningless dreams, his will burned more deeply in his core—that he would not accept the fate that had been dealt to him.

_I am Adron, a Scyther. I serve myself; I am no longer worthy of serving the Adrellos._

_I have hidden myself in a place where my presence will not burden them._

_My purpose… is to__** overcome this!**_

_I am not content with only living!_

_I will not be a helpless creature; I am a __**warrior!**_

He began a tradition of speaking to his unstoppable thoughts as though they were another separate entity inside of him. They would never respond, but he spoke to them anyway.

"I _refuse to submit…_" he growled weakly, sitting in the ditch amidst a pile of some rat carcasses he'd accumulated. "I… I… won't lie here… I will… I will fight you…"

He spoke it time and time again, but the words always seemed meaningless, no matter how much conviction he put behind them. He wanted to believe that if he said them enough times, they would hold enough power to disrupt the daydreams.

"I will find the power to overcome you…" Adron said to himself, with what was now a daily mantra. "I will take my place among the Adrellos… I will destroy you the way you've destroyed me."

After finishing his self-orientation, Adron convinced his body to move. He rose from the fissure in the ground and came to stand, alone, among the craggy towers that provided him shelter from the wilderness outside. To the east, a cloud of darkness steadily rolled in: nighttime. He could no longer control when he slept and when he rose, but it was inconsequential to him. He only cared about controlling the oblivious spirit which roosted in his mind; if he could not control it, nothing else mattered.

He began another of his daily routines: training.

He knew not how to fight. He knew not how enemies would react to his movements. All he knew now was that he was a violent creature by nature, that he commanded two metal blades embedded into his arms, both of which were sharp enough to slice through flesh and bone, and that fighting most certainly involved hitting things with them.

So that's what he practiced: hitting things with them. There was no rhythm, no strategy, no complicated maneuvers, nothing that would confuse him… just simple, desperate blows to the rocky walls and pillars surrounding his hiding place. It was all he could do. He didn't know if it helped him, but he needed to do it. He needed to exert this feeble little measure of authority over his insanity.

_*Clang!* *Clang!*_

After twenty days of this, it already began to look as though fifty battles had taken place in this tiny little section of the plateau. Patterns of scratch marks, as if from lion claws, painted the stone surfaces. Some of the pillars were becoming whittled down, just like a tree would look after the dam-building rodents sharpened their teeth on it. More and more, his new home came to resemble the inside of his own mind as he struggled for freedom from it.

_*Clang!*_

And this evening, as he slammed a boulder and whittled down the sharpness of his blades, he thought to converse with the chaos. Learning to speak coherently again had been such a frustrating process; once he had discovered how to string some thoughts into decent patterns, he had always enjoyed taunting the disruption in his head with his own words and pretending he was irritating it back.

"What do you want of me?" he grunted, expecting a response. "What do you expect me to do for you?"

_*Clang!*_

"What would you take from me that you haven't already taken?!"

_*Clang!* *Clang!*_

"Such a complex beast you are, but I can't understand your language!"

_*Clang!*_

"What language do you speak?"

_*Clang!*_

"Can't we be brothers? Can't we serve one another?!"

_*Clang!* *Clang!* *Clang!*_

"We could gain power, if only you'd listen to me! Why don't you listen? Why can't we forge an alliance?"

_***Clack!***_

Already beginning to tire in frustration, Adron gave one last lunge to the boulder before leaning against it, succumbing to the mental disturbance and feeling his weakening will to keep trying. His words were useless, like they always had been. Yet he kept spouting them, over and over, as if to expect a different result from them whenever he'd try. Though he rose each day with a resolute heart, the days always ended in despair, shattered hopes, and the cold reality of his condition: it was permanent. Nothing he could do would change it.

_Trust is complicated and fleeting; fear is absolute. Every other creature must learn to fear the sound of our name._

He blinked.

As his thoughts spun, they presented him with a line from the code he knew so well. It hung in his mind for a moment, pulsing with significance, as though the otherworldly creature in his head wanted him to see it.

He blinked again. It was a fleeting sensation, but for once, a thought had made clear sense.

_Trust?_

And he had an idea.

… … …

"Maybe I know the language you speak, beast!" Adron roared at himself. "Maybe I know it all too well, the most primal instinct in every creature… And now, we will see if you speak!"

Adron stood far above the Shattered Plateau, upon the very highest of the broken rock towers his eyes could catch. It had been a strenuous fight, with many stops to rest on the ledges and footholds, so he knelt down and again regained his breath as he surveyed the landscape below.

The vertigo hit him immediately. It was a _very_ long way down.

He witnessed the Shattered Plateau in all its glory, noticing all the parts which had crumbled among those which still stood, like a giant death trap of spikes. He saw the gorgeous visage of the meadows, forests, and winding streams in the distance, all soaked in that deep, dark, shadowy red of twilight as the sun set far behind him. Tears almost formed in his eyes from the pure beauty of it. He knew now that this was the war field, and tonight, he would attack.

Finally, he gazed straight down to the base of the tall rocky tower. It was surrounded in avalanched rocks and pebbles of all sorts.

He knew he would not survive a fall. And he knew, even if he tried, that his feeble wings had no chance of saving him if he fell too far—he'd be unable to slow down his momentum in time. His body would simply shatter upon contact with the uneven landscape.

He imagined what it would feel like.

"See!" he gasped to no one but himself. "Look before yourself, and see!"

The cold breeze whipped at his face. He ignored it, staring down at the ground.

"You don't speak the language of trust. Do you speak the language of fear?"

His mind ignored every word, but he persisted.

"I am a warrior, beast! If I cannot live without you stirring my thoughts, mixing my concentration, driving me away from my brothers… I _will not live!_"

Adron raised his voice, screaming to the heavens. His gasping became hysterical.

"_I will leap!_" he cried, his voice echoing through the canyons down below. "It is not enough to live! If you do not speak to me, I will leap, and end both our lives!"

Again, nothing.

"_SPEAK!_" he demanded. "Do you not see those rocks down below?! Our lives will end there! And do you not see the resolve in my mind?! Do you not _believe me_, beast? I _will_ leap! I will not hesitate! I will leap!"

After the echo of his voice reverberated from the distant surfaces and faded away, his mind still did not respond to his pleas. Still, it constantly flowed past like the wind which swept over him.

"_You have TAKEN EVERYTHING!_" he bellowed, a desperate plea. "You've taken my pride! My brothers! My power! You've left me with _nothing!_ Nothing, but _this choice! _This last bit of control I have over myself, the power to end my own life! Is _this what you want?! LISTEN! RESPOND! ANSWER!_"

Dizziness clouded his vision from breathing so heavily, and his sense of balance faltered as the world wobbled and spun around him. His throat became sore from screaming. Tears covered his face. Through it all, there was still no response from his fleeting mind. It didn't hear. It didn't care. Its defenses were rock-solid, oblivious to the world around him.

Broken. Wounded.

Adron slumped down upon the tiny surface so high in the air, bowing his head in defeat. It was over. Everything was over. All his effort… it meant nothing. He could not fight. He could not think. He could no longer comprehend anything but the simplest ideas. He could no longer strive for power, as the code commanded, or use that power if by chance he obtained it by luck. He cursed the Watcher. So evil, so pitiless it had been, for poisoning his head.

There was nothing left. Nothing left… but to follow through with the threat he had made.

He shifted his legs, coiling them for power. He anchored the tips of his blades against the rock.

"_Fine… then…_" he gasped through his teeth, trembling in fear. "_So… BE IT!"_

He squeezed his eyes shut. He had no regrets.

With one final gasp for air, Adron thrust his body and pounced into the sky, leaving the tower behind him and letting the pummeling air drown out his thoughts.

But he stopped moving.

Adron's eyes snapped open. He hung in the air against his will, having only fallen one or two body heights. Mixing with the wind, there was now an incessant, yet familiar buzzing noise.

He looked back, though he already knew it to be true. His wings were buzzing, keeping him aloft.

They were running against his will.

Puzzled, he wondered what had happened. When he chose to jump, he had not intended to fly. He had intended to die. His wings had opened all by themselves.

And that's when he noticed it…

Order.

Though his wings grew so tired from treading air, he hovered in place, simply astounded at himself. The voice in his head had not quieted, but it had sorted itself into an order! Order to his thoughts was now such a foreign concept to him, he couldn't comprehend it. His subconscious thoughts, which had once bounced around from idea to idea with no regard to meaning, now screamed the same feeling over and over:

_Survive. Survive. Survive. Survive. Survive. Survive._

"Ah hah hah hah," Adron laughed wickedly, insanely, thrashing at the empty air. "Ah _hah hah hah hah hah! _So… so you would also… heh heh… take this last choice away!"

It was such a simple, instinctual reaction. The will to live. The aversion to terminating one's own life. It had happened purely by reflex. Yet, it was a concept his chaotic mind understood. It was a language it spoke after all, a language it had responded to. And now, he had found such a simple way to put his rampant impulses into a predictable order… For just a moment, he could focus! He could dwell on thoughts! He laughed again, mocking the stupidity of it all, the simplicity of it all, until he grew close to passing out from hyperventilation and exhaustion.

And he found, to his delight, when his thoughts were in order, they were so _clear!_ Since the barrier to his underlying mind was broken away, he could see all of his thoughts, and the way they connected to one another, as clearly as the clouds in the sky. They were all laid out before him, like a legion of servants, cowering in fear of the imminent death he would had caused himself.

"Now, then!" he laughed triumphantly to nobody but himself. "While I have your attention, listen to what I say! I know you're just a swarming flock of feelings that doesn't want to obey me. That's fine! Because I tried to control you for over thirty days and it's obvious I can't. So, I'm not going to try anymore. No, I'm going to fall back and let you do everything for me! Just like Sensei Adram wanted me to do for him! I'm going to train you, and then you're going to guide me, but you're going to let _me_ make the decisions. I _will_ learn to understand you. And you _will _learn to obey my command. We _will_ learn to cooperate, even if… even if it kills us! Because if you continue to disobey me, I can assure you, heh heh heh… it _will!_"

As his wings were flitting awkwardly and starting to fail him, Adron thrust himself back up to the top of the platform and collapsed. Immediately, his thoughts changed to chant something else for a few moments:

_Safe. Safe. Safe. Safe._

When his safety was established, the wild beast in his mind resumed its rounds, scattering into chaos and confusion again. But through it, Adron grinned. A crazy kind of joy now filled him. He knew he had leverage over the raw force. He knew he had a way of controlling it.

He knew there was hope.

But as he lounged atop the towering pillar, dreading the flight back down, he felt the now-familiar helplessness return in full force. And as he watched his memories flash back to battles and weather patterns and other Scyther and more battles, he had to wonder...

…would the hope be good enough?

… … …

A family of Piloswine wandered across a frostbitten, early-morning meadow. They were migrating south for the cold season, where food became easier to find. They were oblivious to the two Scyther who waited inside of a creek bed, eying them…

"Now watch," sensei Adram whispered to his student. "What do you see?"

Adiel squinted at the lazy gathering of swine, watching as they plodded south like leaves slowly floating downstream on the surface of a river. He knew any Scyther could kill one of these easily, but that was not the challenge—the challenge, now, was to follow the code. Strike without being seen, and kill without being heard. He had to figure out a way to perform the deed as invisibly as the wind, without even the acknowledgement of the rest of the heard. This was one of the most difficult lessons the Scyther children were taught in their final months of training, and one of the most important to carry into the battlefield: the secrets of true stealth.

"They turn, occasionally, to the northeast," he answered. "I need to time it—"

"No," Adram grumbled. "This isn't complicated."

"Their hair tends to cover their eyes," Adiel tried. "They would have difficulty looking up. I might fly."

"You might, but you are still over-thinking," Adram replied. "Sneaking up on every type of creature is a different puzzle, but with these creatures, it's hardly a challenge at all."

Adiel shook his head. "What do you mean? If you want me to kill them without them seeing me, I need to make sure they don't see me. Why isn't that important?"

"_Think_, Adiel," Adram told him. "Stealth is not always about not being seen. But more often than not, it is about not being seen _as a threat_."

"I'll approach gently, then," Adiel said with a grin, understanding the point. "These creatures come from the north caves, where Scyther don't live. They don't know what I am. They might not judge me as a predator. So if I don't act like a predator…"

"You may gain their trust," Adram said, "only to betray it when one wanders too close to you."

_*Splash!*_

A large object had been plunged into the stream behind the two Scyther, startling them both. Nearby birds scattered. The swine all moaned in surprise and started to wander off.

Adram had barely taken a breath before he had snapped around and pounced upon the intrusion, his survival instincts still as sharp as ever in his old age. He'd expected it to have been a high-flying bird of prey swooping to claw at a fish. He did not expect to be staring another Scyther in the eye. And he expected least of all that it would be _this_ Scyther.

"_Adron?!_" he gasped, immediately releasing the intruder from his instinctual death-grip, dropping him back into the shallow stream. "Adron, what is your business? You've interrupted my training session and given away our position!"

"I'm here… to keep my appointment," Adron answered in an intense voice. "It's been thirty-six days since I last trained with you. The agreement was you and I, every eighteen days, would train. I'm sorry I missed the last appointment, I'm here now."

"It is you!" Adiel cried. "Rumors spread that you were lost in the wild! I know, because I started them! What happened to you?!"

"And what gives you the idea it's acceptable to interrupt your brothers' training?" Adram growled. "Has your mild healed? Obviously, it has not, since you had the gall to disrupt our hunting effort! I thought I told you clearly: if your mind will not heal, I no longer have business training you!"

"Don't… talk to me about things becoming… disrupted," Adron growled back. "No… my mind is the same. But, with some practice, I am learning to cope. And you, sensei… You must live up to our agreement. You say… you don't have the time to train me from infancy. But you still can train me according to our schedule."

"And what, then, do you expect me to accomplish?" Adram seethed, standing Adron down and glaring at him.

"Battle me," Adron replied. "And try to kill me."

Appalled, Adram thrust his blades against the little one's chest, sending him splashing back into the creek water. He did not fall. "Adron, how confused are you?" he laughed. "You are unarmed… and you want for me to kill you? Even though I would not even concede to it in the days you were thinking clearly?"

"Yes," the little one answered without hesitation. "Otherwise… I will not learn."

The elder tilted his head for a moment, his irritation bleeding through his eyes. Then, without warning, he stepped closer to Adron and launched an assault upon him.

_Wham!_ A forceful blow to the head. _Wham!_ Another one to the side. _Clank! Clank!_ Two blows which Adron managed to parry. And finally, the most ridiculous of attacks, a blunt slamming of his foot to the chest. Adron gasped, collapsing onto his back against the creek bed's rocks.

"Adron, leave my sight," Adram ordered, shaking his head in shame. "Come with me, Adiel, we will find somewhere else to train."

Adiel stood for a moment, staring his old companion in the eye and feeling a small measure of sympathy. "It is good to know that your spirit, at least, isn't gone," he said simply before turning to follow.

Adron winced as he tried to climb off the pile of rocks without irritating the sensitive scrapes they had caused in his abdomen.

_It's a start,_ he told himself. _Yes… a start. This is going to be painful. Now… who else would listen to the demands of an insane Scyther?_

… … …

"I don't fight cowards," the other Scyther called out sneeringly, turning to concentrate on finishing the green berry skewered at the end of her blade.

Adron peered into the food cache and at the one Scyther who currently occupied it: Alwry. She was always an aggressive, unfriendly girl. She seemed to make a living of defying the alpha hatchlings and standing up to them, and pushing around the weaker ones. She had never been liked by many, except those she had agreed not to abuse if they would be her companions. She'd gotten into disagreements with Adron too many times to count, and Adron hoped that he might spark another one today…

"You know, your stealth is awful," she teased again. "Come out where I can see you, coward."

Adron hissed silently at himself. She'd always been an observant one, too, just like he was. He stepped out from behind the rock, showing himself in a beam of sunlight.

Alwry gave a flippant glance to the intruder, but then had a spasm of surprise when she realized his identity. Composing herself just as quickly, she flung the remains of the berry away and came to confront him.

"Am I a coward," Adron responded, "because I came back?"

"_You!_" she gasped. "Where have you been?! Adiel told me you were eaten by a lion, but I knew better than to believe that. What's your excuse for disappearing? There's no spare food for any of us! Nobody will hunt because they thought you're dead!"

"None of your business, where I've been," Adron answered. "But I came here to fight you."

"Gladly," Alwry said wryly, a smirk cracking her face. "Let me tell you, Adarc is an awful rival. I don't know how you ever put up with him, but half the time I have to teach him how to fight me. It's been embarrassing. I miss having a good enemy. So… what will be the terms of this fight?"

"I win if I make you surrender," Adron announced to her. "You win if you kill me."

Alwry staggered. "_Kill_ you? You want a true duel?!" she yelped. "I see. You're hungry for a challenge? I accept the terms of victory! What about the stakes?"

"No stakes," Adron answered with his own smile, "but the pride of being superior."

Adron braced himself as Alwry opened the battle, a reckless charge. He raised his blades at the last moment to parry the strike, causing the familiar sound of clashing steel to ring down through the rocky halls. For a few seconds, her blades forcefully stayed locked against his, trying to force him back and fall from his feet.

Adron saw the gleam in her eye, and knew she was honest about the challenge. He waited for her to make the next move.

She spun her body and ducked, a very skillful move, slamming his knee with the open blade. Adron groaned in pain, the blow glancing from the hard bony armor but feeling like it had severed his leg right off in the process. He buckled under the blow, jumping back to retreat. His leg stung, and he felt his stance unreliable. A moment later, his wings buzzed and he took to the air,

"What is this, Adron?" Alwry questioned. "You ask me to kill you, then you just retreat and don't fight back?"

"Fine… then…" he answered.

He tried to narrow his thoughts, searching for a striking opportunity. He zipped into a dive, blades drawn…

_Where,_ his mind wondered. _Where do I strike?_

Before he knew it, he'd been countered. Alwry guessed his attack and disarmed his blades with her own, flinging her assailant around her body and sending him skidding across the floor.

"_Ha_-ha-ha-ha," she laughed cockily. "What was that?!"

Adron answered by picking himself up quickly and pouncing again.

_Focus!_ he told himself. _Please, just for once, focus!_

He tried to lazily lob his blades onto her left shoulder, which looked open. But she was an observant one, easily sidestepping the attack and thrusting him to the side, sending him tumbling away again.

This time, Alwry followed by leaping onto Adron's fallen form, pinning him down with her huge foot and leveling her blade with his neck.

"I didn't expect I'd actually get the opportunity to _kill_ you, Adron," Alwry uttered, holding him still under her weight. "You were so confident, I thought you would beat me. Did you just wake up? Or…"

Alwry hesitated.

"You're insane," she realized. "That's what this is? Challenging me to kill you? You're mad, aren't you?"

"_Ughhh…"_ he groaned, struggling against her force but being unable to even lift his chest from the floor.

"You never recovered," she said, growing angry. "That problem you had last month. You never recovered from it! That's what this is. And you want _me_ to train you now? Is that it?"

She released him from the hold, only to kick him harshly in the side in anger.

"I surrender," she spat. "Enjoy your _pride of superiority_. You're going to need it. You fight like an infant!"

She stormed out, leaving him laying there. He turned to lift himself, feeling

_I disappoint everyone,_ Adron said to himself. _But… this is the only way I will learn again… isn't it?_

… … …

Adron tried to duel with more hatchlings, but the result was mostly the same: he could not battle. He could not think quickly. He'd gotten a few hits off Adreu, one of the youngest, but even Adreu could outmaneuver and outsmart him without much effort. He had hope, now… but that's all that had changed. His mind was still as much of a disaster as before.

After his unsuccessful battles, Adron returned in the evening to lie in his ditch and think about what he had learned—or even if he had learned anything at all. He knew he'd gotten reckless and desperate with the discovery of his new hope, but still didn't know what he could do with it. Kicking shattered rats away, he turned his body to stare at the dark wall, and at all the images which flashed upon it. He tried to appraise them, wondering if there was any sort of sign his battles had changed them, as a headache throbbed in his forehead.

His will, this time, was steadfast; he had seen how his thoughts reacted to the brink of death. He had seen it in the battle with Alwry, and again in the battle with Adezl. He knew this problem could be broken, and he was not going to give up. But he knew he had to rethink his method.

_It is just as Alwry said,_ Adron reflected. _I'm insane, telling any Scyther I meet to kill me… It hasn't been working, but it's the only thought I could follow. There must be… some other way… _

"_Adron!_"

His body convulsed in surprise as a voice screamed his name from somewhere nearby. He was scared; he knew he couldn't defend himself on such a short notice. He stirred and turned to look up outside, wondering who could have been searching these grounds for him.

An amused Adarc peered back down at him.

"Adron, you look like a feral!" he commented. "So this is where you've been all this time… Hah, I knew Adiel was lying…"

"How did you find me?" Adron wondered weakly, trying to crawl out of the ditch.

"Just followed you here," he answered. "Today was the first time I saw you back at the den grounds in a long time, and I wanted to know where you've been hiding… It didn't look like you detected me… Are you recovering? How's your mind?"

"Why… do you care?" Adron growled, climbing up and standing on his feet. He tried to ignore his headache.

"Because I'm proud of rivaling you," he answered, lowering his voice. "It hasn't been fun with you missing. I miss always wondering if you're spying on me. I've tried rivaling Alwry, but her skills are just so poor… she's not up to your level. If I can help you heal…"

Adron looked away. "No… my mind isn't healing," he replied. "But… I've been learning to cope. I can speak now at least. I couldn't tell a story or anything, but… at least I can say what I mean. I still… can't battle. But I'm trying to learn. I think I… found a way. But it's hard... that's why I was back with the clan."

"You want to find opponents because you can't fight with the sensei anymore?" Adarc guessed. "You're trying to practice?"

Adron shook his head, and he grasped for a more complex idea that seemed to be hanging in front of him. "Imagine…" he tried. "When you need to train a beast, you feed it when it obeys you, and you harm it when it disobeys you. That's how it learns. My mind is like that. It's like a wild beast that won't listen, always distracting me. Only… instead of… doing that, it will only learn if I threaten to kill it. So, I think I can learn to fight again if… my opponent means to kill me."

"Seems like a contradiction… you can't fight anything stronger than a purple rat, but you need your opponent to kill you?"

"It's difficult," Adron admitted. "I still don't know… What I tried today was stupid of me. I'm embarrassed. I should go into the wild. I could train there, the same way the ferals are trained… but I'm afraid."

Adarc glanced around the rocks with a wary eye, as if to see if anyone was eavesdropping. Then, he stepped close to Adron and spoke in a quiet voice.

"I'll help you," he said a second time. "Sensei Adram doesn't want a word spoken of you. And everyone is saying you're insane."

"Why?" Adron hissed. "Why help me? The Adrellos wouldn't accept me now. If I learn to fight again, I might reach the skills of a one-year-old… I'm a fallen brother now. The code says not to help fallen brothers…"

"The code says we are one," Adarc replied, "And you're not a fallen brother! I know you aren't insane. You speak slowly, but every word you speak has reason behind it. If you were insane, you would be rambling. And the things you do have good reason behind them, even though they sound insane. I think the other hatchlings are stupid because they can't see that. They all fail at being rational, observant Scyther."

Adron sighed. His brother's words made him feel better, but he couldn't help disagreeing with them. He eyed his ditch, as if he wanted to withdraw and go back to sleep.

"But that's not why I want to help you," Adarc continued, quietly. "You're the most talented Scyther of this clutch, and I try to imagine growing up and fighting with the Adrellos and having you not at my side as an ally, but I can't. I was never confident in myself… with you gone, some of the hatchlings are starting to consider me the alpha, and I know I'm not, even though I try to humor them… Having you as a brother gave me a lot of the confidence I had."

"I'm not the same Adron anymore," he replied sadly. "I don't think that Adron will ever come back."

Adarc glared at him for a moment, then turned to pace away. "Well… before you run off into the wild," he said, raising his voice again, "Don't you think we should test your idea?"

"What do you mean?" Adron asked, looking at him oddly.

"Do you need an opponent who means to kill you?" Adarc asked, turning around. "Then I am that opponent."

"You just said you need me as your ally, and now you want to try killing me?" Adron said oddly. "How can I believe that?"

"Forget what I said," Adarc snapped. "Pretend I never said it. Now… should I help you, or not?"

Adarc took a battle stance. He planted his feet firmly on the ground, one slightly in front of the other, ready to launch himself forward in flight. He leveled his blades at his sides, readying them to strike. He lowered his head, adding range to his arms.

"Fine," Adron decided, looking at his battle stance and trying to copy it himself. "Fine…"

The standoff lasted for a few silent seconds.

"I attack on your command," Adarc said. "What do you want me to do?"

"One… fatal strike," Adron ordered. "Only one, for now."

"Very well."

"It must be a fatal strike!" Adron reminded him. "If not, it won't mean anything. Aim for the kill."

"I know."

Adron watched his opponent. Despite the confidence in his voice and the strong, burning gaze, Adarc trembled. His battle stance wavered as he planned the move that might end his brother's life. He saw this dark intention in Adarc's heart, and his heart began to race. Energy filled his limbs, readying his reflexes. His mind was ready to do whatever it took to survive.

And he let that survival instinct take control.

Adarc opened his wings and lunged, his blades opened wide. Adron held his breath. It was a scissor strike, aimed at his throat: a basic technique of decapitation, one of the first a Scyther learns in training, useful for quickly finishing many species of Pokémon without letting them utter a final cry. If performed with enough strength and precision, able to decapitate a Scyther.

_Survive. Survive. __**Survive!**_

With startling reflex, Adron raised his blades high and wide to block the blow. His arms seemed to move on their own, without his will, controlled only by the desperate instinct…

_*Clank!* *Clank!*_ Adarc's blades hit the backs of Adron's, a perfect block.

But Adron's instincts did not stop there.

_*Schlunk!*_

Adron copied the failed attack, closing his blades in a forceful scissor directly through Adarc's throat.

Clear blood smeared across the steel, as Adarc's wide-eyed head tumbled to the ground, the body following soon after.

"_One fatal strike. Only one, for now."_

"No…" Adron gasped, gaining control again, his heart pummeling the inside of his chest.

"_It must be a fatal strike! Aim for the kill!"_

"No… no!" Adron uttered profusely. "Adarc, no… No, no… this wasn't supposed to happen… No!"

Adron gasped in disbelief at his blood-stained blades, and at the fallen brother at his feet. He felt as tears began to trickle from his eyes, eyes that were now opened so wide…

"What have _**you **__done?_" Adron uttered in a crazed, hysteric rage, dropping to his knees. "This is your fault! You controlled me! Father Adrel, forgive me... forgive... me..."

… … …

Adron saw rock.

Dark rock. And the stench of death.

He stirred, feeling the streaming tears dripping from the sides of his faceplate.

Night. It was night. Just like it had been that one time, long ago, when that Watcher had cursed him…

Snapping his head around and trying to make sense of his surroundings, he realized he was lying in his ditch.

He'd blacked out after the horrible deed he'd committed.

Filled with adrenaline and gasping for air, he nearly leapt straight out of the hole's mouth and onto his makeshift battle arena, his eyes locking to the place where he had killed Adarc.

He wasn't there. Either an animal had carried off the body, or…

It had been a dream.

No… not just a dream, he realized…

A daydream.

Awe covering his face, Adron realized he had never actually fallen asleep. He'd returned to his resting place to reflect upon the day's events…

And reflect, he did.

The hallucination had been so vivid it was indistinguishable from reality. It was a dream, a perfect dream, clearly visible to him through the broken barrier in his mind just like all his other rampant thoughts.

And then Adron held his breath, realizing the truth about the dream's nature: the dream had meaning.

It had come about as the result of combining the day's failed battles into one stream of thoughts. Everything Adarc had said to him came from his own expectation, following the patterns of the others.

The beast in his mind… it _had_ learned.

And it was _serving him, _for it had answered the very questions he had asked. Was his method working at all? It was. Was there another way? Yes, the very one which it had showed him.

His mind had done as he had demanded of it: it was giving him guidance.

Now… all that was left was for him to act upon its guidance, to see if it could be trusted.


	48. Special Episode: Watcher, Part 4

…_That's it!_

_That's the pattern! I see it now!_

_… … …_

"Adron… I wasn't even aware you were still alive," Adarc said nervously. "And now, you want me to…"

"Train me," Adron said again, "by trying to kill me."

Adron grinned. So far, his hallucination had come perfectly true. The dream hadn't been a fleeting memory; it lingered for a while, a powerful impression upon his mind, one that he could manage to trust and to think about. It was a measure of order to the chaos. Now, the only thing left was to carry through with it, to see if it meant what he wanted it to mean. Adarc had been easy to lure to his hidden home; once he had caught sight of Adron, he could not help but to silently track him on his way back to his hiding place, just as he had always tried to do in the past. And he knew, if he said the right words, he could trick Adarc into doing his will just as the hallucination had suggested.

Adarc looked frightened. He was not as willing or agreeable as he had been in the dream. He glanced around Adron's hiding place, seeing the scrapes and indentations on the surrounding walls—marks of a crazed Scyther waging war on the inanimate rocks. He listened, disbelievingly, to Adron's words. Adron knew his brother wanted to run away and never return, and that he would, if he couldn't gain his trust in time. But Adron wasn't willing to let that happen; this was the last solid hope which had crossed his mind, and he was not going to let it escape.

"You aren't well!" Adarc grasped, twitching as he tried to avoid looking Adron in the eye. "You are still confused from the psychic attack. Adiel was right, it was permanent… Adron, I… I can't help you!"

"You can, and you will," Adron said powerfully. "I am insane, yes, but listen to me. I speak words you can understand, I don't ramble on with confused ideas like a mad Scyther would. My ideas have reasons behind them. I am not lost!"

Adarc did not answer. His gaze was downcast.

"Look at me, Adarc!" Adron cried. "You know I'm still in here somewhere. You can see me! Deny it. Deny it, if you don't believe it."

"I… don't deny it," Adarc said.

"Then help break free from this!" Adron pleaded. "I can improve, but I need help!"

Adarc scowled, glancing back the way he came. He shook his head.

"I don't have time," Adarc said. "You know… the confirmation ceremony is only… something like forty days from now! You want me to train you from the ground up in forty days?!"

"If you don't… I won't be able to join the Adrellos," Adron said. "If they don't give me another chance and let me train with the new hatchlings, they'll banish me. Is that what you want? You know that… I'm the most talented Scyther of this clutch. Can you go on as an adult and not have me at your side as an ally? You were never confident in yourself. With me gone, the others will think of you as the new alpha… can you live up to that? You can't. Because I was the one who gave you confidence. That's why you're going to help me."

Adron paused, waiting for his pointed words to take effect. He didn't know whether or not they would work, he was just saying what the voice in his head had told him to say, the voice representing Adarc in his hallucination. He held his breath, watching Adarc's unnerved face as he stared at some nearby rock. He hoped the response would be favorable.

"You're trying to manipulate me," Adarc finally said. "Poorly, but… you're trying to trick me into helping you. I know you can't be completely lost. …Yeah, Adron, I do still see you in there."

"Then you'll help?"

"Yes, I'll help you, I guess," Adarc decided. "If I can find the time…"

… … …

…_It was so obvious! I've known it since the days of my infancy!_

…_All along, it's been right in front of me!_

… … …

"I can only learn if I am in extreme peril," Adron explained, beginning the first of his desperate training sessions with Adarc. "Only imminent death lets me focus. Without it, I can't control where my thoughts go. That's why you have to try to kill me and hope that I block you. Otherwise I won't learn."

"And if I kill you?" Adarc wondered, hesitantly taking his battle stance. "What then?"

"Then be proud of yourself that you have ended my misery," Adron returned. "If I'm a lost cause, I'd want nothing more."

… … …

_There it is…_

_It's in the way Adarc fights…_

_… … …_

"Let me try something else first, before I just start trying to lop off your head," Adarc suggested.

Adarc stepped close to Adron, waving his blades in circular motions.

"When Almru first started training us, we did this. Do you remember? This is a baby's exercise. Try to block my blows."

Adarc moved his blades slowly and hypnotically in front of Adron's face. Just as slowly, he motioned toward Adron's shoulder with the sharp end of his blade. When Adron realized what he had meant, he positioned his own blade to stop the advance.

"No… no," Adarc said. "Go slow. Don't go faster than me."

"This will teach me nothing," Adron grunted.

"It taught all of us the foundations for advanced blade-fighting techniques," Adarc insisted, "even you. Real battles are the same. You just learn to go faster."

Having gotten Adarc's cooperation, he decided not to argue further. Frowning, he followed Adarc's motions and engaged in the exercise.

_Thunk._

_Thunk._

Adron blocked the predictable, slow-moving blades from touching his body.

_Thunk._

"Good," Adarc said. "Try to launch counter-attacks, too. So I can see how you are."

_Thunk._

_Thunk._

_Tink!_

Surprised, Adarc connected with his blade and gently struck Adron's faceplate.

"Are you blind?!" Adarc blasted. "How did you miss that attack? It was coming right at your face!"

Adron was confused. He had to think about it for a second. In truth, something had caught his attention. His reeling thoughts had told him something important. But it was only the faintest of whispers, vanishing in an instant…

"I… I saw something…" Adron said, suddenly dazed. "There was… some kind of…"

"Adron, _please_, don't be distracted," Adarc groaned. "Just… keep blocking my attacks…"

… … …

The days blurred together as one as Adron ceaselessly tested himself, trying to find that which he had lost. His memories became disjointed. Sleep was scarce, always interrupted by the powerful hallucinations that always lurked inside of his subconscious. Days were spent trying to focus, hoping that the raging beast of his mind would give him leeway little by little…

"Get up, brother Adron!" a voice called from outside his ditch one morning. "Thirty-six days remain, we cannot waste a moment!"

Confused, Adron roused himself from his pathetically short nap to behold none other than Adiel staring back down at him.

"You're… not Adarc," Adron managed to say. "W-what are you doing here?"

"Adarc is busy today," he explained. "But he told me all about you, so I'll train you in place of him. Get up. I won't be easy on you!"

… … …

_Adiel as well…_

_It's in the way Adiel fights, too…_

… … …

"Now," said Adiel, facing his opponent. "I am told… you have been re-learning the twenty-six basic reactions, but in the slower motion. Adarc tells me you do fine with most of them, as long as you have plenty of time to react. But he also told me… you learn best if you are in danger of death."

"Yes," Adron replied. "Adarc's lessons have not helped me. I had only followed them because he believes he has to assess my moves. And… because he's hesitating."

"I am not hesitant!" Adiel said proudly. "I will put you in danger of death!"

Adiel took his battle stance, grinning evilly. Adron tensed.

"Brace yourself!" he yelled. "Come, brother! Let's your skill back where it belongs!"

He rushed, his blades bared in a lethal formation…

_*Clang!*_

… … …

More nights passed. Most were sleepless nights, all spent listening to his thoughts as they barely began to speak a language he understood. Most of the time, they still told him nonsense, processing streams of ideas his consciousness no doubt needed in some mysterious way. But rarely, from time to time, they told him other things… things neither he, nor any other Scyther, would have thought of…

One night, far past midnight, Adron knew that sleep was hopeless. His mind rushed, his heart pulsed intensely.

He didn't care about death. Death would be a blessing, if Arceus would grant it. Death was his bartering chip with the beast in his head. He feared not the Watcher which had injured him. If he crossed it again, perhaps it would repair his madness the same way it had caused it. But he could not let the time pass idly. His days, his heartbeats, his moments were numbered. He needed all the intense training he could find.

So, he plunged himself out into the wild dark night, away from the safety of the plateau.

And as he prowled through the night, feeling the fear of seclusion and helplessness mounting within him, he watched the demons from afar as they hunted.

"Fire-breather," he hissed to himself, witnessing the horned, dark-furred beast sulking across the plains before him. "Train me, fire-breather…"

The hound picked up his scent quickly, and bounded in his direction.

There was a standoff, as the wild animal crouched low to the ground, growling viciously.

"_rrrrrrrrrr-RAUFF! Rrrrr…"_

"Show me your fire," the young Scyther hissed. "Show me… the bane of Scyther… your fire…"

A burst of light, casting away the shadows just as a streak of lightning would. A fireball erupted from the beast's maw. Adron felt that beloved, horrified feeling fill him, felt how it organized his thoughts…

_Survive. Survive. Survive…_

… … …

_And me…_

_The way I fight… It's also in the way I fight…_

_… … …_

_*Clang!* *Clang!*_

"Adron, you know that battling isn't going to be the only thing they'll test you on?" Adarc said during a training session. "You have to have all kinds of things memorized! Do you remember any?"

_*Clang!*_

"The rules of survival in the wild? How to pace a limited food supply?"

_*Clang!*_

"The rules of deceiving the enemy? The four common mistakes?"

_*Clang!*_

"The rules of stealth? The blind spots of common creatures?"

_*Clang!* *Clang!*_

"You have to remember all these things we all learned from the start! Just learning to battle isn't going to make everything come back! Adron?"

"Quiet!" Adron barked. "Please… just let me focus…"

"Adron, there are only fifteen days left, and you've barely learned anything since we started! There's no way you're going to be ready…"

"I said _quiet!_" Adron cried. "I can't think… if you don't stop talking… _wait_!"

Adarc halted his attack, looking annoyed. "What's wrong? What?!"

"I… think I saw something," Adron said, examining his own blades and trying to remember. "There was… something. There was a pattern. I saw a pattern. I saw part of it before, but..."

"You saw a pattern? Just one?" Adarc spat. "I would hope that you would have picked up _many_ patterns by now. Patterns are the heart of battle."

"No…" Adron muttered, looking straight at the sky. "It wasn't the same. It was something else… I swear it! There was something important…"

… … …

The days and nights continued to reel by, and Adron kept fighting Adarc, as well as with his rocks, and any creatures he could find to assist in his endeavor. He remembered Adiel's words, and hung on to them: yes, his skill was locked away. It was still there, it just needed to be unlocked, right? He needed to find the pattern, the answer, to break free from this accursed handicap…

… yet, time was running out…

Another fireball dispelled the shadows of the night, bursting upon the ground where Adron had stood, billowing ashes and smoke as it dissipated and lit little embers upon the blades of grass.

Adron buzzed his wings, attacking the dark hound from above. His instincts had helped to take control. They guessed where the lethal fire would land, and where the enemy was most likely to attack next… and Adron let it act, as though a foreign creature – the beast in his head – had taken full control of his motions. He struck the hound from the side, splitting a wound through its fur and staining his blade. The hound roared in fury and leaped to bite his assailant, but Adron took to the air once more…

_*Shwooom!*_

There came a fireball from a direction Adron hadn't expected. His body jolted, but it was too late. In the light of this new flame, he caught sight of a smaller hound – a child, just like himself – defending his parent.

_Your body is highly flammable. Avoid fire at all costs; a spreading burn could end your life._

There was a crazy pain, as though his body was being torn to tiny shreds. He was on fire. His wings disintegrated. His flesh peeled back, turning dark brown. His breath was lost, so his final anguished cry could ring through the air…

_No… no… This isn't happening._

Adron closed his eyes tight, wrapping his body up into a tight ball as though to drown out the rest of the world. He knew… situations like this had become so common now… and he had to learn to tell the difference…

_This isn't reality…!_

_This… this is a dream!_

…

And, just as he thought, the hallucination went away. He found himself sprawled on the ground somewhere just outside of the plateau, too winded to move.

Keeping fantasy distinct from reality had become one of his greatest challenges. Memories and corruptions of memories flashed before his eyes so often, he had to learn to question everything he saw, everything he felt…

… … …

Soon, far too soon, the eve of the confirmation ceremony had come.

As the sun dimmed and the shadows of the Shattered Plateau covered his body, Adron stayed wide awake, assuming the stance for one final practice session. This was the end. Everything was riding on how skilled he had become at this point. Tomorrow would signify the beginning of his life as an honorable Scyther… or a dishonorable outcast, banished from the Adrellos as a fallen brother.

And what had he learned? Barely anything, it seemed. It felt to Adron that his thoughts had remained a chaotic mess, his battle skills still pathetically unreliable. If his "beast" friend had learned anything, it was outside of his perception, outside of his control.

Yet… he would not give up. If a revelation would happen that night, Adron determined, he would be awake to see it.

Before him, remaining at his side to the very end, was his brother Adarc. Though he was weary and worn from the day's intense exercises, he had refused to give up on his old rival, always hoping he would break free from the handicap. But tonight, he was beginning to face the hard fact that his hopes could have been in vain.

"Fight me!" Adron commanded.

So he obeyed, engaging in a sparring match with his brother one last time.

"Don't hold back!" Adron ordered. "Fight me as you would fight the Adrellos tomorrow. Use all of your skill! Fight to kill!"

Adarc quickly closed the distance, leaping into the air and using his wings to help propel his jump. He propelled himself directly over Adron's head, slashing at his face. With a clash of steel, Adron blocked it.

Landing upon the ground, Adarc pivoted himself quickly and launched another attack, slashing at Adron's back. Adron turned quickly and ducked.

"You… you're still not attacking me back, Adron," Adarc said. "I left myself wide open there. Why won't you attack?"

"_Fight! Please!"_ Adron answered. _"Just fight me!_"

Adarc spun his body unpredictably and managed to connect a back-handed blow to Adron's abdomen. Adron stumbled back.

"You should have dodged that," Adarc growled. "Adron, you haven't improved much…"

"Please, just keep going," Adron insisted.

Adarc took to the air again, closing in on Adron's unprepared form. Adron parried the attack, thrusting Adarc farther away. Adron tried to take advantage of the strike, but he was met with the blunt of Adarc's foot to his chest, sending him to the ground. Adarc waited for Adron to get back up.

"You're not fighting me!" Adron growled. "Please… fight! Try your hardest!"

"Adron… I'm exhausted. Do you have any idea what the sensei put us through today? I need my rest…"

"No, not yet… I need… Just a little more time! Adarc… please, fight me!"

"Adron… I've fought you _enough_," Adarc said, stepping back and letting go of his battle stance. "And… you can't fight back. What's an hour more going to do for you? You can't… you can't improve."

"There's a pattern!" Adron pleaded, returning to his feet. "I almost see a pattern… It's right there in front of me… I can't explain it, but if I had more time to see it… I know I can find it!"

Adarc stood still. He felt pained. His expression turned grave. This was it; he had to draw the line at this point. The code said that he should not try to help a fallen brother back to their feet, and now he knew why: because it would bring him down as well.

The following day, he would join the Adrellos. He needed to learn how to follow the code. And so, he finally turned his back on his friend, parting ways with him.

"Yes, Adron," he said in a defeated sigh, not looking back. "Battles have patterns."

And, just like that, he was gone.

And Adron knew he had been deserted. He knew his life, everything he had trained for, was lost. The "beast" in his mind had not been trained. It remained his enemy, ruining his hope of becoming a strong warrior.

He knew it was over.

He stood still, for a very long time, staring at the path which Adarc had departed through, and contemplating where his place would be in the world.

… … …

At last, the confirmation ceremony had arrived.

Adron decided to attend the ceremony. There was no reason he couldn't; everyone assumed he would be participating in it. In truth, he just wanted to see all of his life-long companions off to their new positions in the Adrellos ranks, probably for the last time. Death would come soon enough for him; he knew he would somehow die out in the wild, helpless and alone, by the claws of the ferals. But, before that would happen, he wanted a little peace of mind from knowing his brothers would continue where he couldn't lead them, or even follow them…

The ceremony took place on a rocky ridge the Adrellos had named the "stone altar": it was a fragment of the plateau, a quarter-mile in diameter, which towered high above the craggy shelters of the Adrellos lair like a sliced-off mountain. It glowed in the mysterious orange colors of dawn as the Scyther clan gathered at its summit.

On one side, sensei Adram led the clutch of hatchlings. Twenty-three in all, they marched in ranks behind their leader. Some were filled with fear and anticipation. Others were filled with confidence. All were deathly silent, for one stray murmur out of line meant disrespect, and possibly disqualification.

Adron stood at the very back, where Adram had ordered him to go. He was complacent. He knew his fate. He would decline participation in the ceremony, and take whatever fate would deal him from there. Feeling that cold morning breeze, and seeing the glowing tint of the morning sunrise, he almost wanted to cry. It was the battlefield he loved, and it was the dawn of the future. But he was no longer a warrior. The battlefield was not his place anymore.

On the other side of the flat stone pillar, minus those few who could not attend, there stood the entirety of the Adrellos clan.

There were at least forty of them. They stood tall, towering over the little hatchlings like a wall of gods, pride burning in their eyes and immutable strength in their forms. Adron gazed in awe upon the visage of them all gathered in one place. They looked so different than he, or any of the other hatchlings. Their green skin and armor was tainted with scratches, scars, and calluses, making each one of them appear like a new species of creature entirely. Their blades were long and misshapen, having been worn down and sharpened. They, too, stood in total silence, as if not yet wanting to wake Mother Nature from her slumber…

And in the center, between the two groups, there stood one Scyther distinct from all the rest. His body was elderly and tattered, yet an iron will shined in his aura, showing the world that he was not yet done with his business among the living, and that anyone who took him to be too old and weary to fight back was horribly – perhaps even fatally – mistaken. His color was a deep and dark green, like the coarse and rugged plants which grow in the depths of a jungle. His gaze was wise and deep, his eyes having seen most of the things there is to see in the world. His stature demanded that he be feared and respected with all of one's heart, yet perhaps also loved and trusted. He was Foster-father Adrav, the ninth successor of Father Adrel, and leader of the Adrellos.

Father Adrav held his head high, assessing this new batch of younglings. Adram meekly approached him, commencing with the ceremony.

"Great Adrav, foster-father and brother of the Adrellos clan, I present to you the seventeenth generation of Scyther hatchlings. They have spent every moment of their childhood training to serve you, and now, I proudly hand them over to you. Test them as you see fit."

Adrav nodded. "I will," his voice boomed. "Good. Your work is finished, good Adram. You may take your place among my ranks."

The sensei bowed, then left the hatchlings on their own and crossed to the other side of the platform where he stared back at them, a beaming satisfaction in his eyes.

Adrav slowly approached the hatchlings, causing them all to shudder with intimidation as his mighty eyes scanned over them. The tip of the sun began to peek over the edge of the stone altar as Father Adrav began speaking.

"You wish to share in my brotherhood," he grunted, but in a powerful voice which seemed to be on fire. "So you have labored to learn the things Father Adrel wished for you to learn. Now, I must see if you will stand to our standards. The tests I have planned for you will last for fifteen days. They will thoroughly test your adherence to the code. There will be no breaks. You will not be allowed to sleep while you are tested. You will not be allowed to falter.

"Should you pass the test, you will become my equal. I will be your father only in title, because I will ask that you trust my judgment and allow me to direct your action as is good for this clan. But you will be my brother, and I yours. I will explain to you who the Adrellos are, and what we intend to accomplish with our power, and I would fight for you just as I would fight for any of these Scyther standing behind me. I would ask for you to do the same.

"Should you fail the test, however... Perhaps you were given unfortunate traits from your egg-bearers. Perhaps you are unwilling to serve me. I will talk with you and determine if a few more years in training would help you. As we will not be raising hatchlings for many more months, you would need to live secluded, apart from us, before the new generation hatches and is ready to learn. If that sounds unreasonable to you, or if I determine your spirit is not right for this clan… you will be handed over to the wild.

"Living in the wild is not dishonorable. I myself have lived in the wild for several years. There is no brotherhood out there, no one to serve but the forces of nature which animate you. If you are strong enough to survive, you might find purpose out there, and you might become a respectable wild animal. I would wish you the blessing of Father Adrel as you go. So do not harbor bitterness in your hearts as you are banished from us. There is a reason you are tested at such a young age; you are too young to know true bitterness. If you had learned the true treachery of the world, and your failure would come with range and anger… I could not let you live. I would need to destroy you, to protect my companions from the cunning wrath of a fallen brother.

"That decision is yours to make. You do not have to follow through with this. You may leave any time. For some of you, a life in the wild might be more appropriate, more fulfilling than the lives we children of the Adrellos lead. So, I ask now: do any of you hatchlings choose this option?"

There was silence, utter stillness. Only Adron stirred, bowing his head slightly.

"Good answer," Adrav said with a grin. "Now… We will begin with your testing. I have decided to start with the part which most of you are probably anticipating with high hearts, and get it out of the way first… agility trials. I will choose one of my brothers to duel with each of you. You are not expected to win, but to demonstrate your ability to your fullest extent."

He approached one of the tallest of the Scyther hatchlings in the front row.

"Step forward, hatchling," he ordered. "Your name?"

"Aduun, father," he replied confidently, his wings twitching in eagerness.

"Hatchling Aduun, please, demonstrate your battle prowess against my brother, Adrik…"

Adron watched from the back row as Aduun stepped to the center of the altar to confront one of the Adrellos warriors. Aduun was always an energetic and diligent one. His skills had been no match for Adron's, but he certainly had some fight in him. Adron knew he would do very well in this first trial…

Little Aduun used every technique he knew of, displaying them all perfectly before the crowd of onlookers, against the older Scyther. Blades clashed, wings buzzed, and streaks of green blurred through the air the little hatching tried to stand his ground against the older, more experienced warrior…

And in Adron's head… that's when the last piece of the puzzle clicked into place.

… … …

_"Adron, I am your teacher, not your murderer," the elder reminded him. "Wipe away your pride. You would stand no chance against me if I didn't hold back."_

_The elder would not give the little one what it wished, but he doubled his efforts in hopes that the hatchling would be satisfied with a greater level of challenge. Opening his wings, he propelled himself far above the clay-ridden ground to attack his student from the air. The hatchling rose to the challenge, swarming at the elder and zipping past in attempt to strike from confusing angles. But every attack was blocked, as the elder expertly pivoted his blades to defend himself. The ringing cries of opposing steel filled the air once again._

_***Clang!* *Clang!* *Clang!***_

… … …

_It's in the way Sensei Adram fights…_

… … …

Visions, memories spiraled before Adron's face. He saw flashes from the previous month, the month he spent trying unsuccessfully to cope with the mental injury…

… … …

_Alwry staggered. "Kill you? You want a true duel?!" she yelped. "I see. You're hungry for a challenge? I accept the terms of victory! What about the stakes?"_

_Adron braced himself as Alwry opened the battle, a reckless charge. He raised his blades at the last moment to parry the strike, causing the familiar sound of clashing steel to ring down through the rocky halls. For a few seconds, her blades forcefully stayed locked against his, trying to force him back and fall from his feet._

_Adron saw the gleam in her eye, and knew she was honest about the challenge. He waited for her to make the next move._

… … …

_It's in the way Alwry fights…_

… … …

The memories were relentless, flooding his vision. They streamed from his desperate attempts to train with Adarc, back to his sessions with sensei Adram, and sensei Alrac before him, back to before, back when he was just an infant, struggling for survival in the wild…

_Focus, Adron… Focus!_

_I am Adron, a Scyther… I don't know where I am…_

_It's true, isn't it? Adron the Prodigy is dead?_

_It taught all of us the foundations for advanced blade-fighting techniques, even you. Real battles are the same. You just learn to go faster._

_You have to remember all these things we all learned from the start! Just learning to battle isn't going to make everything come back!_

_We must never be content. Creatures who live without purpose are weak and useless; our undying hunger for power is the source of our strength…_

_It's everywhere… it's in all of us!_

_***FLASH!***_

… … …

There was a blinding flash of light behind Adron's eyelids as he awoke from the most powerful dream he'd experienced yet. He looked around him, seeing the hatchlings still lined up, watching in awe as Aduun battled to prove his worth. But it didn't seem real, now. It seemed like another dream, but he knew it was real. He was there, attending the confirmation ceremony, standing among those who were about to be tested…

He struggled to catch his breath. He'd seen everything, everything which had happened to him, as though it had happened over the course of only a few minutes…

…and it had told him the pattern.

"I know it," he whispered, an awestruck gasp. "I know what the pattern is!"

Several of his brothers turned to glare at him, his disruption of the ceremony a severe sign of disrespect. He ignored them. He gasped in disbelief, as though he'd just witnessed Arceus himself flying in the morning sky. The beast had proven its worth to him. It had given him the answer. In fact, in its mysterious ways, it had been on his side the whole time.

"The pattern… is _him!_"

Adron shuddered uncontrollably. He couldn't contain himself. He saw the answer.

The early-morning sun still burned the brown rocks and the sky with its awesome fire. This was the battlefield. And now, he would strike.

He knew what he had to do.

His legs trembled so bad, he relieved them of their pressure and jumped into the air, flying straight over the crowd of hatchlings.

At first, nobody noticed him. Everyone's eyes were stuck on the battle. But the father of the clan, observant as he was, caught sight and watched as the hatchling stepped out of line.

Then, when he had flown near the center of the altar, he dropped back onto the hard stone surface, staring his clan leader in the eye.

And he yelled at the top of his lungs:

"_I challenge __**you**_**, **_Father Adrav!"_

The battle stopped immediately, both contestants' attentions snapping at the distraction.

The Adrellos warriors stared at the bold little hatchling with amused disbelief. The other hatchlings wore looks of terror. Adron knew his challenge had not been a light one: to challenge the leader like this was to challenge him for his _role_… the role of foster-father of the clan. To win this challenge, he would be declared the new foster-father of the Adrellos. To lose… by tradition, he would be banished dishonorably from the clan. And not only that – the contest was a true duel. There would be no concessions made, no mercy. The battle would not end until one side would surrender. If none surrendered… it would be a battle to the death.

It was unheard of for a hatchling to utter this challenge against one who could so obviously crush him. But here, it was happening before everyone's eyes, and they stood in shock and awe, waiting to see how Adrav would react.

"Adron, you're _insane!_" Adarc gasped. "You can't win!"

"Stand down, Adron!" sensei Adram pleaded from the other side, rushing forward. "For the love of honor, please… stand down!"

But Father Adrav raised a blade behind him, commanding the sensei to halt. His eyes remained fixed on the brave little hatching.

"The challenge has been uttered, it cannot be taken back," he rumbled bitterly. "So… little one… you wish for me to banish you. I will fulfill that wish."

"I would be banished anyway!" Adron shot back.

Father Adrav laughed. "But what, in your tiny little mind, makes you think you can beat me?"

"Because _I can!_" Adron proclaimed. "I know your fighting style! Your spirit shines in every member of this clan! You're the one who passed your skill to the rest of us, and burned your wisdom into us so that we could be as great as you! All my life, I've been fighting you! Your ideas! Your techniques! The way you preach the code! With every blow, even I swing your blades! Now I challenge you, just as you have called me to!"

"You have seen visions, then," Adrav grumbled. "I have never met you before in my life. And I would have never called you to act so foolishly."

"_Fight me!_" Adron challenged. "And I will _show you_ what you have made me!"

"Obliged," Father Adrav responded.

The other hatchlings gaped in amazement. The elders hung their heads in shame.

The great Scyther attacked.

Adron had not even time to blink. In a blinding blur, Adrav zipped up to him and bashed him across his entire body with just one blow of his blade. The blow seemed to strike every major nerve, making Adron feel as though he'd been lit on fire and drowned in pain.

Adron tumbled backward, but quickly struggled to recover. He rolled and climbed back to his feet, taking to the air as fast as he could. But after another glance at his surroundings, he could not spot his opponent.

_*WHAM!*_ Adrav had maneuvered just above him, bringing down both his blades upon him with great force. Adron fell straight down, slamming against the hard stone floor. His consciousness shook.

Reeling from the hit, he rolled to the side and a _clang _resounded as the father's blades missed and struck the rock underneath.

_Survive. Survive. Survive._

Adron took the chance and lunged at his target, striking at Adrav's legs as he spun his body and rose back to his feet. His attack hit, but Adrav appeared unaffected. In retaliation, Adrav dove over the hatchling's scrambling form and cut off his escape route, pinning him for a moment between the elbow and the knee before painfully snapping his arm back and flinging him away.

"What… is this you're showing me?" Adrav demanded. "That you have learned to flail like a carp out of water?"

"I… I haven't shown you… yet!" Adron struggled to say, leaping back up.

_Focus, Adron!_ He told himself. _Beast… help me! If there is one time you must focus for me… it's now! This battle is everything! Please, listen! This is for our survival!_

And the beast heeded his call, for he felt his body being taken over by his subconscious mind.

_Slash!_ Adron connected a quick strike as he zipped past his opponent. It hadn't much affected the elder, but it was a successful attack nonetheless. He noticed the father had anticipated the attack in the wrong direction and failed to block it.

_Slash!_ Another successful strike, from another angle the father hadn't anticipated. Adron felt as his blade carved out a small dent in the elder's flesh.

"Enough," Adrav grunted, turning an eye to focus on Adron's zipping form.

Adron tried to strike a third time, but the strike failed; Adrav caught the hatchling's body between his arms, locking it in a painful grip. Then, with a masterful maneuver, he launched himself from the ground by the force of his wings, twisted his body, and catapulted Adron straight into the ground. Adron felt his vision blacken for a moment, his thoughts becoming more scattered as the pain wracked his sense of feeling.

_Act, beast…_ Adron pleaded. _I can't do anything else. Now you must… you must act!_

Annoyed at the audacity of the little one, Adrav decided the battle needed to end. So, he zipped down at his fallen opponent one last time, ready to deliver the blow which would render him incapable of fighting further. Of the various efficient methods to disable an opponent without killing them, he chose the most appropriate—crippling—and descended to perform the act.

But as he set himself on a collision course with Adron… as he directed his mind, prepared the muscle-memory to strike the joints of the legs… he noticed Adron had managed to kneel up, and to face him.

The hatchling's body was glowing with white energy.

_No…!_

Adrav could not pull back, his own subconscious mind already set upon its course. So, he merely braced himself, ready to take the consequence of his miss-estimation…

_*Slash! Slash!*_

Adrav's attack was devastating. Two lethal, crippling blows had missed their mark just slightly, striking Adron's body. Adron felt as his bodily fluids splattered from him, felt the delayed sting of the blunt blades as they tried to slice him into multiple pieces…

…And he took the full brunt of the blow, his stature quivering, his mind ready to succumb to defeat… in those split seconds, as the force of the elder collided with him, the whole force of his body pushing the blades deeper and deeper into his sides, he perceived it as an eternity…

He felt the energy… and he let it go.

Like a loaded trap, Adron released his coiled body against the swooping elder, striking with impossibly powerful blows.

_*SLASH!* *SLASH!*_

The power seemed to have come from nowhere at all. Adron had let the beast take over, and it countered the elder's attack with such swift, brutal blows, that it had matched and easily doubled the might of Adrav's force.

His breath taken away, Adrav was propelled away, spinning through the air and landing onto his back. The onlookers could not hold back a gasp as the father of the clan fell on his face, tumbling several feet away from his opponent.

_Incredible…_ Adrav thought, laying still for a moment. _I don't believe what I've just seen…_

"W-where did you learn that technique?!" Adrav demanded, righting his body.

"_You_ taught me!" Adron claimed confidently, cringing to bear the pain. "Through the… ways… you've taught the clan… you've taught me…"

"I have taught that technique to _no one!_" Adrav blasted. "No one could have taught you!"

Angered, Adrav wasted no time in recovering from the impressive blow. Enraged now, he stomped back across the field of battle where Adron writhed in pain.

After two powerful backhanded swats, Adron was face-down on the ground. Adrav placed his foot upon his back and applied heavy pressure, causing Adron to moan.

"_Surrender,"_ Adrav demanded.

_Survive… Survive… Survive…_

_Our undying hunger for power is the source of our strength…_

_Creatures who live without purpose are weak and useless…_

_We must… never… submit…_

Adron couldn't struggle. His body was pinned. His blades were trapped and couldn't bend the right way. He felt his thorax about to collapse from the pressure, crushed like a common bug underfoot.

"_Surrender, hatchling!"_ Adrav growled louder.

Adron groaned loudly, making one final attempt to crawl out from under the elder's strength, but he could not move an inch.

"_Surrender, or __**I will end you!**_" Adrav roared down at him.

Finally, Adron lay still, acknowledging his struggles were in vain. Finally… after his years of training, and his days of chasing such a false hope, he accepted his fate.

"I… surrender."

Father Adrav released his flat, spiked foot from Adron's back, then kicked the hatchling's body away in disgust, flipping him onto his back and sending him skidding towards the crowd of gaping onlookers. Here, he lay still.

Shaking his head, Father Adrav left the fallen hatchling behind and returned to his group. He looked unnerved, distracted with his own thoughts, as some of his confidants clustered around him to speak with him.

"What a misguided little one!" one of the other Scyther said. "But what courage he had…"

"He is insane," Adram explained. "His mind was damaged, and he doesn't think straight… This was an act of madness, I assure you…"

Father Adrav sighed, shaking his head in confusion. He still felt the pain from the counterattack in his chest, felt how real it had been. He tried to imagine what the little hatching had possibly meant when it claimed he had taught it the technique _indirectly_. Could it have happened? Could the little one have possibly been so observant to piece together little tells from the whole span of his life, just to learn how to fight back against him?

Or… was it something else?

"I fear… he was not misguided at all," Adrav admitted. "There's something about him…"

"He learned the 'vital counter' technique somehow, without your intervention!" another Scyther said. "That is impressive, indeed… Imagine how bright his mind must be!"

"I am imagining…" he sighed. "It is unlikely—not impossible, but very unlikely—that he was able to build enough subconscious cues to learn about me. I find it hard to believe, but it could have happened. However… there is one… one other… possibility…"

Adrav hesitated, biting his tongue for a moment. His posture now betrayed a grave weakness. With a pained expression, he continued to speak.

"What I am about to say… tell none of the others. I am asking you to break the code, and keep a secret from them… understand?"

"Understood, my brother," one other Scyther whispered back.

"I can keep it," another responded, "if you must tell it."

"Well... it is possible… no, probable, that…" Adrav said slowly, his gaze cast downward to look no one in the eye, "…that the knowledge was imbued in him from the beginning. What I mean to say is… that he… might have learned it from the egg."

He said nothing more to the other Scyther, not daring to look at their reactions. He knew how stunned they were at the suggestion, he didn't need to see it in their faces. So, he lifted his blade and brushed his brothers out of the way, returning to the place where the battle had happened.

The little one still lay dazed and wounded. He had curled up, trying to cover his oozing wounds. He did not mutter to himself, did not wail in pain… he only gave many short, gasping breaths, his eyes closed tight…

The father realized the little one was crying.

"Hatchling," Adrav spoke. "What was your name, again?"

"He is Adron," one of the other hatchlings answered for him, fearing he would stay silent. "Adron the prodigy."

Adrav hummed. Yes, he'd heard this name mentioned many times before. Even the elders had sung his praises sometimes…

"Hatchling Adron," he spoke, "according to custom, because you have surrendered from the challenge, I must now banish you from any further contact with the Adrellos clan, and hand you over to the wild…"

Adron's eyes blinked open. He turned his head slightly to view the great elder warrior as he came to stand over him.

"But… one of the first things we learn, when we are trained at an age as young as yours… our customs, and our rules exist only to strengthen us, not to weaken us. Where we would be weakened by our traditions… we must learn when it is appropriate to break them. If we were never willing to break our own rules, we would all still be hatchlings."

Adron said nothing, only now wearing a look of surprise.

"Hatchling Adron, I believe that by banishing you, I would weaken the Adrellos, and so I will not. I am told you have gone mad. I do not believe that. If you are mad, I believe I might also suffer from the same madness… and I believe I might be able to help you, if you were to let me. And I will stand over you and fight for you, until you might rise back to your feet."

The father then knelt over the child, looking with pity upon his wounds, looking into his broken, confused eyes… and he bent down, whispering silent words into his ear:

"You couldn't defeat me this time, but… maybe next time. If you let me, I can teach you how."

At that, the little one let his eyes close, finally content in his effort. He drifted away into his dreams.

… … …

My name is Scythe.

I gave myself that name after learning my place in the world.

As a hatchling, a ghost invaded my mind and took from me everything I thought I had. My future was destroyed. My place in the world was lost. I began an endless struggle to find it again.

As a hatchling, I was the first among my clutch. As a fledgling, I was chosen by the clan leader to succeed him.

As an adult, I was chosen to serve the Master.

It had taken all of that, even years of slavery beneath the wretched reign of the Master, to learn where I now belonged in the world.

I am still a leader. But I never imagined I would have ended up as the leader of a tiny guerilla effort against the invincible power of the Master.

I still follow the code. I still never end my search for power. But now, after seeing for myself the nature of power, and all the destruction it causes, I finally know what the code means, and why we are taught to follow it.

To hold power… is to hold a responsibility to serve.

To be a leader… is to be a servant to those which you lead.

But what you serve… that is your decision to make. And I have made my decision.

I am Scythe, and Ambera is my garden, from which I will cull those who want to oppress it, to stifle it, to silence it. The Master's followers, with all their terrible power, still do not understand its nature, and so they use the power to destroy everything. I rise each day to cut them down, and take that power away.

And each day when I rise, I seek… I watch… I wait for the greatest power the world has ever known…

"Scythe?"

Through the tear in my mind, I can hear it. I can hear it as clearly as the spoken word… the silent call which drowns all others…

"Scythe, what's wrong? What did you see?"

The call which can bring order to the chaos of the world…

"We're out of supplies, remember. Don't be getting us into anything we'd regret."

For that power, I wait…

I wait, and I watch…

"I don't believe it, but I think… it came from Shamble Forest."

The Sandslash sighed as his Scyther partner wandered off course, as though aimlessly tracking a scent. The day had been long and exhausting, and every new step was a struggle, and the thought of laying down to rest in the comfort and safety of his den was becoming very pleasant. Nevertheless, he took a deep breath and chased after his partner.

"Scythe, it's already evening. We're late enough as it is," the Sandslash pleaded. "We're wasting our time! They're expecting us back."

"No!" the Scyther hissed. "I swear, I felt it! It was unmistakable."

The light of the evening sun continued to dwindle as the Scyther and the Sandslash cut their way through Shamble Forest. The Scyther marched forward with determination, as if enraptured by a siren's song, while the shrew followed reluctantly behind.

"Scythe…"

"I swear! It came from this way. We have to go farther!"

The twosome foraged their way through shrubs and saplings as the sun slowly sank out of sight, filling the sky with a reddish hue. Night would be upon them very shortly. The Sandslash cast a worried glance upward, knowing they'd soon be out of precious sunlight if he didn't get his stubborn partner back on track.

"Scythe, do I even have to remind you of how… _improbable_ it would be to have this sort of thing happening _now_?"

"But it's what we've been waiting for, isn't it?"

"Scythe… nothing lives in this forest except for some dumb Pidgey and Butterfree."

As the two emerged into a clearing, a startled flock of Pidgey scattered and took off toward the sky. The frustrated Sandslash grumbled in resentment.

"Scythe, it's almost night, and we're still miles from the base. It's too late for this! If we don't head back now, the Watchers will catch us. Are you _sure_ you're in a mood to fight with the Watchers?"

"And what if I'm right?!" the Scyther snapped. "What if I'm right, and I _did_ hear something coming from in there? If you're right, and there's nothing there, then I guess we'll get back a little late, and the team will be worried about us for one night. So what? But I'm sensitive to the Call. I'm _obliged_ to look farther. If the Call is coming from inside this forest, it's my job to investigate. Because… if there _is_ something there… we can't afford to_ not_ find it. We have to get to it before the Watchers do."

"I know, I know," said the Sandslash. "But the time is not right for the Call. That's all I'm saying. We still have another three years, at the very least…"

"I _know_ the time is not right," The Scyther grumbled. "It doesn't matter. This could be an anomaly. Or it could have been one we missed. Shander… if you don't trust me, you're free to head back now. I'll go on alone."

The Scyther smiled wryly to himself, knowing full well that the Sandslash wouldn't dare venture back on his own. The team followed a strict buddy system for a reason: more than _one_ of the members of Team Remorse had experienced firsthand the dangers of trying to face the ghosts alone.

"I'll go with you," the Sandslash sighed, "I trust you. Besides, I'm a bit rusty at fighting the Watchers. I could use some experience. But just one thing… It's been twenty-four years since the Call. Are you _sure_ you remember what it sounds like?"

"It's not something one can easily forget," the Scyther said.

Taking a deep breath, the Scyther led his best, most trusted friend deeper into the woods.

_It is my purpose to find you,_ the Scyther said to himself, keeping the ring of the subconscious cry clear in his mind. _Whoever you are_… _I heed your call!_


	49. Chapter 41: Wounded

**Chapter 41**

"My head… hurts…"

It was the morning of the next day—or the afternoon, there was really no reason to go check—when Char's eyes slowly opened. Seeing the soft sunlight streaming down into the bunker, he knew he'd passed out from exhaustion for many hours, yet he still felt just as exhausted. Memories of the previous night came back to him in a heartbeat: the ghosts, the chaos, the race to escape…

…Saura getting attacked…

Char couldn't stand to wait anymore. He had to know if Saura was okay. He'd tried for so long to hold his eyes open and keep watch, but he had closed them in a moment of weakness…

He remembered how, after the paralysis had worn off, Saura occasionally snapped awake in the middle of the night. He'd always jump up and gasp, looking panicked, before fading back to sleep in a few more minutes. Char wanted so badly to talk to him, to reassure him everything was fine, but was afraid he'd only provoke another attack and make things even worse…

And though he had tried so hard to keep himself awake, the light from his flame kept dimming, and the growing darkness made him so woozy…

And so, now that the night was over and he found himself awake, he gently nudged Saura, whispering his name, until he stirred and woke up.

"My head…" Saura groaned again, his eyes shut tightly. "Ugh, it feels so bad…"

"Saura, are you going to be alright?" Char whispered, tenderly rubbing him on the forehead. "Please, say you're alright. Do you remember me?"

Saura winced at the contact, but made no move to shove it away. "I remember you…" he responded, trying not to make his voice sound so pained. "I… I didn't lose any memories, I think… It's just…"

"You had a bad nightmare," Char told him. "One of the Watchers touched you and put a vision in your head. I saw it too, because I was touching you when it happened, I think. But it made you pretty angry—"

"No…" Saura said simply, shaking his head and staring at the ground. "No, Char… it wasn't… it wasn't a nightmare. It was real… It was all real."

Char blinked.

Surprised at hearing these words, he backed away from Saura's form, his worry returning. Was he… _still_ under the effects of the curse?

"I destroyed my family…" Saura muttered plainly. "I… I destroyed my family...!"

"Saura, calm down, please!" Char begged. "W…what are you talking about? The vision… it was just something the ghost showed you to scare you! How do you know the vision was real?"

"Because… because I knew it from the very beginning! I just… I didn't want to believe it was real."

"What do you mean?"

"When I ran away from home, I…" Saura began, his voice hesitating. "I knew I couldn't just… I knew there would be consequences. You can't just run away from the Master like that. He punishes you for it if you do! But I… I… I shoved all that in the back of my head and went on and pretended everything was going to be alright! But I always knew it in the back of my mind. That dream you saw, it was… I already had it once, it was the same dream! I told you about it yesterday!… But the Watcher just made it so horrible… I just… I didn't want to think it was real. I wasn't ready…"

Saura began to cry.

"You're lucky you don't have any memories, Char!" he suddenly yelled, turning to face him. "You don't know what you left behind!"

Char was deeply shocked at the bitterness in his voice. He wanted to go give Saura a hug, but he found himself frozen in uncertainty, not sure how to react at all.

"And then… I talked you into joining the resistance," Saura continued, his voice breaking. "That's why I was so eager to follow Scythe… I thought that if… if I went and fought the Master, it would make everything okay, and I could just keep pretending my family was safe… But when I met Saurlee, I knew in the back of my mind why they took that vacation… I still wanted to deny it… I wanted to pretend… I was doing so good at pretending, it was so far away in my mind… and then to just be shown the truth so clearly..."

"Saura, I'm sorry."

"Don't be! You didn't do anything wrong!" Saura cried, turning his head away. "I—I'm the one who should be apologizing to you… I'm the one who took advantage of you… You were lost and alone, and I decided to… I took advantage of you! All those nights we stayed awake together? All those missions I stuck right next to you? Yeah… it was… I wanted my new resistance life to be everything to me. So I tried to be the world's best friend to you, so I could use your friendship to block out everything else…"

"Saura… why didn't you tell me this?!" Char blurted. "I would have understood! All along… everything… you were _role-playing?_ No… that's not true. I… can't believe that, Saura! That's a lie! And it's not even _your_ lie, I think it's the Watcher's lie! I think your mind is still messed up!"

"I didn't tell you because I didn't know!" Saura yelled. "I thought I was being a good Pokémon! Everything I did, I seriously thought it was the right thing to do! I had myself so fooled! But I'm… I'm such a terrible Pokémon! All this time I just went along with it… but the Watcher showed me the truth! I can't… I'm a horrible, selfish Pokémon! I did the most horrible thing a Pokémon could do… I destroyed my family… I even… I wanted to go back and see them at home!… I seriously thought they'd be back there… "

"Saura, cut it out!" Char shouted at him, annoyed. "Look, even if the dream was real, you didn't destroy your family! They're still all alive, right? They made it out alive! They survived! They went and ran away so they could be free, like you!"

"Char…"

"And besides, don't tell me you're a horrible Pokémon! I mean, come on! How many missions have you helped win? How many Pokémon have we saved? Hey! Look at Scythe! He killed hundreds of innocent Pokémon before he became a good guy! I know because he told me himself! What you did is nothing compared to that!"

"Char... please," Saura sobbed. "I'm sorry… I just can't talk to you right now… Can you… leave me alone?"

Char thought he felt a metal spike being driven through his chest.

He wanted to say something else. He wanted to tell Saura that he was on his side. He wanted to say _something_ to make him feel better… but something told him not to.

So he turned away, sulking into the corner from which he came, giving his best friend in the world the privacy which he had requested.

His eyes hurt. He could feel them trying to cry, the pressure behind them just starting to build… but he'd spent all his tears the previous night, and hadn't made any more just yet. So his eyes, and everything around them, started to burn. It wasn't the kind of burning he liked, either. It felt pretty close to jabbing his tail flame into a running waterfall.

And as he went to lie silently in the corner, dropping to the floor and curling up as if to pretend to sleep…

He noticed the rest of the small, metal-plated room. There were some little windows to the outside high in the ceiling, and a door that lead somewhere else. But he noticed that Ray was gone. So were Lily, Scythe, and everybody else. He and Saura were the only two in the room.

For the first time in a very long time, Char felt very, very alone.

… … …

After some time had passed, Char heard voices coming from the outside. Soon after, some Pokémon entered the room. There was Scythe, and another which he couldn't place at first, only vaguely remembering it from the previous day. He watched from across the room as they approached Saura.

"Here," Scythe directed to the tall, thin, green Pokémon. "The Bulbasaur."

Saura stirred at the sound of the voice. He'd apparently fallen back to sleep in the meantime.

"Uh… who are you?" he said dizzily to the green Pokémon, shaking the sleepiness from his head.

"I am Gardevoir." the Pokémon answered. "We met yesterday in my bar."

"Oh…" Saura said weakly. "I thought I recognized you…"

"Hmm… I hear the Watchers have had their way with you," Gardevoir hummed. "It shows. You look disgraceful. You're very lucky I live in District One and I can help you this morning. I would have come sooner, but last night I was under a very small measure of distraction, fighting for my life and all."

The Gardevoir kneeled down at Saura's side, looking him over carefully with his deep red eyes and tracing over his form gently with his small hands. Saura cringed a little bit, looking uncertain and distrustful of the psychic Pokémon. Char remained curled up in the corner, silently peering over the length of his tail at the scene taking place.

"You needn't worry, Saura, I'm _very_ good at this," Gardevoir assured him in such gentle, genuine voice. "Just stay still, and let me look and see what the ghost did to you."

"But..." Saura started, squirming slightly. "No, you'll…"

"I will see some of your secrets, yes. It's a consequence of helping you," Gardevoir said, just as suavely. "But understand that I know many, many secrets of many Pokémon, and I have kept every one of them. A psychic's honor."

Saura hesitated for a moment, but then nodded his weak consent. Placing his hand on Saura's forehead, Gardevoir began to concentrate.

A minute passed in silence. Char noticed Gardevoir's eyes rolling up into his head, deeply focused on his work. Saura looked complacent.

Oddly, for some reason which Char could not seem to determine, Scythe looked gravely worried and impatient for the process to finish.

"Saura is in pain," Gardevoir reported after a while. "The ghost has left him with a nightmare. A very… persistent nightmare. It appears the ghost deposited the nightmare onto one of the most prominent thoughts in Saura's mind. I see it; it is very solid and very strong, like a black marble, and it rests nestled between his memories. To me, it appears to be immutable; it is unlikely that it would ever fade away on its own. As long as it remains, it will cause him physical and emotional pain."

"Can you cure him?" Scythe asked, some desperation in his voice. "Or is it permanent?"

"I can cure him, yes," Gardevoir replied, withdrawing from Saura and standing back up. "But… should I? That… will be up to Saura himself."

"What do you mean by that?" Scythe demanded in a slightly harsh tone.

"Psychic's honor. I will never tell," Gardevoir answered, gesturing his hand in front of Scythe's face while keeping his cool. "But Saura will explain it to you, if he wants. I should leave and return in a few moments, when he has made his decision. Saura, I would advise that you talk this over with your friends. They may help you arrive to the right decision. Or, you may remain silent. Either way, this is a difficult decision, and it should be yours. Do not let them make it for you."

Scythe was now visibly upset. He turned his attention to Saura, letting Gardevoir calmly exit the room.

"Saura…" Scythe said, kneeling next to him. "What is Gardevoir talking about?"

"Why do you care?" Char snapped from the other side of the room, drawing Scythe's attention. "It's Saura's decision if he wants to tell you. Don't pressure him. He's in enough pain as it is."

"He should not have to live with a nightmare imbued in his head for the rest of his life," Scythe said forcibly. "Unless there's a very good reason not to, he should let Gardevoir remove it immediately."

Char got up. He was getting angry as well. "Didn't you just hear what he said?! This isn't your decision. It's his."

"Char, do _not_ talk to me as if I am some ignorant bystander," Scythe seethed. "Saura cannot afford to let the Watcher's curse affect him for the rest of his life."

"Guys!" Saura shouted. "Shut up! Please? I'm… I'm trying to think here! Really!"

Scythe and Char both fell silent immediately, but Scythe's face still burned with frustration. Saura groaned in pain.

"Gardevoir… wants to erase some of my memories," Saura decided to say. "He told me… the nightmare feeds off some of my memories. He can't destroy the nightmare itself, but he can destroy the memories it's attached to. Then it'll be harmless."

"Hmm… I see," Scythe said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "I'm guessing then that they're sensitive memories, and you're reluctant to part with them? Would you die if they were removed?!"

Char felt his tail flaring. He knew the night had been long, but he didn't want to face having his whole fellowship falling apart. Scythe was actually trying to force Saura into making the decision. He realized that maybe Gardevoir had even predicted this would happen, hence his final warning before stepping out.

"They're memories of my family!" Saura growled back. "I don't want to forget I have a family! I don't want to forget about them! If I did… I don't know what I would do! I love them so much…"

He leapt up to his feet and snapped a vine onto the ground, causing a cracking sound to resonate inside of the bunker for a moment. Then, he barreled headlong past his companions and into the nearest wall, which he tried to headbutt with all his might.

"Why?! Why is this happening to me?!" he cried in anguish at nobody in particular. "By _Arceus_, Why?!"

Feeling dizzy from the impact, he dropped himself onto the floor, his face messy with all the tears he had shed.

"This nightmare is causing you to act violent," Scythe said gravely, apparently ignoring the fact that Saura was breaking down. "And it is taking away your rationality of thought."

Char simply stood in his place, his anger quietly simmering inside of him.

Scythe also stood still, waiting for Saura to respond.

After a while, Saura managed to turn himself around. He stared his two friends in the eyes, glancing back and forth to them, as if they both represented an answer to the question and he couldn't decide between them. He said nothing.

"Saura, this is your decision," Char reminded him. "Don't let—"

"Char," Scythe interrupted suddenly, lowering his voice just a little, "Would you like to know how I knew you were a human?"

"…What?" Char spat, taken completely off-guard. "What does that have to do with anything?!"

"Because I know you're curious," Scythe continued. "It still baffles you whenever you think about it. It seems like I read your mind, didn't it? Well? Would you like to know how I really found out?"

Char didn't answer. He just growled, letting Scythe continue if he so desired.

"I heard you speaking about it with Saura on the first night you stayed in my room," Scythe explained. "Because I wasn't asleep. Because I _never_ sleep. Well, that is a lie. Perhaps I sleep once a week or so when I exhaust my energy so far that I can no longer control my limbs and I just collapse and pass out. And even that can hardly be called _sleep_. But mostly I spend every night wide awake and alone with my thoughts. And would you like to know _why_ I can never sleep, Char? Are you curious at all?"

Again, Char said nothing, simply glaring back into the Scyther's intense eyes.

"Because when I was a child, a _Watcher_ distorted my mind," Scythe said powerfully. "A Watcher damaged me. It cut through my subconscious mind, and it dug a hole which I have had to live painfully with for the rest of my waking existence. I had to spend a good deal of my life learning to convince other Pokémon that I'm not insane. But… I _am_ insane. I see visions and hear voices at night when I'm supposed to be sleeping, and my thoughts distract me during the day. And I will always be insane, because of what that Watcher did to me. You try to protect Saura from me, Char, and you think you are noble, but between the two of us I'm the one who has lived my whole life feigning sanity. You have no right to tell me I'm taking this too seriously."

Scythe began to walk away, leaving Char with nothing to say.

"Saura, allow Gardevoir to remove it, or I—I'm afraid I will no longer be able to trust you," Scythe said matter-of-factly. "I'm sorry, Saura, but we cannot afford to ignore the reality of this situation. Not after we've gotten this far."

And he stormed off, leaving Char gaping in his wake.

… … …

"What do you think, Char…?" Saura said unexpectedly, minutes after Scythe had left. "Should I… do it?"

Feeling distant from Saura, Char stood at the other end of the room, staring at the wall. His mind was still processing what Scythe had told him. He couldn't be mad at Saura. He couldn't even be that mad at Scythe. He felt devoid of emotion, not really knowing what he was supposed to be feeling. Everything seemed so matter-of-fact now.

"Maybe you should," Char admitted. "Maybe Scythe is right. Maybe it would make you happier."

"But… I can't… I just can't…" Saura stammered. "Destroy my own memories? Wouldn't that… wouldn't that change who I am? And what if I met my family and didn't know who they even were?"

"I can't tell you if getting your memories erased changes who you are," Char told him. "But I can tell you one thing about it: if you don't try so hard to remember what you forgot, it doesn't bother you so much. It's like you always said how you didn't care who I was before my transformation, I am who I am now. I'm someone new, and my old self doesn't matter. Besides… I still don't believe a word of what you said. You forget I've been your friend all this time? I know you well enough to know you weren't role-playing all this time. Last night before you fell asleep, you told me being on the resistance made you happy. There's no way that could have been a lie. I think the ghost just lied to you, and you believed it because there's something wrong with your mind now. I think that nightmare is making you bitter."

"Believe what you want," Saura said flatly. "I know the truth."

Char sighed. It was hard for him to think of what else to say.

"You should do it," he decided. "I think it's what you want."

"How can you say that?"

"If you have your memories removed, it can be like the ghost never attacked you. And it can be like you were never chosen by the Master. You wanted everything to go away? You could make it all go away. You'd be a member of the resistance, and my best friend, and nothing else. You wouldn't have to block anything out anymore, because there'd be nothing to block out."

"But it's… it's _so wrong!"_ Saura whined. "I'd be worse than what I already did! I can't… I can't just erase Saurvor and Saurlee and Sarnick and Mom and Dad and everyone from my life! I can't just… throw away all my childhood… It's… It's too much to ask! That's just… that's not right!"

"But it's what you want," Char insisted.

"But don't you think… wouldn't you feel a little bit guilty if you were in my place? Like you took the easy way out? Like you just, I don't know, gave up?"

"You're right, I probably would," Char answered honestly. "And I don't think I'd be able to treat you the same anymore, knowing you're not all of who you used to be. But… I just think you should be happy, Saura."

"I don't think I deserve to be happy…" Saura moaned. "Not now. Imagine how many Pokémon died last night because of the Watchers. Here, I'm probably one of the luckiest survivors! And you're telling me I should be happy?"

"The other option is that Scythe kicks you off the team and you have nowhere else in the world to go," Char reminded him. "And you'll be lost and alone and miserable for the rest of your life. Or you could go serve the Master if you wanted. I'm sure he'd find a way to give your life meaning. But I don't think that's what you want. I think you belong with the resistance."

Char heard the sounds of Saura's paws scratching the ground, and the heaving of his breath, as he waited for a reply. In truth, he felt regret for saying what he did. He didn't like the thought any more than Saura did. He didn't want to imagine Saura as some empty shell of what he used to be…

But as sad as it seemed, he knew it was for the best. He just couldn't seem to look Saura in the eye after having said it.

"When you put it like that..." Saura muttered. "I don't… I don't know what to say…"

To Char's surprise, Saura's face appeared in front of the wall at which he'd been glaring. He stared sadly at his Charmander friend, fighting the urge to look away.

"If I'm going to do this… I'm sorry," Saura said. "I'm just… I'm really sorry… Please… forgive me."

Char nodded. He didn't want to say anything else.

… … …

When Gardevoir had come back, several others had returned with him. Scythe, Ray, Prince, and some other members of Team Flamewheel which had helped the previous night had entered the room, just in time to hear Saura's final decision. They all huddled around him, sharing a contemplative silence as they watched Gardevoir work on his mind.

Char stood close to Ray, hoping that his presence would give him the courage he needed to accept the outcome of Saura's operation. Ray, though, looked as though he was wasn't feeling so good himself, so Char simply chose to console him, giving him the little hug which he'd been waiting to give Saura all night…

"I'm done," Gardevoir announced, lifting his hand from Saura's forehead and backing away.

Saura blinked, looking very confused of himself, but the bitterness in his eyes wasn't there anymore. He looked like he'd just woken up from a very refreshing nap, and appeared quite cheerful.

"Who, and what, are you?" Gardevoir asked.

"I'm Saura," he answered hesitantly. "I'm a Bulbasaur. A Pokémon."

"Where are you?"

"I'm… uh… um… District One," he remembered. "The Emerald Division. Why are you asking me these questions…?"

"I need to know what you remember, and what you don't," he answered. "Now… What team are you on?"

"Team Ember," he said without hesitating. "With Char and Ray. And… Scythe's guiding us. He brought us here."

"And what is your mission?"

"We're going to Temporal Tower!" he answered.

"Good. Now… where did you grow up?"

"The Tiny Plains, way down south from here."

"Who raised you?"

Saura winced. This was the first question that gave him trouble. His eyes darted upon all the Pokémon which surrounded him, and became a little embarrassed when he couldn't seem to grasp the answer.

"I don't… know… I'm an orphan, aren't I?" Saura finally responded, not too sure of his answer. "Or, wait… no… I think I might have been a wild Pokémon!"

"But you don't know for sure?"

"Not really… it's all really fuzzy…" Saura said.

Then, he seemed to have a realization, and he suddenly gasped. "Wait… what? Did something happen to my memory, or something?" he wondered. "It was that Watcher, wasn't it? Did it erase my memories?"

"A few of them, yes," Gardevoir responded. "But I've just finished repairing your mind. You will be absolutely fine."

"Wow…" Saura muttered to himself. "I don't… remember! I remember you, Char, Scythe, Prince… I remember the Gold Division… But before that… it's like… Wow. Huh."

"It is finished," Gardevoir announced, turning to the small crowd which had gathered. "Again, I since I could not remove the nightmare itself, his mind will sometimes brush up against it, and he might appear afraid, but it will be of no consequence. After all, everyone has their own share of irrational fear…"

Gardevoir turned to leave, ignoring Char and Ray as they came rushing to Saura's side. He ignored the Infernape and the Flareon who appeared frozen in somberness from the night's events. He left everything behind, and headed for the door.

"Gardevoir… thank you," Scythe said softly, just before he had left the room. "Thank you for your service. It means more than you might know."

Saying nothing, Gardevoir simply turned to glance into his eyes for a moment, then left the room.

… … …

"You remember us, right?" Ray asked carefully. "You know who we are?"

"You feel okay, Saura?" Char chimed in. "How's your head?"

Saura blinked at all the attention he was getting. "I'm fine! Honestly, I'm just happy to be alive!" he answered. "Last night was insane! All of us could have been done in, but we made it! That makes me feel pretty happy!"

"Do you… have a headache?" Char asked him.

"Nnn… …no," Saura replied, looking at the ground. "I feel fine… and I'm glad. We start the big trip to Temporal Tower today, don't we? I didn't want to be sick for it. You might have left me behind!"

"Yeah, uh… maybe," Char managed to say. "We'll have to talk to Scythe… Of course, you don't have to go with me if you want. You could stay here. Or go back to the Gold Division…"

Saura looked seriously appalled. "Y-you're joking, right?!" he said, incredulously. "There's no way I'm going to miss this! We're a team! Besides, why would I go back to the Gold Division without you? What would I have to go back for? It's boring back there without you two!"

"Y-you wanted to go back, before… before your memories were erased," Char told him hesitantly. "So I … I convinced Scythe you didn't have to come with us, if you didn't want…"

"I did? Really?" Saura said, confused. "Hmm… I wonder what I was thinking! It must not have been very smart! …Nah. You can count on me! I'll be right there with you until the end, just like always! …Char? …Uh… Char? What's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Char suddenly found himself speechless. He didn't know what else to tell Saura. He thought he would feel happy, or at least relieved, that Saura's pain had gone away. Instead… he started to feel awful, as though he'd betrayed him. Saura had been right: the guilt was already mounting. It began to dawn on Char that his best friend was going to be someone completely different from now on.

_But it had to be done,_ he told himself. _It's alright… It's better this way… isn't it?_

"He's just happy you're alive, too," Ray answered for him. "It was a bad night."

… … …

On the other side of the room, Scythe conversed with Prince.

"We must leave," Scythe said desperately. "Before things have a chance to get any worse. We must leave immediately. Prince… do you have the supplies?"

"They're back in the fortress. I'd have to return for them," Prince responded. "I know that's risky enough as it is. Perhaps you should go, and I will wait here."

"I… don't have hands," Scythe returned. "I can only carry one bag, not two…"

Scythe winced.

"No… that's a perfect plan, actually," he said, correcting himself. "I will bring Char with me. He can carry the other bag. You wait here for us to return."

"_Prince!_"

Gardevoir returned hastily, bursting back into the room. He looked quite surprised.

"Prince, there has been a development I think you should hear about!"

"Not another 'snowstorm', I hope…?" Prince grumbled.

"Oh, no, Prince, this isn't the time for another mind game," he said. "But listen. I have just caught word, stemming from Rayquaza's Clutch, apparently, that… Temporal Tower's position… has _moved_!"

Scythe reeled back. "_What?_" he barked. "How is that possible?!"

"The recent episode of the Call might be to blame," Gardevoir speculated. "But it's useless to ask me about the affairs of gods. I would know nothing about why they act. But maybe the Call has stirred the will of the gods and shifted the tower."

"Are… are you _sure?_" Scythe demanded. "Where did you hear this information, exactly? How do we know it is true?"

"The sentries were spouting it," Gardevoir answered. "Apparently one flew far enough north to see Temporal Tower miles away from its recorded position, and another confirmed it couldn't be seen at the old site anymore… The winds were harsh, however, and they couldn't remain long."

"And where is it now?" Scythe asked. "Where was it discovered now?!"

"I don't know," Gardevoir answered. "But they're planning to announce it at the meeting this afternoon… it got postponed because many of our residents couldn't make it in the morning…"

"Well… well, then… in that case… I guess that answers one of our questions," Scythe said, pacing away from Gardevoir. "Prince… we have to attend the meeting."

Prince looked away.

"No," he said simply.

"We don't have a choice," Scythe insisted. "We're not going to compromise the mission. We must know Temporal Tower's new position."

"It's beside the point. I shouldn't go."

"Prince, for the love of Arceus, this is _not_ up for debate," Scythe growled. "Put aside your petty regret… we have to attend that meeting."

"Lucario would never allow me in."

"We must _force_ our way in, then!" Scythe growled louder. "Lucario is not going to Zerferia, _we_ are! We need that information!"

"Send another."

"Who, _me?_" Scythe laughed. "I'm not welcome in there."

"Neither am I, Scythe."

"You serve Lucario. I do not."

"I serve nobody."

"You serve Char."

This took Prince off-guard, and made him return his gaze to Scythe. Scythe took the opportunity to quickly keep speaking and to grill him.

"You were after Char so much, it was enough to anger me," Scythe reeled off. "You challenged me to a duel for the right to come. You tried to gain Char's trust. You taught him to smolder. You risked your life to save him. And now, you can't follow through with your conviction enough to look Lucario in the eye and get this information from him? Have you really become this weak? Are you going to give up and compromise our entire task just because you're afraid?"

"It's not what you think!" Prince said, raising his voice. "It's… don't imply that Lucario frightens me. He does not frighten me. But… what you are asking… might not have the effects you want."

"Then _what?_ What is it?!" Scythe snapped back. "You seem to forget, I don't _care_ what happens to you. I'm here to make sure Char meets with the god of time, and I am willing to go through any length to see to it. Char and I will set off on our own if it comes to that. But I know we won't have to do that, because you're going to get us both into that meeting, and you're going to find out where Temporal Tower moved to."

"Is that really what you want?" Prince asked in a low, menacing tone. "Are you so sure?"

Prince began to laugh. It was a very unexpected, ironic laugh. Scythe looked upon him with confusion, and a little bit of fear.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh, Fine. That's what we'll do." Prince chuckled, turning to the Flareon beside him. "If that's what this is going to come to… Iniga, gather the others. Scythe insists we go and interrupt Lucario's meeting. So, that's what we'll do."

* * *

**Fort Emerald**

To Char, the return trip to the city was silent, eerie, and almost as frightening as the previous night.

A terrible stillness lingered in the air, the sort of stillness which happens after a disaster such as a tornado or a great flood. But there hadn't been a great deal of damage dealt to the fortress's facilities; most buildings were still standing tall, unharmed, where a stray Pokémon's attack had not busted and toppled some of their bricks. But even though the damage could not be seen, it could be felt. The streets were still, silent, as though the Pokémon inhabitants were all still cowering inside, sleeping from a long night's struggle, or had deserted the accursed place in fear. The air was still cold, as the sun never shone directly onto the forsaken city through the mask of clouds.

And through these streets marched Scythe and Team Ember, alongside all of Team Flamewheel's members who rode the storm out together. Char couldn't bear the somber silence between them all. It was as though they were marching off to their doom. He knew Lucario would be furious—for more than one reason—and that every Pokémon surrounding him would need to band together to bear his wrath and accept the consequences of what had happened.

Char didn't feel guilty for what his power had done, even if other Pokémon had died that night. It was as Prince had told him: he had no control over the Call, and so any damage it caused could not be his fault. It was a tragic accident, and nothing else. No one was to blame. No one was at fault.

But, as nature dictates, when something terrible happens, accountability must still be placed upon someone, even if nobody is to blame. And he knew Lucario would place that accountability upon him and upon Prince. From there, he didn't know what would happen. He sensed that neither Scythe nor Prince knew that, either.

Char looked back upon the crowd. Lily was there, hanging her head low and following the rocks underfoot with her eyes. Legend's gaze was blank, as though he was occupying himself with his thoughts. Iel the Camerupt looked absolutely exhausted as he trudged along with the team, making Char wonder if he was actually fast asleep with his eyes open and his feet moving. A funny thought popped into his mind: Team Flamewheel wouldn't look out of place next to Team Remorse, after how Scythe's team had looked for the past several weeks, constantly pushing themselves to their limits—not to mention Scythe himself, as Char finally began to understand why he'd always looked like such a tired old Pokémon…

Among the solemn group, Saura looked the most out-of-place. A tiny smile was always crossing his face, which changed into a genuine beaming grin whenever Char's eyes crossed over him. Once, however, when Saura wasn't paying attention, Char noticed him flinch violently as though being stung by a wasp. But he soon noticed Char's gaze and smiled at him, and Char couldn't return the smile.

_Saura wouldn't have been so happy_, Char's mind told him as his heart sunk lower. _Saura would have been sad, like the rest of us. But Saura can't remember… Saura isn't Saura anymore…_

At least, without meeting a single other soul, the group arrived to the meeting hall across the street from Rayquaza's Clutch.

… … …

The meeting was already far into its session when Team Flamewheel entered the hall.

It was the same place which Legend had told his story the previous night, but today, it was a much different place.

The room was filled wall-to-wall with Pokémon, many more than had attended the storytelling. Last night, the Pokémon were filled with glee, excitement, and suspense, as they hung onto every word which Legend spoke. Today, their emotions were different. Their gazes were blank. Stunned. Disheartened. Confused.

And it wasn't Legend who paced back and forth in the very middle of the room, the center of attention. Today, it was Lucario, standing before the present members of Team Regret. Char caught sight of Zahira the Dragonite standing among them.

Lucario did not look angry or upset in any way. He looked thoughtful, in fact. He cast a glance in Prince's direction as he entered, but did not otherwise acknowledge his arrival to the public. He continued to pace across the floor.

"The trial last night has been a testament of our strength as a resistance division," Lucario continued, speaking very plainly and respectfully his voice ringing out unchallenged. "For today, unlike that day so long ago, we still stand, though many of our companions have fallen. Thirty-six of our best did not make it through the night, and twelve more have suffered injuries… We must not forget that they have taken the hits which were intended for the rest of us. We must respect their intentions, carry on in their legacies. And so… in just a few moments, I will commence with the assignments, as usual. We will not ignore our duties for the sake of self-pity. In addition, we will need help rebuilding the facilities which have been damaged."

Char snapped to attention; though it appeared at first Lucario was merely pacing across the room, he was actually ascending the stairs, approaching them! He tensed up. The crowds of resistance teams also gasped, noticing who now stood in the room.

"You," Lucario said calmly, after he had approached close enough to stare Prince in the eye. "You were not invited to this meeting. What makes you think you are welcome here?"

"Ask this of Scythe, if you would," Prince returned. "He has brought me."

"Scythe… as much as your reputation precedes you, you are also not welcome here," Lucario said. "You know I hold this assembly hall as a sacred place to convene with my own resistance division. I do not allow others to attend. Please, leave."

Lucario smiled. It wasn't a nice smile. It was a knowing, bitter smile. He approached the younger Pokémon of the group, leering down at them.

"I bet you poor little children would like to know what I'm talking about, wouldn't you?" Lucario said with mock pity. "Seeing that you've just been dragged around by the collars by these… babysitters of yours, I feel sorry for you. So, I will fill you in on what they've been neglecting to tell you. To start with, Prince, or any of his team members for that matter, are not members of the Emerald Division. They have not been for a very, very long time."

Char held his breath. He dared not to say a word.

"No… you see, Prince leads his own division apart from mine. I believe he chose to call it the Silver Division, am I correct?" Lucario quipped, glancing over to Prince for a moment. "You see, Prince disagreed with one of my decisions a long time ago, so he broke off from me, forming his own division, and taking many of my followers as his own. But today, his division has only one team registered to it: his own. That's because the Silver Division did not last for very long. It lasted for but a day before it was burned to the ground, and the resistance teams were all slain, the only remnants being those who call themselves members of Team Flamewheel. Since then, I have granted him quarter in my fortress and allowed him to use my facilities for his benefit. But Prince leads an independent resistance team. My fortress is not his home."

"Spare us this history lesson, Lucario, I have only come for one reason," Scythe said quickly. "We had planned to leave on our expedition today. We must know the new location of Temporal Tower. Then we will be off, out of your sight, out of your mind."

"Still chasing after Dialga, are you? Even after what you have done last night?" Lucario mocked. "You still… _honor_ this Call as something sacred, do you? Well… since you are here, I figure I might as well tell you what has been on my mind since last night. And since you were so _kind_ as to interrupt my meeting, I can say it in the presence of the entire division."

Lucario's words were so sour, so dripping with contained malice, that Char wanted to go hide somewhere. He could tell some of the group members were feeling the same way. Prince stood tall before Lucario's diminutive form, eyeing him down.

"Prince… I give you a choice," Lucario said directly to him, his voice filled with false gentleness. "A very simple, straightforward choice. Now, I cannot deny how helpful you have been to me over these past decades. Your team has been an asset to this division which I cannot overlook. Do not get me wrong, Prince. I have the highest level of respect for you. But… you have put my division in danger for the last time. Your actions have caused so much havoc upon the walls I have built, the streets I have paved, and the Pokémon which I call my own sons and daughters… So, Team Flamewheel, from this day onward, I have decided the Emerald Division will no longer be a safehouse for the Call. I will not harbor this… this destructive force any longer, under the empty hopes and promises that it will help dethrone the Master, when it has done nothing but cause me misery. Your choice, Prince: take your team, and leave the fortress, and never again convene or associate yourself with the Emerald Division."

"Is that a choice, or an edict?" Prince returned. "What is the other option you're going to give me?"

"The other option…" Lucario said, "If you wish to stay… you must evict only one member from your team. … … _her._"

Lucario pointed his finger, almost in disgust, at the Bayleef which stood fearfully somewhere behind Prince's form.

Lily was stunned. Her eyes opened wide in dread, her breath became caught in her throat. In no time, her body was shivering as though a weight had been dropped upon her back.

"_But Lily had nothing to do with it!"_ Char shouted, before he knew what he was saying. "I called the ghosts down! I was the one! Banish me if you have to!"

"Oh, I do plan to banish you as well, Char," Lucario spoke back to him, condescendingly. "I expect your babysitters will take you out of my jurisdiction by the end of the day. As for Lily, I understand her power is not nearly as strong as yours, but as long as either of you are around, a tragedy such as last night could occur at any moment. I am giving her two months, and I expect her to be gone from my territory. Whether you go with her, Prince, is completely your decision. Now begone."

"I still need that intel," Scythe said again. "Where has Temporal Tower moved?"

"I said, _begone!_" Lucario grunted, walking back to the center of the room as the audience murmured among themselves.

Scythe leapt forward.

"I will _stand up to you_, Lucario!" he warned, raising his voice. "I will not let you stand in the way of my mission!"

"And _every Pokémon in this room_ will stand up for me!" Lucario replied, matching his voice and turning to face him again. "Take one more step, Scyther, and I will have you escorted from this building and dropped in the outskirts, possibly unconscious. Besides… I really don't think I should _have_ to tell you…"

Scythe stood down, bowing his head. Lucario resumed his pacing toward the center of the room.

"Let's… do as he says," Scythe grumbled. "Come. We'll leave."

Lily didn't have to be asked. She was already bolting for the door, a pained scowl across her face, before Scythe even gave the word.

"Lily!" Prince gasped, motioning after her. "Lily, wait!"

But she was gone.

… … …

Having accomplished absolutely nothing at the meeting, the group trudged back across the street to Team Flamewheel's base.

It was so strange seeing the place still in one piece. The ghosts had phased through the walls, touching none of the furniture or the architecture. What Char had last remembered as a chamber of horrors was once more a place of safety.

Or perhaps it wouldn't be for very long… it depended now on the decision Prince would have to make.

When Prince motioned to open the door, he barely had to touch it before it opened on its own– Kabir stood in the doorway, looking very sad and saying not a word.

"Kabir! Blessings of Arceus, you're still alive!" Prince clamored, his mood brightening instantly. "This is the best news I've had—"

But Prince had to stop in mid-breath, and so did everyone else who stood around the doorway: as it swung open fully, it revealed a very disturbing sight: Kabir was missing his right arm.

"At a cost, Prince," he said somberly. "I was stupid… I warped myself into a wall… Arm got stuck, ghosts were closing in… I had to warp away, and when I came to, it was missing. At least it wasn't my writing hand…"

Ray shivered at the sight, closing his eyes for a moment. Char felt uneasy looking at the injured Smeargle as well.

"Whoa…" Saura whispered. "I bet that hurts…"

"It barely matters to me, at this point," Prince told him, embracing him suddenly. "I'm just glad to see you safe."

"Heh… ugh, now… Now if only I could learn to transform like a Ditto, I could get it back…" Kabir grunted, hugging him back with his remaining arm. "They say it's impossible to learn, but… I—I'm going to see for myself if that's true or not."

Char followed Prince into the base, casting a look of sympathy to Kabir on the way in.

"Kabir… By chance, did Lily come here just a moment ago?" Prince asked him.

"Yes, she went to her room," Kabir replied. "Didn't seem very happy. Didn't want to talk to me."

Prince stepped close to the closed door, not daring to push it open. It looked for a moment like he was about to call inside, but hung his head and decided not to.

"Let her rest," he ordered. "Do not disturb her. I will speak to her about this when we return from the expedition. It should be done well before the end of the month. Now… since we are all present, and I will be gone shortly, let us hold our meeting…"

Char, Saura, Ray, and Scythe waited politely, yet very impatiently, in the corner as Prince held a meeting with his team members. It seemed to last forever, as each present member reported the current status of their assignments, and were given new ones as seen fit. Char felt a little bit of pity for the team; he knew they acted independently, and this was their replacement for Lucario's meeting which they were banned from entering. In a way, they were still their own little resistance division.

The Silver Division.

The meeting went on and on and on, as Prince discussed the intricate details of each of their ventures. Finally, he called the meeting complete, sending everyone off toward their rooms to prepare for the day's ventures, or out to get started on their new missions. As they were leaving, he looked at the door to Lily's room—still closed. He sighed.

"Now, all your business is done," Scythe said, approaching him from the place he'd been sitting still for the past hour. "Gather the supplies. We leave immediately. There's no telling how long it will take for us to find where Temporal Tower jumped to. We must research this. Possibly bribe the sentries for information if we can. But we need to start making headway while there's daylight."

"Fine, let's go," Prince said to him. "I have our supplies all ready…

Prince opened his team closet, and un-slung the two biggest bags from their hangers. Char recognized one of them as Alakazam's bag. He set it down before Scythe, who hoisted it over his shoulder as he always had, trying to fit it upon his back in a comfortable manner. He also produced Team Ember's bag, still stuffed with their own favorite items. As long as it could be carried along, there was no such thing as too many supplies; the road would be long, there would be no towns to restock at along the way, and Temporal Tower was still very much an unknown. He slipped it onto his own back, sparing the children its burdensome weight. They would need every ounce of strength they had.

Then, Prince produced something very odd from the closet.

It was a tiny brown pouch, almost like the kind the Reviver Seeds were stashed in, tied with a very small length of twine. The knot looked so tight and secure, Char wondered if it was even possible to open apart from just burning the whole sack to ashes. Something sagged within, appearing larger and heavier than a standard Wonder Orb. With a belt-like rope, Prince tied the pouch snugly around his waist, quickly casting an affectionate gaze at it.

"Last thing…" he muttered, digging deeper into the closet. "We can't forget the emblems. I have them here somewhere…"

He produced another sack, one that looked quite large, and began shuffling through it.

"…That's odd…" he muttered.

"What…?" Scythe demanded, stepping closer. "Don't tell me… the rescue emblems are missing?!"

"No, they're right here," Prince said, still stirring his hand around in the bag's contents. "But… something else isn't here… Our map."

"The map to Temporal Tower?" Scythe guessed. "I'd imagine that's useless now, seeing that we now have no idea where the tower stands…"

"No, no…" Prince said, beginning to chuckle again. It was the same sinister chuckle he'd given before leading Scythe into Lucario's meeting. "I don't know who did it, but _one _of you took the map out of this bag. Char, it couldn't have been you, you were in your room all night… Scythe, you have no hands… hmm… Interesting. Very interesting."

Char, Saura, and Ray all stood gaping, but trying to hide it. They all knew exactly why the map was missing. Char felt butterflies in his stomach as Prince cast a knowing gaze straight at him.

"You were planning to leave without me," Prince said simply. "I knew it."

"That is of no consequence now," Scythe said. "Now that the location of the tower is unknown, we will need to band together, all five of us…"

"Oh, it's of quite great consequence, I'm afraid," Prince returned. "I suppose it's time for me to make a confession to you, Scythe… I was hoping it wouldn't come to this, but… Temporal Tower has not moved at all."

"What?" Scythe rasped. "What do you mean?"

"It has always been in the very place I found it."

Scythe's eyes widened, a shocked anger quickly filling them.

"I bribed some of the sentries to report its location in the wrong place," Prince explained, shrugging. "Thus, Lucario also thought it was in the wrong place, and he didn't know better, so the maps were drawn incorrectly… Now it seems the sentries have betrayed me due to what happened last night, and the secret is out… The tower stands a mile and a half south-southwest of the entrance to Destiny Abyss, at least a twenty-two day walk from where we now stand. Not that you'd know where that is. I know the way by heart."

"W—when were you planning to tell me this?!" Scythe blasted. "We would have—"

"You would have ended up lost and alone, and _cold_, without me," Prince continued. "But that wasn't my intention. I figured you'd try to leave me behind at any of the rest stops. So I would have told you on the first night that only I knew the true directions. That way you would need to trust me. But I have to give you credit, Scythe. I wasn't expecting you to go and leave me in Fort Emerald before we'd even started! You're lucky the Call happened when it did… you and Char both would have died of frostbite in the middle of nowhere before I would have been able to rescue you. So… heh heh… heh heh heh… In a way, I suppose the events of last night were… fortunate?"

Scythe's body slumped to the floor, giving Char a start. Char watched as Scythe knelt before Prince, confusion and absolute humiliation covering his downcast face. He cringed as he spoke.

"You have bested me in a physical match… and now you have bested me at a mind game, as well," Scythe muttered, closing his eyes painfully. "You… you win, old friend. I concede. I have nothing more… There is nothing more I can do to prevent you from coming. There is nothing more I can do. Go, then. Lead us north. We will follow, and do as you say."

* * *

**Emerald Outskirts**

As Prince led the group through the northwestern gate of Fort Emerald, ready to leave the division base behind and begin their long, long walk through the wild arctic, Char was surprised to see a large assembly of Pokémon waiting for them just beyond the wall.

It was a send-off ceremony, and half of the entire Emerald Division must have been there. Char even thought he saw a few members of Team Regret standing in line.

Char shook his head and blinked a few times. Looking back up, they were still there.

"Uh, guys?" he asked quietly. "Are… are there a lot of Pokémon staring at us? Or am I imagining things?"

"They've come to sympathize with us," Prince whispered back. "Lucario did threaten to banish me in front of everyone. I didn't think it would go over so lightly… And besides, after that incident with Lucario, they all know _your_ secret now, Char…"

Char's eyes widened. Yes… in talking back to Lucario, he _had_ revealed his secret to _everybody_, hadn't he?

Prince stood still for a moment and halted his party's movement, and the Pokémon of the Emerald Division gave a thunderous cheer so loud it made the ground shake.

It took Char's breath away to hear so many voices, so many different types of Pokémon cries sounding at once. It sounded like the response Legend had gotten the night before, but so many more Pokémon were present now, all screaming and clamoring together… and he knew it was for him, and for all the Pokémon who stood by his side, who had guided him this far and believed in him, some anticipating his arrival for decades before his appearance, ready now to deliver him to the god which he had beckoned down from the halls of eternity…

And his spirit soared.

Char had never gotten applause before. His condition had always remained under wraps, hidden from the general public save for the select chosen. But now, showered with this booming applause which never seemed to end, it was impossible not to feel alive. Char felt so much cold and pain and despair just drowned out, replaced with the most profound, steadfast kind of courage and confidence one could feel. Turning to his companions, he saw Ray clenching his fists and holding his head high, grinning from ear to ear and casting a small circle of light upon the ground as his body glowed. He saw Saura's eyes as wide as they could be, sparkling with wonder. He saw that even Scythe looked refreshed from all the attention, and he couldn't hold back a grin of his own.

It was simply unbelievable. Even after such a horrible night, even after suffering the deaths of their companions, the Pokémon of the resistance were celebrating. Celebrating _him._ Celebrating the Call.

Prince started walking again, and the group began to head through the endless-looking gauntlet of Pokémon. Char marched proudly alongside him, focusing his ears on the individual voices which shouted his way.

"You could end it!" cheered a strikingly lovely Milotic from the roadside. "End the Master's reign!"

"So many lives lost," said the Abomasnow standing beside it, "they will all have meaning now, thanks to you…"

"The Silver Division, it lives again!" cried a Delcatty standing beside a large purple cobra. "Prince marches again!"

"Hey, Prince! Watch yourself out there, alright?" shouted a Weavile, flanked by Marshtomp and another Weavile. "Wouldn't want to have to rescue you…"

"Yeah, and we still owe you a rescue, too!" the Marshtomp added.

"Stand tall, little dragon!" Zahira shouted. "Keep that little fire going!"

Naxi the Flygon stood practically in the middle of the road, eyeing Char as he walked past.

"Char…" he grunted. "Once you win the heart of the gods… Remember. Don't let anyone try to control the power. It can only be yours. When you set out to destroy the Master… don't let him deceive you. Smash him into the ground, and never have mercy. He deserves nothing else after everything he has done."

At the very end when no more Pokémon remained, Legend stood before them and the open road, bowing his head. As they approached him, the crowd finally died down.

"Well, my Prince," Legend spoke, "I shall see you again… whether in a couple dozen days, or in the hall of eternity… and if the latter should come to pass, know that it has been an honor to stand beside you all these years, and to see everything you stood for, everything the Silver Division stood for, come to fruition at last… And even if I would prove myself a poor replacement for you, and the team which you have led crumbles and disperses over time, your flame will live on in the hearts of every Pokémon who hears me speak, for as long as I live. And Char, the same is for you."

Legend stepped close to Char, bowing his head enough to speak directly to him.

"Char… have you decided what you will be asking of the god of time?" Legend beseeched. "Already, I have begun to formulate a poem of you and your friends. Perhaps I can change Lucario's heart again with it. But… I would like for you to have a motive. A motive that has not been forced upon you, but something of your very own. What should the legend say about you? Have you chosen something?"

"Yeah, I know what I'll ask him," Char replied after a moment of thought. "I realized something… even if the Master isn't there anymore… I don't think I would be happy. Because… because I have a bunch of really good friends, the best friends anyone could ever want…"

Char looked upon the faces of his companions, upon Scythe, who had lost his mind, upon Saura, who had lost and now forgotten his family, upon Ray, who had lost his brother and spent the rest of his life struggling just to live in his shadow, and upon Prince, who had lost everything he had fighting so that the Call might live…

"…But they're all broken," Char said. "I'd ask Dialga… to have my friends not be broken anymore."

Char's friends looked surprised, and touched, at these words. Legend nodded, casting Char a deep, understanding smile.

"Then I will stand in your way no more," he said, rising to his full height and backing himself to the side of the road. "All together now, go! Off with you! The legends await you!"

"For heavens' sake, take care of Lily," Prince said to him. "If I should not return… Ask her where she would like to go… and then give her what she asks."

"We will, my Prince! Do not fret about those things you leave behind here, they will be managed well in your absence!" Legend said again, raising his voice. "Go, go! Off with you all!"

And finally, Char and his friends began their excursion across the cold tundra of northern Ambera, and eventually into the frozen land known as Zerferia.

As Fort Emerald shrunk behind them, becoming nothing but a speck upon the horizon, Char could still hear the howl of Legend's voice, combining with the collected voices of the resistance teams, chanting to the heavens:

_And 'till the stars come crashing through the sky,  
'Till the mountains fall and oceans dry,  
'Till the sun descends before the eye,  
Hold the flame… never let it die!_

**End of Season II**


	50. Chapter 42: All Together Now

**Season III: Temporal**

* * *

**Chapter 42**

**Part 1**

My name is Char.

That isn't my real name, though. I don't know what my real name is.

Maybe Dialga will tell me that.

Here I am on the first evening after we left the Emerald Division. Prince says the Temporal Tower is really far to the west from our current position, so we're going to have to walk west for a week or two before we have to go north into Zerferia. He says we made it far enough north that the Watchers shouldn't bother us, and I really hope he knows for sure. I really don't want to see another Watcher for a long time.

Already it's getting really cold. Just when I think I'm getting adjusted to the cold around here, it always gets colder. It's hard to take. I hope it doesn't come anywhere close to being like that freezer. I still haven't gotten over that.

Right now we're in some sort of a dried creek bed. Scythe says we should start a fire, but there's nothing really to burn. The land up here is barren. There's nothing even to look at along our hike, just hills of dirt and rocks. I wonder if we packed any of that sol-rock stuff, it would make me a lot more comfortable to have some of that burning next to me right about now.

It's pretty quiet tonight. We don't have very much to say. We talked with each other a lot on the road today, and now there's nothing really left to say. So here I am, sitting and staring at the sky, shivering from the cold a little, wondering if I'll get to sleep under the starry sky for once. And also, I'm thinking. I do that a lot. I have a lot to think about. Like… how I got all the way here. How all these Pokémon came to be with me. And I wonder how I got to be a Charmander in the first place. I worry that if I don't wonder about it sometimes, I'll forget I'm not really a Pokémon. It already started happening a few times.

Everyone's going to sleep, now. Everyone except Scythe. Scythe doesn't sleep very much, apparently. I guess he's going to keep watch for us. That makes me feel safe, at least. Even though I slept in until noon today, I feel tired, so I try to relax. The cold is still irritating, so I breathe slower and try to simmer down my flame, just like Prince taught me to. Lowering my body temperature makes the cold feel less cold.

I really have to admit something: I love being a Charmander. Especially after I've gotten to know this body for a while. It's human-like enough that I could adjust, except maybe for the tail. The tail's really strange, but I got used to it. It's great how it helps me balance and it always lights up the dark, and isn't just useless like the tails of most other animals. But I'm lucky I didn't become something like a Bulbasaur, to have a heavy plant constantly rooted to my back and to have to use vines to grab things. Or something that doesn't even have any hands, like a Torchic. That would have been so much harder to adjust to…

But yeah, being a Charmander is amazing. I feel so alive, like my energy won't ever go away completely. I can do incredible things if I push myself, like win battles that I never thought I could win. And I can also take such a beating, it's amazing! This body just doesn't know when to die. If a human got smashed into the ground with a giant boulder, they'd be dead, no questions asked. But me, I might get a few broken bones, my fire would flicker a lot, but my body would blaze for a bit and help me overcome the difficulty, and then I could stand right back up, spend a few days healing, and I'd be back to normal in no time. This power, it's like a life force completely different than what humans have. Compared to Pokémon, humans are just slugs who lie around and do nothing all day, and I'd be a little spark of energy running circles around their feet all night and day.

And best of all, I can burn things! That's the most amazing thing ever! I mean, you have _no_ idea how gratifying it is to just be able to blow fireballs at things you don't like.

…Well, that could just be the Charmander in me talking. I can't always tell nowadays.

This Pokémon nature… it's strong. _Really_ strong. It's not like a human nature, where you can just ignore it and act rationally if you have to. This is like I've got an animal inside of me that I know I can't train completely, and it's really stubborn and insists that it influence all the actions I make , so I've just got to do what it says half the time. Which isn't all that bad; sometimes it really knows what it's talking about. But sometimes it can also be really stupid. But that's alright. It's all a part of growing up and training myself.

But yeah, I'm sitting here, and I'm wondering what it's going to be like to face Dialga in person. I already know what he looks like. I have vivid memories of him, but I know standing in front of him is going to be so much different… just picturing the creator of time himself standing in front of me in all his shining glory, maybe even asking me for orders, if my Call worked the way we think it did… the closer I get to him, the worse it makes my ember churn.

There's something else I realized just now: I would be perfectly content if Dialga tells me there's no going back to my old life. Even if I'm some human who did something awful and got sentenced to live out the rest of my life as a Pokémon. I really wouldn't mind forgetting all about my humanity. This Charmander body? It's a reward, not a punishment. Ambera? It's paradise. I love being a Charmander, and if someone wants me to go back to my human life, they'd better have a good reason for it! Just get rid of this Master, let me turn into a Charizard, give me some volcano crater to laze around in when I'm tired, and I could ask for nothing more.

Great, heart's racing again. I roused my ember just thinking about it. C'mon, Charmander. Settle down. Your trainer says so. Easy, easy… That's it… calm down, you need your rest…

Bah, I'll figure this body out eventually. After all, I hope I'll be spending a long, long time in this body… Heh. I'm a living flame. Who would have thought? It's so incredible.

Though… I don't know if I should tell Saura or anyone else I'm not keen on returning to my human form. It doesn't feel right. My instincts tell me that.

Actually, I'm not sure what I could tell Saura right now. I always could talk to him, but lately, he's… he's not acting right.

He was supposed to get some memories of his childhood erased, but I think his mind changed a lot more than that. Before that, I could always talk to him whenever I wanted. When I would tell him something, he would always know exactly what I meant. He could sympathize with me. He'd know when something would be hard for me to say, or when I'm not so sure of something, or just about anything I'd want to communicate but wouldn't know how to put to words. He was the kind of friend anyone would want to have, Pokémon or not.

But now… a lot of his emotions just aren't there. Like today, he started bugging Prince, asking him about the Silver Division. Then when he wouldn't answer, he started bugging Scythe, asking him random things about Team Remorse's past, just out of plain curiosity. But Saura has no idea what kind of pressure Scythe is under right now. Even before his memories were erased, I don't even think he understood everything I know about Scythe. I feel so awful for both of them.

Today, he also started to ramble about his adventures with us back in the gold division base, as though they were fond childhood memories. Thing is… we've only known each other for about a month.

Yeah, a month. Maybe a month and a half.

Time seems to pass much more slowly for this Charmander body than I remember it passing as a human, so I imagine it's the same for other Pokémon. But… still. It was a month ago, add maybe a week or two, that I woke up in that dark cave and saw his face. Saura is seven years old. Now, he's only one month old. And I… I don't know what to say to that.

I'm starting to wonder if Saura was telling the truth.

Maybe that's really what drove him. Maybe his subconscious was so haunted by the thought of the Master targeting his family, that's what made him cling to me… that's what made him such a hero…

It hurts to imagine it. We were so close. We could read one another like signposts. We had… we had no secrets.

The Charmander in me still refuses to believe it. It feels wrong. I think he made it up. I think the ghost made it up. It's the only explanation. Saura had a heart of gold. He showed that every day back in the base. You can't just cover up a heart of gold like that.

The human in me…

I remember how Saura apologized to me before he let his memories be erased. I don't think I understood just why he had chosen to apologize to me then. I think I'm starting to understand now.

You think you know someone, and then… they change. You don't have to be a Pokémon to know how discouraged that can make you.

Without that subconscious fear, he's a really different. He acts like this is some vacation, and he's just happy to be going along for the ride with all his closest friends. He acts like he doesn't know how serious this is.

The real Saura would have known.

No! Flame's flaring again… cold is… cold coming back…

For the love of us both, Charmander, if you don't settle down, I'm going to smack your head against the ground until you pass out.

... ... ...

Saura woke me up tonight, twice.

The first time, he screamed. I jumped awake, thinking we were being attacked or something. I'm kinda used to it by now, that kind of thing happens to me a lot. But when I came to my senses, I realized it was just Saura. He was standing there with his paws digging into the ground, gasping for breath like he almost got suffocated. He looked so panicked, like he thought he was going to die.

I knew what had happened. This is the same thing he did all last night, because of that nightmare, jumping awake constantly. I remember Gardevoir said this would still happen sometimes, when his mind brushes up against the nightmare. It was still hard to see him in so much pain and worry, though.

It was like he had the Call. In just a few seconds, we were all wide awake and gathering around him. Prince and Scythe both rolled their eyes and went away. Ray stayed standing there. He looked worried. He didn't know whether to come help, or just go back to sleep. I nodded and let him know it was okay to go back to sleep.

I came up to Saura and asked him if he was okay. He said he just had a nightmare, but couldn't remember what it was about, and he said he was trying really hard to remember because it felt like the dream was important.

So… I told him the truth. I told him that's why he had his memory erased. I told him that it's something he doesn't want to remember, so he shouldn't try. It would make him feel better if he didn't remember it at all.

He looked at me. It was… unreadable. I don't know what kind of emotion that was. It was something that I've never seen on his face before. He was confused, and… desperate, I guess. Like he really needed me to help him somehow. Like he needed me to go into his mind and pull out his memories for him.

That's when I realized it. We had lied to him earlier. We told him it was the Watcher that took his memories away, not Gardevoir. I cursed myself. I hate lies. They're so hard to keep. You always slip up sometimes when you're not concentrating. You can't just keep concentrating on a lie forever.

So I kept telling him the truth. I told him he decided to have his own memories erased because they were hurting him. I told him I couldn't give him his memories back even if I wanted to. I told him they were memories that I never shared with him. They happened before we met.

Then he turned away from me, and I think he fell asleep instantly. I knew he was really tired.

The second time…

The second time, it was really early in the morning. The crack of dawn. It was the time Team Ember used to get up and go out to do our missions.

He nudged me until I woke up. I stretched out and yawned, letting the warmth of my ember spread to my limbs, getting ready for an early day's work. Habit. Ray would have jolted me if I didn't get moving quickly.

I opened my eyes, and I was confused for a moment. It wasn't Ray, it was Saura. And I was sleeping in the middle of nowhere.

Oh, right. I'm not home. I'm not doing missions anymore. Always a disappointment to remember that.

"What is it?" I asked him. "What's wrong?"

He looked at me. He wasn't sad, he wasn't angry. He looked… emotionless. Like he was trying to hold back tears or something, but doing very well. He looked really serious.

"I'm sorry," he said.

I didn't know what to say. I honestly didn't. The way he said it, it sounded just like he did before he had his memory erased. When he apologized to me. I realized that maybe he might have remembered saying that. To make sure, I decided to ask him.

"For what?"

"I… I don't know," he answered as he shook his head. "I just… I don't know."

I got on my feet, I looked into his eyes, and then I gave him the biggest hug I could.

That's something else I do a lot, too.

We Charmander are emotional creatures. I learned that on the first day. This fire is strong. It makes me care a lot about what others think of me. It makes me proud and confident, and angry when things go wrong. But as strong as a flame could be, it's also delicate. It's vulnerable. It needs someone to help keep it burning when the wind starts to blow. Someone to hold it close and protect it. Because no matter how strong I've gotten, how easy it becomes to use my fire, or how good I get at holding back tears, nothing has given me more strength than having Saura there for me.

I guess Saura is the same way, too. He could never make it on his own. He loved his family so much, and now I've got to be the one to replace them.

I've always wondered if all Pokémon are just born like this. I see it in almost every Pokémon I've met. We're so quick to form bonds with others. Powerful bonds that we'd never let break if we could help it. It's like we're born as puzzle pieces and it's important that we click into place somewhere. It wouldn't surprise me if our hearts just have some kind of code written on them like that, that we are just impressed upon so easily. I don't think I was ever a Pokémon trainer as a human, but even I knew that the bond between a Pokémon and a trainer is something you just can't touch. That absolute, unbreakable bond. It's something you couldn't really understand unless you felt it yourself.

And now, I know what that's like, because I love Saura like a brother. And I don't care what kind of memories he does or doesn't have, I need him there. And he needs me.

"I forgive you," I whispered to him. "Always."


	51. Chapter 42, Part 2

**Chapter 42**

**Part 2**

My name is Scythe. I have another name, but it's irrelevant right now.

Someone is following us.

It has been six days since the start of our expedition. Yesterday, we entered this zone which Prince called the Cedar Stone Crossing. Why it is called that I don't know; the stones here look nothing like cedar. But that is also irrelevant. It's a rock Pokémon habitat which makes a decent shelter from the elements; it would even protect us from the Watchers except that they don't come this far north. It reminds me vaguely of a place I once knew called the Shattered Plateau. Once we pass through this place, the path to Zerferia will lay just ahead.

There has been a distinct change in the wind since we entered this place. It smells different. I know there is someone tracking us, less than half a day behind us, though I cannot tell who or what it is. I cannot even tell how fast it is approaching.

I ask myself what else Arceus could throw at me that he hasn't already burdened me with.

For two reasons, I cannot reveal I know of their presence. For one reason, I would lose the element of surprise. I can feign ignorance well enough to draw them closer, then try to learn of their means and motives. Unless Enigma is onto me in some way I cannot comprehend, The five of us should be enough to beat them in a battle if that's what it will come to.

Second, I would destroy my own cover. And I need my cover because it's all I have left.

Both Prince and Arceus have thoroughly destroyed all of my plans. My first plan died when the tower appeared and Alakazam ordered me to accompany Char to this godforsaken place. My second plan died when Prince refused to leave me alone. My third came crashing down when the Watchers attacked and left me no opportunity to leave with only Char. And my latest working idea was destroyed by Prince's ploy to hide the true location of the tower from me the entire time.

I discuss the matter with my daydreams, and they tell me I only have one more option. It is a danger and a risk to myself and to all of these Pokémon in my care, but it is all which remains on this disastrous journey.

Prince… I am an idiot for underestimating him. He was one of my closest partners for nearly a decade. I should have expected he would have known how to trick me if he put his mind to it. Instead, I had hoped we would not have encountered him at all. My hopes were too high.

He will be a difficult opponent to take down.

And I… I am so exhausted... My focus dwindles to dust… Rarely have I ever been put to the test as I have been so recently, carrying the burden of Char... I do not know how much longer I can continue this ruse of sanity, this… this mask I wear. Already it has slipped in moments of anger.

I wonder, why was I chosen to play guardian to this human? What spiritual entity deemed me suitable for this job? Was it Char who chose me? Is it because of my humility, which comes only from my shame? Or because of my experience, which comes only from having been a tool of the Master? Is it because of my ability to sense the Call, which comes only from my insanity?

Or could it be that I am the only one who would have been willing to believe in his power, and to bring him this far? Perhaps he should have chosen Prince instead. Then again, Prince is still a weakling. He has learned nothing from having ruined Lily's life, it seems. He would not have been able to make the call I made on the night the Watchers attacked, and it may have cost Char his life.

He would not have been able to sense that we are now being tracked by some Pokémon.

Nevertheless, I am now Char's guardian. I brought him into my division, I raised him, and I will not reject my duty to him. He is the answer to the prayers of many Pokémon. He is also a human. I will not turn my back on him.

I serve him to the best of my ability, but it seems that every waking day my best is no longer good enough.

Blast it all! Blast this wretched, godforsaken quest! Blast the timing of the Call. Blast Arceus who thinks this is all just a joke he can play on me.

Char doesn't even know that his Call didn't summon the Temporal Tower. I don't think I have the heart to tell him. I had made some simple observations while I have been here, observations of when Prince supposedly discovered its location and I began to piece together his ploy to drag us here. It's obvious the tower existed long before I found Char. Prince couldn't have possibly crafted his plan in less than a month, deceiving both Lucario, the sentries, and everyone else who may have stumbled upon it on a chance trip up north. It couldn't have happened. It was all a happy coincidence to Prince. He knew of the tower before he knew of Char. When he heard of Char's existence, he knew it was his one and only chance to defeat the ghosts of his past and fulfill what his ill-fated Silver Division had failed to accomplish.

Thus… it is unlikely we will accomplish anything of significance on this blasted trip. By some fortunate twist of fate, Char might win the heart of Dialga as I and all of the living resistance have hoped… that is a hope that burns doubly so in my own heart…

But fate has never been that kind to me, and I know well enough that it is not going to start any moment soon. I know Dialga will not be spellbound by the Call, unless by some happenstance Char activates it again at the tower's spire. Dialga likely does not even know that we will be coming. He may just turn his divine rage upon us for trespassing and banish us from his home. And so, I must expect—expect and assume—that life will carry on as normal the day after we descend the Temporal Tower. And so… my plan carries on.

What plan? _What_ _plan??_ I… I'm running out of time to answer that question. Even my daydreams lately have little to offer me.

These Pokémon I must usher to the time dragon… none of them know what is expected of me. Char has tried to sympathize with me, but I have hidden the true gravity of this situation even from him.

It's Adiel's doing.

He wants me. He wants me _dead_, to be exact. But he wants me to die with my throat between his own claws, after he has tortured me and drained the last of my energy. He's anticipated that satisfaction from the moment I tried to rescue him from the Master's fortress, but failed.

I've also anticipated this duel between the two of us. I knew it was coming for years, and I've tried to prepare for it. The only reason we've yet to confront one another is simple:

He doesn't think he can beat me. And I, I'm not so sure of the outcome myself.

But now… he's clearly resolved his heart. Now he thinks he knows how the battle will turn. He's ready to take me on, at a time when I am _anything_ but ready. Perhaps my stealing of his own personal Bulbasaur servant was the last straw. Perhaps he is only trying to insult me by killing me before I can fulfill my promise to Shander and take back Basin Canyon. He doesn't even care about Basin Canyon anymore. He's going to harass us on the day we get the sons of Jahzara back where they deserve to be, perhaps try to slay some of my teammates as a welcoming gift, but then he will clear away and leave them alone. He's already made that quite clear to me.

I don't know _why_, of all times, he chose now. But he's going to try to lure me out into the open so he can battle me to the death.

This ploy of his… he made a couple mistakes, a couple silly assumptions of the type he's known to make, when he moved into Iron Town. That's when I solved this riddle of his. He's moving into my territory, threatening me with his leverage over the garden I claim to tend… He's parked his troops beside several cities which he knows I protect.

And he's going to threaten to siege and raze them, one by one, until I show my face and meet his challenge.

It's a trap. I'm not stupid. The duel would not be without strings attached. He's engineering some advantage over me. Perhaps he has decided he doesn't even want to duel me, but capture me and hand me off to Enigma to tease me until I beg to die.

But I don't think he knows that I've caught on yet. I don't think he knows I've deciphered his ploy even before he issued his ultimatum. And as long as he doesn't know, there still remains hope that I can trump his plan with one of my own. But between my promises to Char, and my promises to Shander, all of my plans have been torn down. And I am left without any option at all…

I've got to be in four places at once. It's the only way I will have a chance.

I don't know how this is going to work. I will have to improvise my way through these up and coming weeks. But it all starts here and now.

My plan… I must let no Pokémon know of it. Adiel will be watching in some form. He is always watching. And even when he is not watching, he knows how to extract information from sources who were. So… I must let _no_ Pokémon… not a soul on this earth, not Prince, not Char... know of what I am about to do.

…Even if it means I must knock them out and leave them behind here in Zerferia.

Prince is too clever. If I leave him awake, or perhaps even _alive_, he would interfere. He would find some way to meddle with my affairs, and it would be hopeless to try to explain the situation to him. It is one of the only things I am assured of: somehow, some way, Prince must be removed from the picture.

…Without Prince, does my precious payload stand the slightest chance of surviving in Zerferia—lost, alone, guided by no one?

Or… will his flame go out?

Only time will tell.

There is a fallback. There is one tiny fallback I have managed to implement while no one was looking. It is foolish, dangerous, and possibly disastrous. But it is a hope I cling to. It is unexpected, even by my standards, so no one could possibly predict it. And I cannot afford to have it discovered yet.

That is my cover. That is why I cannot spring a surprise trap on our faceless follower. So I follow Prince through this hallway of stones, keeping a watchful eye over my shoulder, ceaselessly asking my daydreams about my next course of action until they respond.

Around noon, we met with some resistance. Wild Geodude. I hung back to let Prince handle them; his martial arts give him an advantage over these creatures. Char tried to help him, taking it in as a training session. Saura helped with his plant-like attacks which the rock creatures also abhor.

I dared not join the battle, not when such a perfect distraction had claimed our team. Instead, I hid myself in the shadows, poised to attack our unseen follower.

I did not see them, but I still felt them. I knew they were there. I realized I didn't even know if they were stalking us, so much as trying to catch up with us. Was this a messenger? Had we forgotten something of importance back at the Emerald Division?

They would surely catch up with us if we nested in these crags this very night, which seems to be Prince's intention. Either I must convince him to forgo sleep and keep going, buying me some more time…

…or I must face them.

I decide upon something.

A simple bait-and-switch ploy would work, as long as the bait was left in the dark. It should disorient the target enough to corner them. Provided they do not command an elemental affinity that can obliterate me, it would be the simplest, safest solution.

We take a rest beneath an overhanging rock formation. It provides good shade, at least until the sun goes down. Then, it becomes dark. Not a star shines in the sky; Rayquaza's clouds block them all out. Only the howl of the wind through the crags and the screeching of Zubat is proof that an outside world exists in the shadows beyond the light cast by our two fire Pokémon.

…That is, for our mysterious follower. I, a Scyther, can see in the dark. And the dark is the perfect opportunity to strike.

I make small talk with the children as I consider my plan. I wonder if our follower also rests for the night, or if they push through the shadows to find us. I consider who I will call upon to help me. Char would be ideal, as his flame is the most attention-grabbing. However, I do not think it would be wise to put him on the front line when even I do not know what lies in the shadows. He is my payload. Risking his life is out of the question, at least until our mission is proven futile.

Instead, I choose Ray, the most experienced and powerful member of Char's team. I know he is willing to trust me even on a level greater than Char does. He generally worships me. In fact, he muscled his way onto Char's team to further his hopes of joining mine. His desire to claim a position on Team Remorse has always impressed me, and it's clear he has the skill and the strength to serve under my command. Most of my team already knows that I am planning to accept his application a few years down the line.

But I know that it is not I whom Ray worships. It is the memory of his brother, Rautzen, who was my teammate and partner for over a decade. It is Rautzen who raised him as a father would, telling him stories about my team and I and all the challenges we faced. And so I became a legend in his mind, and his heart became dead set on living up to his brother's legacy and taking his place among my ranks.

Rautzen was a spectacular Pokémon and friend. He treated us the same way he would describe us in his stories to little Ray. He treated us as though we were the mythological heroes which Legend always sung about when his tongue still graced the halls of the Gold Division. His very presence was electric; whenever he spoke, our morale would rise, and we would remember the standards we had set for ourselves and chase them with newfound vigor. And his energy was limitless; I remember how could assign him to patrol the perimeter of our outposts for a week on end, and by the time he was relieved, he would still have that same smile spread across his face, and the same spring in his step, as though it had taken nothing away from him whatsoever.

He affected me in ways I cannot change.

And now Ray… Ray wants to take his place. And while I know how much he deserves what he desires, I fear the day I welcome him to my table.

I keep no secrets from my team. Well, that is a lie. There is one secret I keep from everyone. It is something I learned while I was in the highest ranks of the Master's service. It is… something which I do not focus on very often. It is something the world is not ready to know.

But besides that, I tell my team everything I know, and I ask them to do the same. That is my policy, and that is what makes Team Remorse solid and effective. We operate as one.

And I… I dread the day when I will no longer be allowed to keep the secret from Ray about what really happened to his brother.

We have some policies regarding recruitment, you see. One of them states that a Pokémon who has a personal reason to fight against the Master is a good recruit. It is the reason I allowed Saura into the base in the first place; the Master had targeted him personally, and then his family, and we were his refuge.

I am also an example of that rule.

There is another rule… the reverse side of the first, I should say… which we do not mention very often. It states that a Pokémon who does not have a personal reason to fight against the master is likely to defect to the Master's side if they are presented with temptation. And a Pokémon who defects from our side to the Master's side will not return to ours again. In all of the history of the Resistance, this has never been disproven.

And the traitors have been our most dangerous enemies in the war. They know of our plans, or strengths and weaknesses, and our internal workings. They… are the enemies… we cannot afford to have.

Rautzen fell for the temptation.

He tried to return to us, but as a traitor. As a double agent. He was planning to leak our plans to Tallarak, a powerful general of the enemy's—A general whom I once commanded, in fact—while maintaining the guise that he was on our side.

I could not hesitate in my decision…

I ordered Daemon to kill him.

"I need you to do me a favor," I hissed to Ray, trying not to attract the attention of the others. "Can you come with me?"

He sensed I was trying to be secretive, so he nodded attentively and followed. Once in the shadows, I issued my order.

"I need you to walk in that direction," I told him. "Maintain a normal walking pace. Will you do that for me?"

"Uh, sure," he replied. "Am I looking for something?"

"No, nothing," I told him. "Just walk, until I tell you to stop. Ignore the wild Pokémon if you find any; if you are attacked, I will assist you. But go."

"Alright, whatever you say," he said with a shrug, then began to scamper down the rocky hallway to retrace the steps we had spent the day making. The soft glow from his fur helped him to see his way.

I admired his unquestioning obedience. The stripes of a true soldier. The same stripes which Rautzen had.

I took to the air, landing atop the surface of the gorge. I could not fly the whole way; my wings produce a sound that would strike terror into the hearts of many Pokémon and give away my position. So, I prowl atop the cliff's edge, remaining just far enough back to be invisible to any Pokémon who would be looking in my direction. And I followed Ray, keeping my eyes peeled for the intruder who had to be somewhere… somewhere close…

Of course, I barely had any evidence of the intruder's presence in the first place. Only my instincts, hinted at it, and I trusted them. There was something about the air. Perhaps a scent. Perhaps a disturbance in the atmosphere. Perhaps an aura that my subconscious would pick up. Perhaps echoes of a cry in the wind. But it roused the hunter in me, and I could not ignore it.

Now, I would see if my instincts were telling the truth.

Ray stopped. He froze in his tracks, as though he'd stopped at the edge of a bottomless pit and was hesitating to plunge himself into it. I winced. He was looking at something. Something obscured by rocks.

"_Scythe!_" he suddenly called, his voice breaking the silence and ringing down the rocky canyon. "Scythe… you're never going to believe this!"

I was irritated by Ray's audacity to break our stealth, but I would not judge him until I saw for myself the judgment call he had made. So, I progressed a little farther down the rim until I could get a good view of what Ray was watching.

And Ray was right. I did not believe it. Arceus had played another trick on me, it seemed, because I would have never predicted this particular Pokémon to have followed us all the way here…

Surrounded by a makeshift shelter of rocks, and sleeping soundly, was a Bayleef.

Lily.


	52. Chapter 42, Part 3

**Chapter 42**

**Part 3**

My name is Lily.

It's… a really long story of how I got here. _Really_ long. To be honest, I really don't like telling it. Ask Legend if you really want to know. And if you're lucky, he might tell you. He doesn't like the story any more than I do. But let's just say that I've been through a lot, and I'm lucky to even be alive today.

When I came to Ambera twenty-five years ago… wow, has it really been that long?… I had no idea what I was getting into. I just felt like the wind was calling me. Like life was too short, so I wanted to be bold and make an adventure out of it, just like my aunt. So I sailed across the sea and came to this place I heard of once from a traveler. A place where there's no humans, only Pokémon, and a whole new world to explore. I felt like I wanted the danger and excitement of being a free spirit.

I guess I got what I came for. And some. There were the Watchers. And then there was the Master. And then... there was the Call. The crazy ability that made me second-guess so much of my life, that makes me wonder sometimes if I wasn't destined to come here, to Ambera. When I found out I had it, I didn't really comprehend what it meant. And then Prince's team found me, and I realized my hopes of living a free life apart from the resistance were gone.

Yeah, my life has been anything but normal. And it hasn't all been fun. It's been hard. But here I am, twenty-five years later, still alive and kicking. And I'm a Bayleef now, too. It was hard choosing whether or not to evolve. Prince kinda pressured me into it at the time, but I guess it's not all that bad. It grew on me. And he was right, it was for the best. I'm a lot stronger now, and I don't have trouble looking other Pokémon in the eye like I used to.

Still… I'm not really okay right now.

I just sprinted for about four days straight to catch up with Char's team. Char's friend Ray found me while I was sleeping, and before I knew it, Scythe was in my face demanding to know why I came this far just catch up with them.

It was hard for me to really answer that. I came for a lot of reasons… it's complicated. But I was tired, and I didn't want to have to explain myself to Scythe, especially since a lot of my reasons were between me and one Pokémon only. So I just said something I knew he couldn't disagree with: I told him that I have the Call, too, just like Char, so I deserve to come with him and meet Dialga. He looked at me weird, but he didn't have a comeback.

Scythe's... hard. I've noticed that. At times, even though I respect Scythe a lot, I really feel sorry for Char and his friends for having to be with him all the time. When you learn how to lead an army in a war, I think it really does something to your head. It starts to take away your ability to have close friends. Other Pokémon start to become just tools to you. I've seen that in Lucario, and a little bit of it in Prince, but I know Prince is trying really hard to resist that, maybe because of what happened to me. Probably because of what happened to me. But Scythe is one of the best leaders the resistance has, or so I hear. I can only imagine how hard he's been treating Char and his team.

That's… one of the reasons I came. It's like Lucario said, Char's being dragged around by the collar so we can use the Call to help the resistance. And I know what that's like. I figured he could use somebody who knows what he's going through. I know I could have.

To make matters worse, it doesn't look like Scythe is in a good mood right now. Normally I wouldn't have held it against him—almost getting killed by the Watchers can do that to you—but it seems like he wasn't happy to begin with.

In my nervousness, an odd thought occurred to me: maybe he doesn't want to be here either. Maybe he's being dragged around on a leash, too.

He gave me a glare that made me swallow hard. I could tell he was really not happy that I came. Though I should have expected that, really, considering how unhappy he was about Prince coming.

But he's not the one I came to see, so I looked away and tried not to let him bother me too much.

When I followed Scythe and Ray back further through the crossing and saw the light, I nearly froze, terrified. I thought Prince was still awake. I didn't know how I was going to explain myself to him. This was going to be so hard... for him and for me. Because the one big reason I came, before all others... what I came to tell him... would probably hurt him a lot, even if that's what I was trying not to do.

I had thought I had a few more days left before I would catch up to think of what I was going to say, and maybe then I could even hang back for a while if that still wasn't long enough. But either I must've been faster than I thought, or Scythe has some crazy ability or something, to have caught me early like this. I held my breath when I came around the corner, expecting to come face-to-face with Prince.

But it was just Char's tail. I felt a little relieved when I remembered that Charmander tails don't go out when they sleep. Charmander tails don't go out until they die.

My heart skipped a beat when I saw them, though. Char and Saura were curled up together, fast asleep. Char was shivering really bad and snuggling against Saura to stay warm. And Saura looked as content as could be to have him there. That's… courage. I mean, it makes me a little nervous being too close to Prince's flame. I mean, I trust _him_ to not lose control or anything and burn me, but some part of me just instinctively doesn't trust fire. I don't think it would be easy for me to fall asleep in his arms, unless I was really scared or tired. But there was Saura right next to the fire, without a care in the world… And, wow. It's hard not to admire trust like that.

And you know, I had a weird feeling of déjà-vu when I saw them there. Here I was, barging in on their rest. _Again_. Just like I did on that night they stayed in our base. The night the Watchers attacked.

I'm the one who moved the map. Yeah, it was me. That was after Char told me that he and Scythe were planning to leave Prince behind. See, I… I went behind Prince's back that night. I was watching as Char retired to his room. Then… when I knew Prince wasn't watching, I went to go visit Char's team.

Why did I do it? Well, that's really complicated, too. It was a weird compulsion. I trust Prince with my life. I trust the judgments he makes. He was my guardian ever since the Call got me in big trouble for the first time and the Master started coming to get me. He's basically dedicated his life to protecting me. He _promised_ me that he'd never abandon me. And he's kept that promise. Whenever I've needed him, he's been there; if it wasn't for Prince, I would _not_ be alive today.

But that night… I was compelled to go… well, betray him, I guess. There isn't a nice way to put it, not even to myself. Especially now, now that I find out I was wrong. I moved the map for Char so he could leave without Prince knowing. I tried to make it so that Prince's plan wouldn't work. And I didn't even consider that doing so might condemn Char to death, so even the few noble reasons I had for doing it were worthless.

But, as for why I did it, I think I did it because… I look at Char, and I see me. And I imagine myself in his place. And I… I decided there were some things he deserved that Prince wasn't going to let him have. So I went to tell him all the things I thought he deserved to know, even though Prince told me to keep quiet. They were the things that I thought I would have deserved to know if I was in his position. Because I was there once. I didn't want the same thing to happen to him that happened to me. For Prince to risk me, that's one thing... My time is... pretty much past now. But for Char, to go on not knowing these things, for some reason, it just wasn't the same. Maybe I'm right, or maybe I'm just crazy... but that's how it _felt_.

When I came to them that night, he and his friends were surprised to see me. Why wouldn't they be? So far as they knew, I was just another member of Team Flamewheel. But then I stated to tell them my story. First, I told him about myself. I told him who I was, and what power I had. I told him that, from what I had heard, my Call wasn't even half as powerful as his, but it was still enough for me to be treated like some kind of legendary Pokémon by everyone, with everyone always trying to chase me around and capture me.

Long story short, he had a lot of questions to ask me, so I answered them. That was why I'd come, wasn't it?

I told him that everything that was happening to him had happened once in the past already. I told him about Prince, and how he let me be on his team and promised to protect me.

I told him about the Silver Resistance force: the three hundred Pokémon who had defied Lucario and chose to trust in the power of the Call—my Call—and what ended up happening to them. I told him how they all died, and how Prince and I and Team Flamewheel are some of the only survivors. And I told him how their deaths ended up saving the whole Emerald Division.

I told him that I was the whole reason the Silver Resistance existed in the first place. And I told him that since he had a Call that's more powerful than mine, he's the new reason.

I know not all of it was pleasant. The realities of the situation we were facing. Pokémon wanting to use us and manipulate us to serve their own ends. Never being able to live our own lives so long as the Master still existed. Knowing that Pokémon have been, are, and will be dying for us, and nothing we say can stop them. Maybe he got all that from what I told him... maybe not...

Like I said, it's a story I hate telling, but I wanted Char to know.

Oh, and then Scythe barged in and caught me talking to Char. I nearly sprouted a new leaf when that happened. I was so relieved to see that it wasn't Prince. It was just Scythe coming to go over the plans with Char's team one last time. That's when Char decided to trust me and told me what he was trying to do, leave without Prince. And Ray and Saura were going to distract Prince while they got away. Scythe asked me if I could go into Prince's closet and get the map for him, and that's how it happened.

…So, yeah. Everything that Lucario said to Char when we tried to barge in on his meeting, Char already knew. And so did Saura and Ray. Because I told them.

That's another reason I came. I felt just a little bit stupid for betraying everybody. I betrayed Prince because I did everything he told me not to do. I betrayed Char because the map I gave him wasn't right. So here I am, coming on the trip with them, because I just want to make it up to them and help them get to the right destination after all.

So now I'm standing in the middle of their rest stop, staring at Char and Saura and thinking about all this. At least neither of them have woken up and found me staring at them... That would be awkward, as if this whole thing isn't awkward enough already. It's just... They look so young and innocent, kinda how I wish I still was. Reminds me, just a little, of my friends back in the Evergreen Guild...

Ray comes up behind me. He asks me if I'm alright. I tell him I'm fine, and that I'm just going to go to sleep.

And so then I turn to see the Pokémon I really came to see in the first place.

He's curled up in the middle of the path, so he'd be the first one attacked if some Pokémon stumbled across us. That's so typical of him… he's always had such a protective nature. I remember how he always used to stay awake to keep me safe, especially back when he first rescued me and I was scared out of my mind after having been kidnapped and tied up to be taken who-knows-where, not to mention the Watchers. He asked me to trust him, and I did. Even though it looked like he was just trying to kidnap me too, I could tell Prince was different than them, so I decided to trust him. He hasn't changed much. Even in his sleep, and even while Scythe is standing guard for the night, he can't stop looking out for Char. It makes me feel even more foolish, to have not believed him.

My stomach turns in knots as I'm watching him sleep. There's so much I have to tell him, but… I don't know. None of the words are coming to me yet. And I'm afraid of what he's going to say when he sees me here, let alone when he finds out why I've come.

I decide to just get some rest. We can talk tomorrow morning. It's too late to be thinking about this. I just need one more night to sleep on it…

Except that as I'm thinking this, I hear a little crackle noise… His fire lights. He's stirring. His eyes blink open.

Prince is awake now. Yeah. Out of nowhere, he just woke up. And I'm just standing here, my mouth hanging open. I'm feeling my throat tighten.

He looks at me.

"…Lily?" he gasps. "What in the blazes are you doing here?"

"Y-you're awake," I stammer. I can't think of anything to say.

"Of course," he answers. "I can always tell when you're around."

I just blink.

"Your Call," he says. "It does something to the air, you know, even when you're not having an episode. We've been together for over twenty years. I learned to tell what it feels like when you're around."

Huh. Well, that explains a lot.

"Why'd you come?" he asks me.

He doesn't look too angry, just surprised. That's good. I don't like it when Prince gets angry. But it isn't helping the tingling in my stomach. It's time. I have to explain myself to him now.

So, I grit my teeth, and I… I decide to just… tell the truth. I don't know what else I could do at that point.

"I just wanted to talk to you," I say.

"What did you want to talk about?" he asks gently, sitting up and giving me his attention. He looks a little frustrated at me, at the apparent frivolity of my reasons for coming, but I think he knew there was no use arguing the point. He couldn't just send me back the way I came. Besides... if he really knew me, which he does, he would know I wouldn't come for a trivial pointless reason...

"What Lucario said," I respond, the name slightly bitter in my mouth. "Lucario wants to banish me. What are we going to do?"

Prince hums. I think he knew this question was coming. And if I knew him the way he knew me, then I knew he probably already had an answer in mind. I probably would already know it by now, too, if I hadn't ignored him when he tried to talk to me after the meeting.

"Legend is going to try to get Lucario to change his mind again," Prince told me. "You know how good he is at pulling Lucario's heart strings."

"Does Lucario even _have_ heart strings anymore?" I grumbled at the ground.

I couldn't stand it. Just thinking of Lucario was making my blood boil. I mean, I can understand why he made the decision. This is the second time the Call nearly razed his whole division. The first time it _did_ raze the whole place. So… I can imagine that his patience just ran out when he saw the Watchers attack like that.

But, for him to just… shove me out after all this time… after everything we've been through… after everything _I've_ gone through... after I've lost so much already... for him to try to take away what I still have...?

It's… it's just… it's just not fair!

I didn't ASK to have the Call. I didn't ASK to have it activate when it did, and bring the entire Master's army down on our heads. I didn't ASK for any - or at least most - of my life after the Master started bothering the Evergreen Guild. But I got it anyway, and now I'm being punished for it?

Maybe it's not even Lucario I'm mad at. Maybe I'm just angry at the world for everything it's done to me. You know, things that you can't blame anyone for, really, except Arceus maybe. But since it feels kind of silly to hate something like the whole world, and sacrilegious to hate a god, I'm stuck with hating Lucario. Not that I mind that... Even if he didn't hate my guts, I still don't think I'd like him.

But I mean, when I became a Bayleef, it made my mind stronger. I learned that there were some ways I could help control the Call when it happened. Somehow I learned how to stifle it, make it quieter, so that it wouldn't cause another tragedy just by accident. It's not something I can really explain how to do. I'm not even sure HOW I do it, so I don't think I can teach Char or anything.... But it works for me at least, so I didn't have to worry about being a liability anymore.

And what does Lucario know about that? Even now, he doesn't care about me as an individual. I'm not Lily to him. I'm just "her" or "The Call," a backfiring weapon then, a scapegoat now. And then he just _snaps_ like that after Char comes and his Call goes off for some reason… and he extends the blame to _me_, and tells me I should leave?

"What if Lucario's mind won't change again?" I asked Prince, bringing myself out of my long, dismal train of thought.

Prince hesitated to answer. His flame was staying small. I could tell that he was trying to keep himself calm.

"If Lucario will not listen to Legend, then it will leave us with only one option," Prince said simply. "We will leave."

"Are you sure that's what you want?" I asked. "I mean—"

"Lily." he said sternly to me, cutting off my words. "I made a promise to you. I'm not going to break that promise anymore. So if Lucario wants to expel you from his domain, I'm coming with you. And so the rest of my team will come with me. It's that simple."

See… I was starting to think it wasn't all that simple.

"That's what I wanted to talk to you about," I said. "Prince… what would you say if… if I… well… If I just left instead?"

I winced. I almost wished I could un-say the words. I had known beforehand that the suggestion would probably come as a blow, as much as I wished they wouldn't, but it was one thing to know, and another to see the reaction my words elicited. Prince looked confused, and hurt, like he just got stabbed in the stomach. He looked at me with wide eyes, and I kinda cowered in front of him.

"I—I haven't made up my mind yet! Honest!" I said quickly. "But I…I just wanted to talk about it."

Prince didn't say anything. I started to get worried. I think his stomach was getting tied up in worse knots than mine was. He started looking honestly worried. He said nothing, but his face told me what he was thinking: _why?_

"It's not because I don't trust you," I told him. "Because that's not true. That's not true at all. If I were to go home right now I don't think I'd even trust my family as much as I trust you..." It was hard to keep my voice from cracking. "But… I just thought… we've spent the last twenty years hiding the Call from the Master. So I thought… maybe… I could stop thinking about the Call - thinking about _myself_ for once, and think of you."

"What do you mean?" Prince asked.

I sighed hard. "Sometimes, when I look at myself… especially after something like what just happened with the Watchers… sometimes I wonder if I'm a living curse, or something," I told him. "In a way, for these last twenty years… I've done nothing but ruin your life."

"Lily, no…" he said quietly.

"I mean… you've always been there for me," I rambled. "I've always been your responsibility. You've sacrificed so much for me. I can't stop thinking… Even what I did to the old Emerald Division... you took responsibility for that. Everything I do, even when I don't have total control over it… it always ends up on your shoulders. So I wonder… after everything you've done for me, maybe… maybe it would make you happy if you... if you could focus on what you need to, rather than just me?"

He went quiet again, for a bit. He was thinking. I went over the words I had said in my own head. Some things sound better in your head and sound stupid when you actually say them out loud. This, though… some of it had come out well, other bits of it not. Sometimes it was so hard to actually figure out what I really meant, even to myself. But at least this sounded mostly right to say.

"I never had any idea you felt this way," Prince said. "Lily, if anything, you've given my life more meaning than it could have ever had."

"I know, but… I just… I just think you belong here at the Emerald Division," I said. "You have a great resistance team, and you already do so much good up here. You shouldn't have to get dragged away from that just because of me. I think you've already done enough for me."

Prince was silent for a long time. "But where would you go?"

It kind of unnerved me, to realize how much I'd thought about this already, but I continued regardless, "I don't know. I could try visiting the Black Division. Gold Division probably already has enough on their hands with one Pokémon with the Call, let alone two." I laughed weakly. "Besides... I think... I might have friends down there... I've told you about Team Echo, right?"

"I believe so," Prince said thoughtfully, "Perhaps once or twice, a long time ago."

I nodded, "After they helped me at Great Crystal City... I don't know if they all survived, or if they'll welcome me or not... but... I guess I figured it would be worth a shot... If it gets to that point..."

I sighed, looking down miserably, trying to fight back tears. "I..." I whispered quietly, "I really don't want to go... but I really am beginning to wonder if it's best for everybody if I do..."

Prince sighed. "Lily… if that is what you decide to do, I'm not going to stop you," he said softly. "If you decide that that is really what you want to do, then… I will do all that I can to see to it that you reach the Black Division safely. But… we have a month to figure this out. If you haven't made up your mind yet, we can discuss this later when we get back from Temporal Tower, and see what the others have to say. But… whatever you decide, Lily, I've always been here to help you. I've never been here to stand in your way. Don't forget that."

"I know," I sighed. "I know…"

Then we were quiet for a long time. We just sat there, staring at one another.

"Well, now that you're here, I suppose you're coming with us, aren't you?" Prince said finally. "Temporal Tower is going to be hard. We'll need all the help we can get."

"Of course," I tell him. "This is finally my chance to get some answers about this crazy ability I've had all my life. I wouldn't miss this chance for anything!"

"Well, in that case, you'd better get some sleep," Prince told me. "We've got a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

"And that makes it different from any of the other days, how?" I muttered ironically,

I could have sworn I saw him smile.

When I finally curled up to sleep, I picked a spot right next to Prince, much closer than I would have normally. The proximity to his flame made some part of me uncomfortable, but at the same time, a much bigger part of me knew how much I would miss even that discomfort, if and when I lost it.

I know I'm probably going to leave. And I know this mission to Temporal Tower is going to be my very last mission with Prince. I might never see him again. Heck, in case we forget, if Temporal Tower is as bad as they say, we might even _die_ on this mission.

But after all we've been through, I can't just walk away from him. I need to go on this last mission with him. Because I want to show him one last time that I trust him. Because I want to help him one more time. Because I know how much I'm going to miss him.

And _that_ is the real reason I came.

* * *

Late that night, something really weird happened.

I was having a dream. I don't remember what the dream was about. I just remembered that, suddenly, it _changed_. It started being filled with a noise.

I heard something.

I popped out of unconsciousness, but I didn't open my eyes. I was cringing and holding my breath. I knew what this feeling was.

It was like some kind of an invisible god was singing a single note. "The Hum", I called it. I didn't always hear it, but when I did, I knew it by heart. And my heart started racing. Soon, it would wash away my consciousness like a giant waterfall.

The Call was happening. Again. And it wasn't me.

This one was _loud_. They weren't kidding. Char's Call was seriously potent. It was going to blow me away! I actually started to feel scared.

I usually couldn't hear the Call happening. But sometimes I could. Sometimes I could hear The Hum and prepare for it. It's weird. I don't know how it works. But I was hearing it now.

It began mounting, like it was taking a deep breath, about to scream really loud. It was about to explode. I braced myself.

But then… my heart changed, somehow. It was telling me to do something. It was a weird compulsion. I couldn't help it, so I did what I was compelled to do.

_**SOMEONE HELP ME!!**_ The Call cried. _**SOMEONE! PLE—**_

_**Hey!**_

The Call stopped. I had interrupted it, somehow.

_**Hey! Can't you keep it down? **_I pleaded. _**You're going to wake everyone up!**_

_**Wait, what? Who…? Who is this? **_

_**It's me, Lily.**_

_**Lily?**_

_**Yeah. I'm actually right here with you! I'm coming to Temporal Tower with you.**_

_**What's going on?!**_

_**I… think we're using our Calls to talk to each other!**_

_**What? How… how is that possible?**_

_**I don't know, this is the first time I've ever done it! I have no idea how I'm doing this either. I'm just doing it by instinct. **_

_**Oh… **_

_**Char, listen. You don't want the world to come swarming to us while you're trying to sleep again, do you?**_

_**I hate when that happens!**_

_**Well, then you're going to have to learn how to stifle your Call.**_

_**Uh… how do I do that?**_

_**I don't know. Just… I don't know. Try it. Pretend we're speaking out loud and… like, bite your tongue or something. Or hold your breath. I don't know how to do it, but it's possible. I can do it whenever my Call starts to happen.**_

_**I can't figure it out!**_

_**Calm down. Just calm down. You're already whispering. It's alright. Just keep talking to me, and it'll be over soon.**_

_**Lily…**_

_**Yeah?**_

_**Lily, I'm… cold…**_

_**I know…**_

…

And then it ended.

My eyes blinked open. Wondering if it had all been just a dream.

Wondering _what in the flying name of Shaymin_ had just happened.

I thought I kinda had the Call figured out, at least, as much as I could seeing as though I _had it_. But…

The Call can _communicate_?

So I look up, and yeah, everyone's awake. _Everyone_. Prince, Scythe, Char, Saura, and Ray… they're _all_ standing around me, all with the absolute _weirdest_ looks on their faces. Especially Scythe. He looked like he was ready to burst out laughing. Which is something I would have never expected him to look like.

"Uh… hi?" I said meekly.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Special thanks to Gorsecloud for helping me write this chapter. More like writing half of it for me, actually. And also for bloating it up to twice its original size! I don't know about the readers, but _I_ didn't mind…

In case you're wondering, this chapter 42 was originally supposed to be lumped together into the same document. Yeah, seriously. I was going to have it be the biggest chapter, ever. But then... I thought, hey, how about if I just post them separately? They kinda stand on their own.

So, yeah, hope you're enjoying the fast updates!

* * *

**2 ½ Chapters Remain… **


	53. Chapter 42, Part 4

**Chapter 42**

**Part 4**

My name is Raikouun. You know, after the legendary beast of lightning.

A long time ago, my bro just started calling me "Ray" and I guess it caught on and it turned into my new name. I've got no problem with it; if it makes it easier for other Pokémon to call me by name, great! But it's just funny how other Pokémon can change your name like that. I don't even think I've ever told Char and Saura my real name.

I've always sorta been the odd one out on Team Ember. Char's the transformed human, Saura's the one he bonded with first, Scythe is… well, he's _Scythe_, and he's got some kind of relationship with Char that I don't really understand…

…And then there's me. The tagalong.

It's all my fault, though. I'm only here because I want to be here. I begged Char to be on his team in the first place. Let me tell you, when I heard that there was this new team that was _adopted_ by Scythe himself… wow. Ask anyone on Team Stripes, I went absolutely crazy and I just would _not_ stop ranting about it. I just _had_ to get onto that team, somehow… And I usually get what I want if I put my mind to it.

It's been my lifelong dream to be on Team Remorse, just like my brother Rautzen was. Ever since I was a baby, Bro told me bedtime stories about this mythical gathering of Pokémon called Team Remorse, and how they were led by this genius named Scythe and how he got to meet legendary Pokémon and fight epic battles and travel all around Ambera. Since childhood, it's been dead-set in my mind that I just _have_ to live up to this ideal and see this Team Remorse for myself and join their ranks.

Bro was never home very much, so I got left on my own a lot. We were both orphans. Eggs were separated from our parents, and he hatched first. So he cared for me. Every chance he could manage to take a leave from his resistance work, he'd come home and tend to me, teach me how to defend myself, and tell me stories… (In fact, seeing today how tight a schedule Team Remorse holds themselves to, I understand now how hard that must have been for him…)

I didn't stay a child for long. Life did what it does best, and it got more complicated.

For one thing, Bro just disappeared one day.

I know he probably died. I'm okay with that. I mean, what else could have happened? Maybe he got deported off Ambera somehow? Maybe he even… I don't know… got captured by the Master or something? Whatever happened, I tried not to cry for him; he wouldn't have wanted it. He had a great life. I think the best I can do is follow the example he led, and try to be a better Raichu than he was. That's what he would have wanted.

But anyway, imagine this: one day when I'm still just a Pikachu, and I'm waiting for Bro to come home like he said he would like three weeks ago, this huge black hound comes barging into my home. I panic. Bro has always told me that he had real enemies that could put me in danger if they found me. So he told me to always stay on my guard. So when this hound breaks in, I do my best and try to electrocute him. But he breathes _fire!_ Now I know I'm doomed, so I just cower in the corner…

…Then the hound (Daemon, of course) says that he's from Team Remorse. He tells me Bro's gone missing and probably will never come back. And he says that he's going to take me to stay with the Gold Division.

Oh yeah. Then I learned what the resistance was all about. And who the Master was. And how many Pokémon die because of him. That wasn't very easy to take in, learning about the brutality of life and all. But you know what? I tried so hard just to keep a smile on my face, because that's what Rautzen always did. I didn't want to see life as some kind of ongoing tragedy. I wanted it to be an epic tale of a power struggle, where we were the good guys. I told myself that this was the best bedtime story ever told, and I was living it for myself!

That was a _long_ time ago. Wow, it's crazy whenever I look back on it. I stayed on Team Stripes for so long, just wanting to perfect myself and graduate into Team Remorse… Getting on Team Ember was a real accomplishment for me. You have _no_ idea. That night Char accepted my humble plea to join his team, I was so excited I couldn't sleep. For _days_. And I still had enough energy to finish my last few missions with Team Stripes. I was _that_ happy.

…Of course, Team Ember turned out to be something _totally_ different than what I was expecting. Turns out Char was adopted by Scythe just because he was a human. An actual _human_ in the body of a Charmander. Yeah. _Those_ humans. The ones who _train_ Pokémon. The ones who they say passed knowledge itself to Pokémon-kind. The ones who they say taught Uxie and Arceus everything they know. The creatures that every Pokémon alive are secretly dying to befriend.

Oh, and he had the Call, too. Yeah, _that_ Call. The one that can make you do its bidding like you were some kind of puppet. The thing that the resistance has been expecting for like thirty years now.

And now he's my boss. Char, the human in Charmander form, is my team leader. And Scythe is my boss, too. I'm a servant to both my childhood idol and my wildest dream.

I am the luckiest Raichu on the face of the earth.

It's an absolute honor both to witness Char's story and to be trained by Scythe. And it's an even bigger honor to be here on the Temporal Tower mission with everyone, even though it hasn't gone so smoothly. Even though Scythe and Prince are having some sort of feud. Even though Scythe is losing control of his anger, and Prince is a little creepy obsessive over Char, so I don't really know who to trust the most. Even though I almost died when Char called the Watchers down on me, and a lot of Pokémon _did_ die, and Lucario actually banished Char from the Emerald Division forever because of that. Even though Saura seems to have turned into someone I've never met before. And even though now we're walking in a place where it's so cold I think my tail is going to freeze and drop off.

And yet, there's still a smile on my face. Because, you know, there comes a point when you just say "By the hooves of Arceus, this is an _epic_, and I don't even care if all this ends in the most horrible failure... as long as I'm there to see it all!"

I'm way past that point. Way, way, _waaaaay_ past.

So, yeah. Here I am, along for the ride and regretting nothing. And while I'm here, I'm going to be the best assistant I can possibly be to the _real_ heroes of this story in any way I can. Even if it means going back home, which I almost did. But I'm willing to do _anything_ for them, really… They're the ones going to be the legends. If I'm lucky, I'll be a legend by association. But that's fine by me!

Oh… uh… did I mention it's _cold_ up here?

We're headed into Zerferia. Also known as "Articuno's domain". Whoever gave it that nickname was _not_ exaggerating. I can't feel my paws! And I'm even wearing this Aspear Scarf we got from Kecleon before we left. Supposedly it's preventing frostbite from kicking in, but that's almost not good enough. Char's flame is a lot smaller than I'm used to, and it's bothering me. And Saura… Saura's bulb is starting to turn _brown_. I'm not joking. The very tip is starting to wilt.

But I'm not too worried about Saura. Turns out that Lily decided to come on the trip with us, and she's been giving Saura all kinds of advice on how to focus his energy and keep his seed healthy in the extreme cold. And I don't think I have to worry much about Char either; Prince is helping him keep his fire burning.

Yeah, Lily the Bayleef is here. That was some kind of surprise. Lily was the one who had the Call before Char appeared. Scythe and I found her just… sleeping back down the path, like she was trying to catch up with us but she fell asleep on the way. And now she's coming along the trip with us, and I don't think there's anything we can really do to stop her. Scythe isn't very happy about it, either. In fact, has Scythe even said _anything_ since Lily came? I… don't remember. At first, he didn't want anyone but Char coming with him. Now he has four others… Just looking at him now, I can tell he's really angry. I really hope something really bad isn't going to happen.

The next morning, I wake up with this awful feeling that the rest of the team is freezing to death. So I go and dig into our team's bag and pull out the Aspear Scarves and offer them to everyone. We have three, so I offer them to Char and Saura. Then I remember Lily's here now, so I grit my teeth and offer her the last one, but she lets me keep it. Whew…

Then Lily starts giggling at me. She says that last night, Char had used the Call to say "I'm cold", so that's why I'm compelled to help everyone get warmer. Then I remembered that we had all woken up in the middle of the night, because apparently Char and Lily had activated their calls and were calling back and forth to one another and having a conversation.

…That's _weird!_ But I guess having two Pokémon with the Call together like that is really rare, so we don't understand what it's like when the Call connects with another one like that. It even made Scythe burst out laughing from the ridiculousness of it all, because he can hear the Call and he heard everything they said.

I wish so bad I could hear this Call for myself. Then I could have laughed along with him. Scythe said once that anyone can learn to hear the Call, you just need to learn to listen to your subconscious mind, and that takes a _lot_ of practice. Also, you don't get very many chances to tell if it's actually working. Since I still didn't hear anything, I'm guessing I'm not there yet.

So we keep going. Days are spent covering grounds, and our rest stops are short, so a lot of our travel time is in the dark. Since the Watchers are nowhere to be seen, we can afford to travel at night. Soon, we're only a few days away from Zerferia. I tell Prince that I don't even think I'll even be able to tell the difference when we get there; I say that I can't imagine anything colder than this weather. Prince says not to worry, that I'll be able to easily imagine something colder than this when I'm being whipped in the face by hurricane-speed winds. I say not if I can't feel my face either way. He just laughs as though I have no idea what I'm talking about.

But yeah, I'm spending a lot of time around Prince and Char now, and not just to talk.

Actually… that's not totally true. That's another weird thing about this trip: at nights when we stop to rest, Char is actually talking with me. A lot.

Char and Saura used to be the masters of gossip. Every chance they got to be alone, they'd spill their hearts out talk about _everything_. Secrets, other Pokémon, _everything_. It's staggering. I know they even talked about me a lot. And hey, I'm okay with that. I mean, it's kinda their right. Char must feel really weird being a Pokémon now, so he'd need someone to talk to all the time.

At first, it bothered me because it felt like they weren't letting me be on the team with them. But that's back when I didn't know about Char being a human. Once Char told me, everything started to make sense. And then Char and Saura started letting me gossip with them a lot, and it felt really good knowing that they trusted me.

But now, on this trip, I don't think Char wants to gossip with Saura anymore. So now he's gossiping with me instead.

I don't know what's going on with Saura… Char said he got the memories of his family erased, because the ghost made them start to hurt. I don't know, I wasn't there to see the whole thing when it happened. But if you ask me, it's more like he got _all_ his memories erased. Now he babbles a lot, and he's acting all bubbly and happy all the time.

(It's actually putting _me_ to shame. That's sad.)

So Saura's really not himself. I mean, he talks to Char, but I don't think they understand each other on such a deep level anymore. So now Char's trying to use me as his outlet. And I'm… _really bad_ at being a replacement for Saura. I mean… when Char's talking with me, things get really intense. First, it's kinda hard to get past the awkwardness when he just starts talking about all his human stuff. His human feelings. The way likes to pretend his nature is separated into a human trainer and a Pokémon. …And then he talks about other Pokémon in a way that would make them strangle you if they heard anything you're saying about them. (Not to mention that I know Scythe's somewhere nearby, totally wide awake and probably hearing every word).

As he's talking to me, I start to gain a respect for Saura's role in his life. Saura was _really_ good at this. And I'm… I'm not.

This is going to be hard.

But you know what? I'm going to try. I'll learn how to gossip like Saura if that's what Char needs me to do. It might take a while, but… Hey, I said I would do anything for Char, right? Well, I will. I can't let a friend down, not to mention a _human_ friend.

"I'm getting even more worried," Char tells me one night, keeping his voice low. "Scythe looks like he's about ready to snap… he's looked like this ever since Lily came…"

"I know," I admit. "I noticed it, too. He's not even talking."

"What are we going to do?" Char wondered. "How can we help him, Ray? What do we do?"

At first I thought it was a rhetorical question. But then I realized he was looking at me, and his eyes were desperate. He was begging for an answer.

"Besides going to Temporal Tower?" I tell him. "That's what we're all here for…"

"That _can't_ be the whole picture!" he insists. "It's more than just… the tower. There's something Scythe can't tell us. And the rest of you are ruining it just by being here. Just look, at first he didn't want to bring anyone besides me. You don't think that means something?"

"But if Scythe's plan had gone according to plan, wouldn't you be dead?" I reminded him. "You'd be out here with just him… freezing to death. Without Prince being here. And nowhere even near the tower."

"What are you saying?" he asks, sounding surprised. "That I shouldn't trust him? Seriously?"

"Maybe not," I say. "Pokémon make mistakes. Nobody's perfect."

"Funny, I never thought I'd hear you say something like that," Char grumbles, looking displeased at the idea I presented. "Thought you were his biggest fan and all…"

"Well, you have to remember something," I say, admittedly being a self-proclaimed expert about my life-long idol, "Scythe does make stupid mistakes sometimes. Usually he has Daemon around to yell at him whenever he has a stupid idea. Now, Daemon's not here to help him, so… yeah, he could make a mistake. Just like he made one wanting to take you to the tower alone."

"Eh… wasn't even his mistake," Char muttered. "It was mine. I suggested it, remember?"

"It's alright," I tell him. "I think… everyone who's here right now, we need here. Well, except for maybe me. But look, Saura might have started to really wilt if Lily hadn't come to help him. And… Prince is helping you control your fire. Plus, I think Prince is helping a little bit to take Daemon's place. Scythe needs someone to challenge his ideas. So… I don't think it really matters what Scythe thinks. Really, he might just be upset that he was wrong."

"I do need you here," Char said reassured me, looking totally serious. "Believe me…"

We're both quiet for a bit, and I, as usual, start to feel horrible because I don't think my responses helped Char to feel any better.

"I think you need Saura more than you need me," I say honestly.

That was probably the worst thing I could have said, because Char gives me the biggest frown I think I've ever seen. Suddenly I feel like I want to run around the corner and call a lightning bolt down onto my head.

Yeah… I told you I'm bad at this. I cringe back a little.

Char looks away. "Saura was talking to Lily all day today," he reminds me. "I think… he's actually avoiding me."

"I don't think he is," I offer. "He's just learning how to keep from wilting…"

"Saura is a newborn again," Char says. "He's… as far as his mental health is concerned, he's only been alive for a month. He's trying to impress upon other Pokémon now. And I think… I think some little corner of his mind remembers me. But on the outside… well, yesterday we had so much time to talk, but every time we had a chance, he'd always go and talk with Lily instead… He only gave me a 'hey Char! Wonder what Temporal Tower will look like! This is going to be fun, right?' and then… he went back to ignore me again…"

Char slumped to lay on the ground, looking miserable. My tongue was tied; I didn't know how to respond to that. I did remember Saura saying that, as well as a few other little quips here and there that either had nothing to do with anything, or were really impersonal. Saura talked about the weather a lot. He also liked to laugh at how odd it was that one of his friends was a fire Pokémon, even though he hates fire. Then he just falls asleep at night with a huge smile on his face, not even thinking twice about Char.

I remember back when Saura would always stay awake as long as Char was awake. I would try, too, but I'm more of the deep sleeper, so I didn't always know when the others were awake. But to me, that was one of the things that made Team Ember what it was: if one of us suffered from insomnia, then we would all share the pain. And there was something really special about that, even though it was… well, inefficient when it came to actual resistance work.

"Figures another plant-type would make a better friend than me…" he said. "Heh, you know, before this is all over, I wouldn't be surprised if he starts being _interested_ in her…"

"Whoa, I don't think that's going to happen…" I respond, a little wide-eyed at the suggestion. "I mean, I _hope_ not. Hey, that reminds me: did you know… there are no less than two plant-type girls in the training teams back at the Gold Division who have a crush on Saura?"

This got Char's attention pretty quick.

"Huh?" Char responds, turning back to me and looking really amused at the news.

"Yeah, but they made me promise not to tell anyone, under penalty of death," I say with a wink.

"Wow, didn't know that…" Char admits, looking very thoughtful. "Huh… wonder what Saura would think of that. Do you think he would like any of them?"

"Maybe…" I trail off. "I can tell you who they are, if you'd really want… but I'm just saying, you know, they might be better choices for him than Lily…"

"Nah, you're my strongest teammate. I don't need to have a bunch of girls trying to carry out that death sentence," Char replies with a wry little smile. "But maybe… maybe a little later. I don't think they would want to kill you if I were to… you know… actually help their cause. … …But hey… Ray… just curious, you know, because I… I'm still kinda getting used to being a Pokémon, but… there aren't any trainees who… have a crush on _me_, are there?"

There were.

_Five_.

"Aww, come on, Char, do you _really_ want me to answer that?" I tease him. "No matter what I would say, I'd only make your life harder…"

"Heh… I guess not," he says, looking like he's about to laugh. "Hey, Ray?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for talking with me," he says. "I really appreciate it."

"Hey, no problem," I reply. "Whatever you need, it's what I'm here for."

So… yeah, I might not have been so good at getting to the roots of his issues like Saura could. Saura had some kind of _magical_ ability to do that.

But at least I cheered him up, right? That's got to count for something.

It's like Bro would always say. There are a lot of Pokémon in this world, and a lot of them are unhappy. But it only takes one Pokémon to change that. To make someone happy. One Pokémon, and all that unhappiness can go away. And for a lot of them, that Pokémon can be you.

And I know that when you're mad, or depressed, or unhappy, the mind just doesn't work right. Sometimes, what you really need most is a jester to make you laugh. Or a close friend to make you feel comfortable. Once you cheer up, all your thoughts will just be so much clearer. And you might be able to figure out the answers to problems that seemed so impossible before.

The real power of joy. That's one of the things Bro taught me that I will never forget.

Alright, so maybe I'm not so useless after all. Maybe.

... ... ...

A few more days have passed, and we're about to go into Zerferia.

Prince warns us all. Cedar Stone Crossing is about to open up into a tundra, and then we'll be officially in Zerferia. Of course, I hold my opinion that it doesn't really matter _what_ you call it, cold is cold. And this… is _cold._

Now I'm actually missing our last rest stop. There were a lot of little nooks in the crossing we could hole into at night. And the heat from Char and Prince was well insulated most of the time, so nights were relatively comfy and cozy. … but _then_, then we'd have to continue our journey in the mornings, and it was always _murder_.

I used to think I was lucky for having a fur coat. But that means _nothing_ here. Just stepping out into the open air makes your whole body _numb!_ And since you can't feel your body at all, you act real clumsy and your muscles convulse a lot… I actually tripped and fell on my face a few times. Do you know how hard it is to trip while walking on four legs? Yeah, that's pretty sad.

One morning I put on my Aspear scarf as fast as I could, but I didn't notice a bit of difference. Maybe it was never meant to work in Zerferia. Maybe it broke.

So then, I open up my battery sacs and let my Spark start to coarse all through me. That does help a little, the tingle helps at least make me feel like I'm still alive. Though I have to try not to touch anyone else or I'd zap them real bad.

So we're heading for this entryway into Zerferia. I've got static running all over me like some kind of armor to keep the cold at bay. In my mind, I'm getting psyched for this new challenge. I can't wimp out now.

It's dark in this last part of the crossing, and I see this blueish-grey glow from the opening in Zerferia. And I hear the howl of the wind. It's blowing sideways across the lip of the crossing; Prince says that if it had been blowing through the crossing, we wouldn't have been able to survive actually walking through here. But it's gonna sweep over us all as soon as we step out, and there's not really anything we can do to stop it. And it's probably not going to stop. Ever.

"Alright, Articuno,_ do your worst!_" I shout for all to hear, my body sizzling with my pent-up energy and my heart racing. "Bring it _on_!"

Everyone else looks steadfast, like we know we're all walking into our dooms, but we're going to do it anyway. Prince looks the most confident, since this isn't the first time he's been this far north, but I can tell even he doesn't like coming here…

Char's flame is burning pretty brightly. Maybe he got himself psyched, too.

Saura is shivering, and his body isn't such a vibrant shade of green anymore, but at least it's green. Lily keeps assuring him that it's shady here in the crossing, and that the sun is the most important part for a plant-type, so he shouldn't be afraid.

Scythe looks indifferent. Maybe he can't feel the cold at all. I don't know how bug Pokémon feel temperature, but it doesn't look like he's suffering as much as the rest of us… or maybe he just looked so tired and annoyed beforehand that it's hard to tell the difference.

But we're ready. We know we are, and there's no going back! This is it! Into Zerferia!

…

But then, just as I'm starting to feel the wind… just as we're about to actually leave the crossing…

Something moves in the air.

I look up into the sky, and I see…

… something.

It's something big and blue. That's what it looked like at first. Like a big, blue blur of… movement.

And then it starts to take shape as it comes closer.

And it's like… A bird Pokémon of some sort, with huge wings that sparkle like ice crystals and seem like they're filling up the entire sky each time they flap… and a long tail that's twisting in the wind and trailing behind it…

And then it clicks. And I hold my breath. Honestly, I became totally unable to breathe for a moment. Because I knew exactly what I was looking at.

_Articuno._

I…

I…

_I'm standing in the presence of a legendary Pokémon!_

It's… it's so magnificent! Articuno is… you see drawings of it all the time, but to see it in real life… it's like an ice sculpture, come to life! It's so blue, so many different shades of sparkling blue, and it must have a wingspan of _miles_. You'd think I'm exaggerating, but… you'd have to see it for yourself to understand.

And it just has this _aura_ about it, like it has the eyes of a _god_, and this crown made of sharp icicles on its head, and… Oh, what am I trying to do, describing what Articuno looks like? I couldn't do it justice!

At this point, I'm _frozen_. And not because I'm cold. Cold? What's that? It doesn't mean anything to me. There's this _winter snow spirit_ that just swooped out of the sky, and it's standing _right in front of me!_ In fact, I think I can even feel its breath on my face! My heart is beating _so fast_, and I can't even get a meager little squeak out of my vocal chords…

I…

I'm experiencing a type of awe that I never thought possible.

"Ah, Nameless, what a pleasant sight on such a cold day" Prince said to it with a measure of reverence. "Everyone, I'd like to introduce you to a close friend and invaluable ally of the Emerald Division. This is Nameless, the Articuno, our shepherd in the lands of Zerferia."

Of course, I can't reply at all. And neither can Char or Saura. They're just rooted to the ground, gaping at this beautiful sight, just like I am. Prince smiles at us.

"What, you thought 'Articuno's Domain' was only a figure of speech, didn't you?" he chuckled. "Nameless, I thought you were still in hibernation for another four years. Had we gotten your schedule wrong?"

The Articuno spoke. And it had a weird voice, like I didn't expect it to have at all. It had a much lower pitch than any bird I've ever heard, but it still spoke with a squawk in its voice. And it spoke very slowly, as though our language was foreign to it, and it was still learning.

"I slept," Nameless squawked, "but I woke. There was a voice. The voice complained of cold."

"Well, this is wonderful news!" Prince proclaimed, also speaking slowly and carefully to it. "Since you are awake, would you mind assisting us in our journey? We are going to the tower."

"As you wish," Nameless said.

Then it looked at me.

_Right_ at me. Into my eyes. Its eyes were even going cross-eyed. Those little, red, god-like eyes, between that huge, supreme beak and that divinely-sculpted crown, were focused _right onto me._

"I am a friend," it said. "Don't fear."

I don't remember what happened after that. The memory is a bit fuzzy.

I think I might have just fainted.

…

…

…I did, didn't I?

I actually _fainted_. I fainted from the pure awe of seeing my first real legendary Pokémon.

Me, Raikouun, the one who can take million-volt surges of lightning from thunderheads into my own body… fainted from seeing Articuno in person.

…

You know, I'm on the way to see _Dialga_. The dragon that created the time stream. Who probably looks like a living skyscraper made of blue diamonds. And I couldn't even handle the sight of a little bitty bird?

I'm such a wimp!

Well, if the gravity of this whole series of events hadn't really dawned on me yet, it has now! This story I'm living is an epic story. And epic stories have legendary Pokémon. It's no good witnessing something if you just stand there telling yourself "this isn't really happening!"

I make a resolution: when I come face-to-face with Dialga, when he squints at me like that, I'll be ready! And I'll tell him "hi"!

In the meantime, I wonder if Nameless really wants to be my friend…


	54. Chapter 42, Part 5

**Chapter 42**

**Part 5**

It brings me a melancholy sort of joy to see the children getting along so well with Nameless.

She is a very shy soul, having lived in solitude for more centuries than anyone knows, knowing only the beat of her own heart and the patterns of the winds in the sky. Though she is wild, she knows not the cruelty of evil men or Pokémon, nor the violent instincts which come from the need to fight for survival; she only knows Zerferia, her home, the skies which she has flown upon wings supreme and unchallenged. She has grown to be docile, respectful of other forms of life, willing to help those in need as a mother would help her hatchlings.

She knows her place in life; she has never needed to question it.

But the children ask her questions, endless questions, all which she is pleased to answer the best she can despite her limited grasp of the spoken word.

"I have been alive for a long time," she coos, in answer to Saura. "So long, I don't know how long. Memories drift as clouds in the wind drift, they go too far. Too far away to see. Too far away to chase. Memories and dreams become the same, and I don't tell which are flights imagined, and which are flights passed. But I know, there is very little worth remembering, in my life."

"Aren't you lonely up here?" asks Rautzen's brother. "Haven't you ever left Zerferia before?"

"I have gone south," she answers. "I have met with your followers of Rayquaza, in the past. But when I fly south, my heart urges me back, to return here, so I know I belong here, and not where else. When I am alone here, with the empty sky, I am happy."

I must smile to myself, remembering the time when I asked her all these same questions, and first felt the impossible thrill of befriending a legendary Pokémon.

When I was young, I was taught the legends were, in many ways, no different from every other creature of this earth, and that humanity hailed them as gods only because they did not know better. Mankind saw how Articuno's wings would grace the morning sky only once in a lifetime, bringing with her the winds of a winter blizzard. They saw how Kyogre would rise from the blue depths to bring rainfall to their famished lands. And so they would pray to these entities, worshipping their strength and rarity, their mastery over the elements and the weather, not understanding these 'gods' were merely species endangered by their difficulty in finding suitable mates and reproducing, hiding in the deepest corners of the earth just to prolong the process of extinction.

After having met one for myself, I still cannot say whether the humans were correct, or whether the beauty and power of the legendary Pokémon is the artistic expression of the gods themselves, their rarity intended and engineered, their purpose to teach the common creatures of the land the humility to bow to a higher power. But what I do know for certain is this: they are similar to us in many ways we often overlook.

"How did you make the wind go away?" Saura asks, relieved, like the rest of them, that the cold of Zerferia had shown mercy since Nameless came. "Do you have power over the weather?"

"I am the wind, and I am the snow," she replies, opening her wings once as though to illustrate. "Do you understand why you control your paws? Do you understand why your eyes close when you will it? So is it, with I, the forces of the sky obey commands when I will it, like my talons and my wings obey my command, and I do not understand how, but I don't need to."

"Why are you called Nameless?" Char wonders. "Did you pick the name for yourself?"

"When Pokémon began to speak with me, I didn't understand names," she explained, betraying shame in her voice. "They called me Articuno, and it made me… furious, to become sounds from the tongue, as though I was equal as nothing more than sounds. I believed it was disrespect. I did not understand it is necessary for speaking Pokémon to name things. They saw I was furious, and they asked me what I could be called. I told them, I didn't want a name. So they would called me Nameless. At the beginning, it confused me because it was a contradiction. But I thought about it, and then, it made me learn of the purpose a name. So I accepted the contradiction as my own name. "

Nameless has made great improvements in her speaking. But that is to be expected, for her teacher is none other than Legend. I can even hear some of his voice in her own. In a way, Legend's voice suits her; from the moment she learned to communicate verbally, it became clear she is as wise as she is majestic. She understands far more about life and the world than any simple Pokémon could hope to comprehend. She only needed to learn the words to communicate her thoughts. She has taught me much.

I sit back in this ditch of ours, watching as Nameless enjoys her chat with the tiny Pokémon crowding around her feet.

I see her, the incarnate breath of the gods, submitting herself as the companion to a lowly group of mortals.

I see Lily, a Pokémon who trusts me beyond any other Pokémon in the world. One who has no one else in the world to turn to, but me.

I see Scythe, an old partner of mine, perhaps the most cunning mind in Ambera, standing at my side as an equal.

And I wonder if maybe things are finally coming together. I wonder if, for once, I am doing something right.

I am Calamar Morfeaux Distragnatia, or "Prince" as my Amberan brethren know me. Some hail me as a natural-born leader. Some say that my team is one of the best there is, listed on the same breath as Team Defect, Team Regret, Team Absolution, Team Priority, and Team Remorse. Some call me a hero.

They can call me what they want, but it is not that simple.

Seventy-nine years ago, upon a foreign land, I hatched to a human master called King Davious, and to his loyal Infernape servant, King Morfeaux Bladden Distragnatia, my father. Together, they ruled a small coastal country upon a far-away continent, a people known among man for their martial strength, their unbreakable Pokémon army. Davious sat in command of the humans, and Morfeaux in command of the Pokémon. It was my birthright to one day take the place of my father as king.

Before the yolk had even been washed from my fur, my training had begun. My father taught me the arts of politics, self-mastery, and leadership. Before my first evolution, I had learned about my fire, and what happens when it goes out, and what happens when it blazes. I learned how to manage Pokémon under my command, how to inspire them, how to punish them, and how to lie to them.

I thought my purpose in life was pre-determined, but I was wrong.

There was a disagreement between my father and his master. As punishment for his insubordination, Davious ordered that I be banished. Before my father's eyes, I was knocked out and carried away. They trapped me in a Poké Ball, escorted me across two continents, and dropped me in the wild. I never saw my home, or my father, again.

When I found my way to Ambera, I had all the makings of a leader. First and foremost I was an expert at doing what Pokémon do best: battling. I knew the martial arts. I knew pyrotechnics. And I knew how to use them in conjunction to defend myself. Secondly, I had political and leadership skills. I knew how to manage a team. I knew how to make other Pokémon trust me.

I was proud back then. I did not fully understand myself. When I formed a resistance team, I convinced myself I knew what I was doing, and the other members at the Gold Division seemed to think I did as well. Alakazam, Scythe, Aether, Indigo… they all accepted me as a capable ally, a valuable asset to their cause. And I believed so, too; it was difficult to believe otherwise as we stood eye-to-eye with the best of our allies and we pulled through every task we were given.

But one day, the pieces of the puzzle started to come together in my mind… I began to realize the truth. Perhaps… I was not to be trusted after all.

I never told the team why I moved to the Emerald Division. That is because, back then, I didn't know the answer myself. I just knew I had to leave. Decades later, I realized why the urge had been so strong: my success and my comfort began to remind me of my service to the humans, and so I began to distrust. I began to expect some hidden treachery, some reason they would find to banish me or ruin my happiness there.

That is the last lesson my father taught me: when things are going too well, it means something is wrong. And so, I had to get out of the Gold Division as fast as I could, so the cold of Fort Emerald would clear my mind. I had to see for myself what was wrong.

It was not until I stood with my team, surrounded by the undefeatable foes who had captured us… as I watched helplessly as Rayquaza's Clutch burned to the ground… that I had found it.

I realized I had chosen to become a leader because that's all I knew how to do. That's all I had been taught since hatching, to stand in command of other Pokémon. But… to what end? I was no leader. I was merely playing the role of a leader. At heart, I had no guiding principles. I had no courage. I had no real reason to oppose the Master, he had never harmed me personally until now.

I… was a fraud.

I realized I had modeled my team after Scythe's, thinking it was a good team structure to copy. Vallon was designated as my foil, to challenge my ideas, like Daemon. Legend was my heart and soul, to keep my spirit lifted, like Rautzen. Azel the Salamence was my egotistical dragon, much like Scythe's Charizard. Tangrind the Heracross was my master strategist, the closest thing I had to Scythe's own mind.

For the longest time, I also needed another member, someone whom I was bound to by a solemn promise. Someone to play the role Shander played on Team Remorse. Someone to constantly remind me that I was not only a leader, but a servant.

That eventually became Lily.

And when I "saved" the Emerald Division… my ultimate sacrificial act, my ultimate heroic deed, as it will forever be known…

I was responsible for the deaths of hundreds of the division's Pokémon. The attack was imminent. Lucario said we should surrender. I said we should stand up and fight. I insisted that we should try to use the Call to our advantage. I called many of the Division's warriors to stand at my side, and so my Silver Division was born. The Emerald Division got away, to live another day… and the Silver Division stayed in their place, to die for them.

I realized it was not some master plan of mine. It was not my wisdom or my tactical knowledge speaking. It was not a calculated risk. What was it, then? Pride. It was blind pride, the fury of a roaring fire, which caused me to stand up to Lucario that fateful day and insult him for cowardice. It was me, a little child, standing in the name of my father, defying the king…

The army of Sicarius forced me to watch Rayquaza's clutch burn to the ground. They made me watch as they slew the army which I led. They made me watch as my own teammates, Vallon and Azel, bled to death at my feet. And thinking the Emerald Division was no more, they let me live, so that I could spread the word to future generations that the Master is not to be defied.

And I saw the fire consuming my home, and the ashes which drifted down and mixed with the snowflakes… and I realized that it had come from inside of me. It was _my_ fire. And it meant… nothing.

Today, I have Legend to paint the event in a positive light for me. Thanks to him, generations will know the story of a brave struggle, a sacrifice, and the hero who saved Lucario and all of his followers—me—and not the story of a meaningless tragedy which tore out the heart of the Emerald Division and smashed it into the snow.

We salvaged the Rayquaza statue and laid it in pieces in the new fortress, never to be erected again. To some, it remains as a reminder of the power of our great enemy, and what he will to with us if he is not checked. To others… It remains as a reminder of what really happened back then, even while it seems life goes on as normal each day.

And now… here I am… guiding this little human-turned-Charmander to meet Dialga.

Scythe is absolutely correct in accusing me of using Char to redeem myself. But… why is it bad that I want to help him? That I want to bring him to Dialga so that he might regain the memories of his humanity, and so his powerful ability might be brought under his control? Scythe seems so intent to keep me away from Char, as if I would somehow harm him… I just don't understand. I don't understand why such a rational and perceptive mind as Scythe's would fail to realize that I mean no harm. I am only here to make sure this expedition works, because I know it would not work without my intervention. There are too many unknown variables Scythe does not seem to have planned for…

I do not believe the attitude he has. We were partners! Why can't we work together now? Why must he keep secrets from me and try to force me away? Is he… trying to get back at me for leaving _him_ back at the Gold Division?

Is it because he doesn't trust me to Char, because of how I treated Lily?

Part of me isn't surprised in the slightest that Lily came with us. After all, when I abandoned her to the Watchers to save Char, and when she miraculously survived, and when I promised her that I'll never abandon her again… what did I do next? I promptly abandoned her again.

Perhaps Scythe is right; compared to him, I'm a pathetic guardian to those I claim to protect, whereas he so viciously guards Char from me…

Lily has expressed a desire to leave me and go be on another team. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised at that, either. She wants to relieve me of the promise I made to her that I would stay at her side, and never let her fall into the hands of someone who would abuse her for her power. Now she came running to me, and she says she feels sorry for being a burden to me, says I deserve to live my own life for once, rather than having the Call dictate everything I do. She says that if Lucario will banish us, that I should stay here, and continue to be the great leader hero that I am, and that she will be able to take care of herself.

I… don't know what to tell her.

Should I admit that she is the reason I have made it this far? Should I tell her that, if it was not for the promise I made to her, I would have disbanded the Silver Division and simply joined the Master, simply from my own shame and loss of purpose? Should I tell her that I doubt my life has any meaning apart from her?

No… I can't. I shouldn't frighten her by saying these things. It would only confuse her more.

But… The ultimate truth of the matter is that this expedition is all I have left. This, the final stretch, the final desperate attempt to understand the power known as the Call… If this falls through, and if Lily leaves to find another place in life, then I don't have the slightest idea where life will lead. It is as though I am blind, and I just can't see any of the days past that point, in hopes they don't actually exist.

If it comes to pass, I suppose I will simply hear Legend tell me why we carry on each day, and I will go from there.

They can call me what they want, but I am no true leader. I am no true hero. But once this expedition is complete, I can say that I have finally done all I can. I can say that I have fulfilled the purpose on which the Silver Division was founded. I can say I tried.

Evening comes, and the children are still going on and on with questions for Nameless. I would feel bad for her, but she does really enjoy this kind of attention; she admits it helps her practice language.

"What do you eat?" Saura asks her, as we were discussing the likelihood of having a meal this evening. "You… eat other Pokémon, right?"

"Brown furry ones," she replies nonchalantly. "It's hard to find else. But I have hunger doesn't come often. Only some years, I am overcome with hunger."

"Are you hungry today?" Saura asks, betraying some nervousness.

"No," she replies. "I feel fine."

Her mind changes quickly, though, when she sees me pull two monstrous, sparkling apples from the bag which Scythe carries. She watches with intense interest as he slices them in fourths and as we all eat our fill from these wonderful fruits. I know full well how enrapturing the scent is, and I see how she stares at them with pleading eyes as it wafts up to her. It tugs on my heart strings.

Finally, I ask her if she would like some, and I give her to two remaining fourths. She pecks at them, and they disappear with frightening speed.

"I have never eaten a plant before," she says soon after. "I have a good impression now. I could learn to enjoy eating a plant."

Of course, this sends a shiver of fright into both Lily and Saura. I cannot help but chuckle. Realizing the implications of her words, Nameless laughs along, and reassures the two children that as long as she is around, no Pokémon will be eating them.

Then, she surprises me… because, after several straight hours of answering questions, she decides to ask one herself.

"I wonder sometimes, what I am," she says to the children. "Why are you so happy to see me? Why do other Pokémon regard me so high? Am I so special?"

"Hey, you're a _legendary Pokémon_!" Rautzen's brother laughs. "You are awesome! Everyone wants to meet legendary Pokémon!"

"But, what does that mean, to call me, a legendary Pokémon?" Nameless asks. "I am called that a lot. What is legendary? I know, the word means that they told stories of me. But they told stories of Prince too. So why is not Prince legendary too? How it is different? I wonder sometimes…"

"Well… legendary Pokémon are _really_ rare, for one thing," Saura says. "Everyone thinks that there's only one of you in the whole world! And some don't even think you exist at all! They think you're a myth!"

"There are others of my kind," Nameless claims. "I have seen them, very very long ago, flying the sky… but I never approach… I was shy."

"Also… you're really powerful, you know!" the Raichu beams again. "You can control the snowstorms! And you could probably beat any other Pokémon in a battle that you wanted! So… everyone is happy to have you on their side!"

"But I am… as weak as you," she says, again with a sheepish tilt of her head. "With weakness, there is fear. I have no fear when I am here, with my sky. But… I have gone south before, where it is warm… and I have felt deep fear. Prince wanted a battle to me, once, because he said Pokémon enjoy to battle for fun. So I try, and I defeat him. But then, we battle again, this time three of his friends help, and they all battle to me at once. And I fail that battle. If four Pokémon can defeat me… how strong am I, if there are countless of Pokémon in the south?"

"But… but… that doesn't mean anything!" Ray insists. "There are rules to battles, you know! Pokémon are weak to some things and strong to other things. Prince was probably using fire on you, that's how he beat you! You know, the weakness web? Fire-water-leaf? You… just need to be trained. Learn to counter your weaknesses. Then you could be unstoppable in any battle!"

"But, why…" Nameless says. "Why would I learn to battle? I don't enjoy battle… … I feel deep fear, whenever I think of battle…"

Ray looks as though he was about to have another comeback, but it catches in his throat. He simply fall silent for a moment… disillusioned, no doubt.

"You're beautiful," Char submits, standing up before her. "There aren't very many Pokémon who are as beautiful as the legendaries. And of all the legendaries, you are one of the most beautiful."

"Thank you!" she squawks. "You are beautiful too!"

"Uh…"

"Fire… is beautiful," she says fondly, staring at him. "The way it glows, and changes, like the wind and the stars, so there is light when the sun is gone… It is mighty, dangerous… I sometimes want to be a fire Pokémon."

Char looks floored at this complement. He simply sits back down, speechless …Just as I was, when Nameless said the same thing to me.

... ... ...

That night, I am happy as I nod off to sleep.

Lily is beside me. Nameless is flying somewhere; she doesn't need sleep, since she just woke from hibernation. It's much colder without her to stifle the weather, but we'll be fine. And Scythe is off somewhere in quiet reflection, like he usually is at night.

Me… I'm laughing.

After dinner, I had decided that tomorrow would be the day I would insist that Char wear his fireproof tunic, just as he promised he would. So, when I went to replace the bag which contained the last remaining Golden Apple, I shifted through the supplies I had placed in there personally…

…and I realized I had forgotten to pack it.

I wrack my brain, wondering why and how I could have missed such an important article of clothing… it was _right there_, in my team's bag, right on top. There was no earthly way I could have avoided it while I was transferring the supplies over…

So, I give Char a very rude awakening, knocking him upside the head and demanding to know if he'd taken the tunic. He tells me very plainly that the thief who had taken the map also removed the tunic upon his order, and stashed it somewhere back at the base, so that I wouldn't find it when I was packing. And he says this all with a clever little smirk on his face which I will swear was copied from Scythe.

And so, the realization hits me… I could outwit Scythe in a mind game, yet I couldn't outwit the little Charmander.

_Clever_ little human.

I congratulate him on his silly and possibly fatal victory, and I remind him that he has no further right to complain about the cold. He tells me he wouldn't have had a right to complain about the itch, either, so now he's even.

_Bah._

I can't be angry at him. I'm proud, actually. Scythe is already teaching him well how to get what he wants from Pokémon who disagree with him.

So… I'm lying with my back against the rock, laughing to myself at the absurdity of Char's stunt, ready to let my mind drift away and recharge for the night… when Nameless swoops down from the sky and beckons me. She whispers, something she does not normally do.

"Prince, may we talk?" she asks me. "I… must say something to you… in secret."

So, I climb out of the ditch and follow her several yards to the east, where she stops and spreads her wings, as though to shield our conversation from eavesdropping.

"What is it?" I ask of her. "What's wrong?"

"The… green one… What is he called…" she says nervously. "With blades."

"Scythe," I tell her. "What, what's wrong with Scythe?"

"He asked to… to speak with me, just now…" she admits hesitantly. "And in secret… he asked me… to help him."

I scratch my forehead. This sounds odd. I wait for her to continue…

"He asked if I would help him, understand?" she says again. "Understand, Prince?"

"Yes, but, what did he need help with?" I respond. "And… what did you say to him?"

"He told me… he needs me to battle you," she whispers. "After returning from the tower, he asked if I… would help to _knock you unconscious_."

_What…?_

"He… might be an enemy, Prince!" the Articuno says with urgency. "He is… against you!"

"No, no…" I assure her. "He is not an enemy. The only enemy is his silence."

She blinks in confusion, so I reword my metaphor.

"He is planning something, but he refuses to tell me what it is," I explain. "If only he would tell me, I would be able to assist him with whatever he needs. But… he refuses to tell me. So… I suppose it is up to me to figure it out for myself."

"I will watch him!" Nameless hisses, ruffling her feathers. "I will not let him hurt you or the little ones! I will stop him if he tries to!"

"Easy, easy, Nameless," I say in a soothing voice, knowing that a lethal blizzard will form if she grows angry. "He will not harm them… If he is not planning to attack until _after_ the tower mission is complete, you need not worry now. He is a good ally."

"What about after you return from the tower?" Nameless asks skeptically. "Will he still be a good ally after?"

And I don't know how to respond to her.

You see… up until this point, I assumed that Scythe just didn't want me to be involved with the Temporal Tower mission. I assumed he needed to, for some reason which I did not know, bring Char to the time dragon all on his own. Due to his failure to communicate _anything_ to me, I had assumed he just wanted me out of the picture altogether.

But… _After?_

I scratched my forehead again. This was _confusing._ Because, if he wasn't planning to put his plan into action until _after_ the mission ended… If he was, the entire time, entirely _willing_ to let me scale the tower with him…

…Perhaps this plan of his has nothing to do with the tower at all.

…And perhaps… I am in huge trouble.


	55. Chapter 42, Part 6

**Chapter 42**

**Part 6**

As the sun slowly set upon a peaceful summer evening, a young Bulbasaur and her Ivysaur brother comfortably snuggled together beneath a protruding root formation of a giant sycamore tree.

The Ivysaur smiled warmly at his little sister. "Now, wasn't that fun?" he asked her as he watched the countryside turn many beautiful shades of red and purple. "I told you Nincadia would be cool. The hot springs were pretty amazing, weren't they?"

"Yeah…" the little Bulbasaur sighed, her eyes already closed.

"Hmm… where should we go next?" the Ivysaur wondered. "The world is such a big place. We have so much to see… Maybe we could go to Great Crystal City? It's a long way, but I hear it's a beautiful place… I hear there's a huge crystal in the center of the city that's _so big_, not even the humans could build something bigger!"

"Wow," the little Bulbasaur muttered quietly. "That sounds amazing."

"Maybe, if we're adventurous enough, we could even try crossing the ocean…" the Ivysaur considered. "Ever wanted to meet the humans? We could do that, if you wanted…"

"That would be awesome," the little one admitted. "Hey, Saurvor…?"

"Yeah?"

"I really miss Saura… I wish he could be here with us…"

_**I miss you, too, Saurlee…**_

"Yeah, yeah, me too," Saurvor admitted, his gaze drifting out to the horizon. "But… I think Saura's really happy where he is right now. We shouldn't worry about him."

"Really?"

"Yeah, really…" Saurvor said, comforting her. "I think he's somewhere really far away right now, seeing things that Pokémon never thought possible… like meeting legendaries! And fighting all sorts of exciting battles with all his new friends. As long as the Master doesn't find him, I bet he'll be really happy, wherever he is."

The little Bulbasaur sighed again, setting her head down upon one of her brother's legs.

"I miss mommy, too…" she whined. "Mommy will be worried about us!"

_Saura, listen to me._

"Hey… you know, there comes time in every Pokémon's life where they have to grow up and go live on their own, you know?" Saurvor said gently. "That's why we have families to raise us, so they can help us learn how to take care of ourselves, so one day we can go and do what we want."

_Saura… listen to my voice._

"But I didn't want to go," the little Bulbasaur cried. "I didn't even get to say goodbye…"

"Well… life's not always fair to each and every Pokémon," Saurvor said. "And hey… just think of how mommy and daddy will think of us, acting all grown-up and taking care of ourselves."

_Saura, focus. Concentrate on my voice._

_**Gardevoir?**_

_Yes. It's me._

"And hey, Saurlee… whatever happens… you've still got me. I'm not going to go anywhere."

"I love you, Saurvor."

"I love you too, Saurlee."

The two Pokémon relaxed, reflecting on the day's journeys and enjoying the peacefulness of the late evening atmosphere. Before letting his own eyes flutter shut, Saurvor cast one last lazy gaze out at the countryside…

…And he saw something.

It was a red, four-legged Pokémon. A hunter. And it was on the trail of a scent it had been following for weeks now.

_**No!**_

_Saura, you have to listen to me._

_**No! Saurvor, no!**_

Saurvor held his breath.

"No… it's Flareon!" he gasped. "Saurlee… wake up! Saurlee! Wake up! We have to leave, _now!_"

The Flareon sniffed around, its beady eyes burning with an evil glow in the orange sunset… it knew what it was after, and it knew it was close. They weren't getting away this time.

_**NO! Saurvor! Saurlee! No!**_

_Saura, this isn't real. It's your imagination. Listen to my voice. Hold onto my voice. _

Quickly panicking, the Ivysaur rustled his little sister from her rest. He held his breath; the Flareon was so close. There was very little chance of escape.

Then… the Flareon lifted its head… and his eyes locked with Saurvor's…

_**NOOOOO! NOOOO! You can't! You can't get caught! NOOO!**_

_Alright… that's it. I'm ending this myself._

…

…

_**No… no… black… it went black… it's gone…**_

_Yes. I stopped your little dream._

_**Thank you… It's… It hurts so bad, Gardevoir. I can't sleep anymore… I'm so tired…**_

_That's why I'm here to help you. Have you made a decision yet?_

_**Yeah… please, just… I don't care. Erase my memories. Do what you need to. Just… I don't want it to hurt anymore.**_

_Have you thought about it? Do you understand all the repercussions this will have? _

_**Yeah…**_

_You won't recognize them anymore. They will just be like any other Pokémon. If someone tells you that you are related, you will not believe them at first._

_**I know…**_

_And your personality will be affected as well, you know. You will be a completely different Bulbasaur. You might have trouble getting along with your friends… It is because your memories of your family affect many of your motivations._

_**I… I know…**_

_I'm just saying, Saura. This is not an easy decision. This is a very significant decision. Even though you are feeling pain, do not take it lightly._

_**I thought about it, Gardevoir… I can't… I can't keep going like this. Scythe ordered me to do this or he might kick me off the team. And I don't… I don't want to be angry at Char anymore! Char thinks we're not even friends anymore. I yelled at him, Gardevoir! I even attacked him when he tried to help me! and I just… I don't want to do this at all… but I think I need to…**_

_Very well, then. I respect your decision. You are in a very difficult place, and your decision is understandable. I will carry through._

_**I'm… so sorry…**_

_Alright, Saura… just relax. Relax your body. Pretend I'm not even here. You might feel a bit confused as I'm working, but everything is going to be fine. Are you ready?_

_**Yes…**_

_Good. Now, I will begin to search the branches of your memory, and look for the best place to start…_

…

…

…

_**No!**_

_What?_

_**Wait! Stop! Just… stop. I changed my mind! Don't do this! Please! I can't! I just can't! **_

_Are you sure?_

_**I'll suffer! I'll live with this! I'll find a way! I don't care if I never sleep again, just, please, don't erase my memories! Pleeeease! They're… they're all I have...**_

_Saura… it's alright. It's perfectly alright. I wasn't actually going to touch anything._

_**...Really?**_

_Of course. Your final decision was obvious from the beginning. After all, it's not like I can read your mind or anything._

_**Oh, no… but… but if I don't do this… what am I going to do now, Gardevoir? It hurts so bad, whenever I think of them, there's pain… and Scythe, he'll be angry at me… and Char, too… What am I going to do?**_

_Well, here's what I'm going to do. I can't take the nightmare from your mind. It's part of you, now. But I can release a lot of endorphins into your system. They'll help for a while._

_**Endorphins?**_

_It means I'm going to make you feel really happy. It should help to relieve the pain for a few days. We should also be able to trick Scythe into thinking I did what he wanted me to do. I'll ask you some questions, just answer them as though you have no memories of your family. He'll fall for it, I'm certain._

_**But the happy feeling is going to fade away, right?**_

_Of course. The pain is going to come back later. But I can do nothing to stop it. Only you can stop it._

_**I can stop it? Really? How do I do that?**_

_It is unlikely the nightmare will ever move from your mind. Unlikely, but not impossible. If you want to make the pain go away, you will either have to forget about them all on your own, or come to terms with what you have done to them. Learn to accept your past, and your present, and do not let it haunt you. And do you want to know a secret?_

_**What?**_

_That's the way _everyone's_ minds work. Everyone has painful memories, which they must learn to block out, or come to terms with. Even humans. It's the way the mind was built to run. But that's not to say it will be easy. It will be difficult, just as it is difficult for everyone._

_**Yeah, but… Scythe did it, didn't he? And he made it this far. Maybe I can do it, too.**_

_That's the spirit, Saura. Though the nature of his insanity is very different than yours, you are correct. You just may. Now… are you ready? We will put our plans into motion now. _

…_**Yeah. Alright, let's do it.**_

_You're going to feel drunk with happiness. It may impair your judgment a bit, but I will help you answer my questions, if you need it. Now, just open your eyes, and… _

…_Hold on for a moment. That can't be._

_**Huh?**_

_Hmm… that is very strange._

_**What's wrong?**_

_I just noticed something… unexpected. Saura, I may actually be able to help you after all. Will you let me delve a little further into your mind?_

_**Uh, sure. Do whatever you want.**_

_Very well. Make yourself comfortable… we might be here for quite a while._

… … …

My name is Saura, and yes, I am a big fat liar. And a coward.

I just couldn't do it. I knew I had to, but I couldn't just throw away my life's memories like that. So, when Gardevoir came to erase my memories, I… wimped out.

And here I am now, somewhere deep in Zerferia, and I'm pretty sure I made the wrong decision. My brain hurts so bad. I can't even sleep at night. Whenever I finally get to pass out, I always wake with a start as soon as I see my dreams, and I scare Char and Ray, too. The dreams are always the same: Saurvor and Saurlee are getting chased by that Flareon. The Flareon that wanted me captured. The Flareon that wants them to die now, as punishment for what I did.

I know that's probably not true. They could be fine. They probably are. But this nightmare that the Watcher put into my memories won't let me think otherwise. Gardevoir says I either have to block it out, or learn to accept it. I have no idea how either of those things are even possible.

Before we left, Gardevoir did something to my brain that made me feel really comfortable. It made the pain go away. It also helped make it easier to convince Scythe that I'm perfectly fine now, because I have been admittedly acting a bit weird, like my brain's messed up. But whatever Gardevoir did, it's gone now. And I've been trying to keep acting the way it made me feel for as long as I can, hoping that I could keep the pain away like that. And it works… sometimes. It's hard to act happy all the time… especially when, deep down, I'm really not.

Char and I aren't friends anymore.

He's been avoiding me. I can't say I blame him. I did snap at him when he tried to help me. And I started pushing him away. And now whenever he wants to talk to me, I cut the conversation short as fast as I can and I start ignoring him again. Why? Because I think I'm actually blaming him for what happened to me, and what happened to my family. Yes, I know that makes no sense. I tried telling my feelings that. They didn't listen.

And also because I'm… well, I'm afraid to tell him that I didn't really get my memories erased. He really wanted me to do it. He knew it was best for me. But I just had to go and wimp out, and I… I'm afraid that if I tell him for real… he'll hate me. I don't know. I just don't want to find out how he'll react. I know him too well; if he finds out I've been lying to his face this whole time, he may never trust me again… and I'm so afraid of that, I'm even afraid of just being around him right now.

I can't blame him for not wanting to talk with me anymore. I can't blame him for spending more time with Ray now. It's probably best for him.

Looking at myself, I still can't believe it's possible to feel so bitter. I'm not really like this! Or, at least, I wasn't like this before. The Watcher really brought out the worst in me. Now, it's like… I hate Char. And I hate Scythe. And I hate life. Except that I don't! It's… so confusing!

I'm not even going to Temporal Tower because of him anymore. I'm going only because I want to go. I feel like I deserve it. Just like Lily. Lily has the Call, too. That's why she came along. Prince was going to leave her behind, but she wanted the same answers we all wanted, so she decided to come with us.

I've been able to pass a lot of the time talking with her. She's a very nice Pokémon; hearing her talk helps me take my mind off the pain, and the cold. In fact, she's told me a lot about plant Pokémon, and the way we handle weather conditions, that I never knew before! Living in a temperate climate all my life, I never knew how my system would react to different environments.

"Your bulb is a symbiote. That means it's there for your mutual benefit," Lily tells me. "Just like the leaf on my head and the ones around my neck. There's actually a whole plant inside of me, but it's woven in with my body in a really complicated way. Not like your seed that's just rooted to your back. Anyway… it's a symbiote. When you're healthy, it's healthy. If you drink water and spend time in the sun, it'll soak up energy and grow. But if you're in trouble, it'll turn around and start giving you its energy to help you stay alive."

"Interesting," I respond. "So does this mean… if I'm in big trouble, it will take the fall for me?"

"Yep!" she says cheerfully. "If you start running out of sunlight or food or water, it will give you the last drops of its energy, until it dies first! After all, if it didn't give back to you when you're in trouble, then it would be a parasite, not a symbiote, and Bulbasaur would have started evolving without them over the line!"

"Heh, then we wouldn't be Bulbasaur anymore," I joke. "Just 'Saur' I wonder… if my seed died, could I get a new one?"

"I think so," she says with uncertainty. "But it wouldn't help you out as much. The one you have now is really rooted into your body, since it's been there all your life. You've even got nerves running into it. That's how you can control your vines and stuff. If you had a transplant… well, it wouldn't be connected to your system as much. It'd be more of a decoration than anything else!"

I have to cringe at the thought of losing my bulb. It's not a pleasant thought. Without it, I'd be a pathetic, helpless little Pokémon. Not only would I be completely unable to defend myself with any special attacks, I'd probably starve to death in just a few days.

"But don't worry," she says, sensing my discomfort. "It's _really_ hard to kill your plant. See how it's a little brown now? It's under a lot of stress, but Pokémon are built for stress. It's not even _close_ to dying! Your photosynthesis is still working fine, and you're also eating really well. That golden apple we had? I bet your plant really enjoyed that!"

"Heh, yeah… I wouldn't blame it," I say, remembering how good that apple tasted.

"And remember, if the cold is getting too bad for you, start transferring your energy back into the bulb," she reminds me. "It'll make you feel tired, but it'll numb down your nerves so you don't feel as bad. Works especially well at night when you need to calm down anyway!"

Yeah. As though that's going to help me get sleep. Right.

But Lily's nice. She's teaching me a lot of things I never knew before, and helping me cope with this horrible cold. And she's great company. She reminds me a lot of a Chikorita I knew a long time ago.

…Funny how I don't get a headache thinking about her…

Then there's Nameless. Nameless might just be the most gorgeous Pokémon _in the world_. I figured I'd meet a real legendary someday, but I wasn't ready for when it actually happened. Seriously, when she's nearby, I just cannot tear my eyes off her. Once, she even asked if something was wrong with me, and I had to tell her no, I just liked staring at her. She just laughed and thought nothing of it. She's probably used to the fame by now.

She's also great fun to talk to. She's so friendly! You'd never think a legendary could be so humble and outgoing, but Nameless is like that. I can ask her questions whenever I feel like, and she always gives me answers I never expect. Just recently I asked her if she ever flew so high she could see space… she said yes! She said it's really cold up there, and she likes it. But once, she saw a big green dragon and she was so scared that she ran away and never went that high again. Ray joked that she could probably battle Rayquaza and beat him in ten seconds. She said she had no interest in trying. I think she just isn't interested in battles.

And best of all, whenever Nameless is around, there's no snowstorm! She can even clear the clouds away, so that the sunlight can shine right onto us. And Lily's right; to a Pokémon like me, some sunlight can make all the difference in staying warm. It's nice when I can take a rest under the sun, especially since days and nights are a lot longer up here, so we stop to rest sometimes when the sun's still out.

Yeah… if things didn't happen the way they did… if that stupid Watcher didn't invade my mind, and if Char and I were still friends… I'd probably be having a lot of fun right now. I'd probably be having the time of my life.

I wanted to end this. I really did.

I tried to tell him. I actually tried once. It was the middle of the night, just like how we always used to talk when we wanted to be personal with one another. A nightmare woke me up, and I went to him… I wanted to tell him everything… Tell him I was sorry that I didn't do what I should have done… but that's all that came out of my mouth. "I'm sorry". I wimped out again. I… couldn't do it. I couldn't break the truth to him, I just had to keep lying.

Tonight… I can't sleep again. Big surprise.

It's nighttime. Actually dark out. The sun is nowhere to be seen. Prince says we're getting really close to Temporal Tower, and my stomach is tingling so bad just from the thought. I know Char's feeling the same way. His past has something to do with the time dragon Dialga, and now he might finally learn what it is.

This is it. This is what we've been searching for. Ever since I first met him, we've been trying to get to the bottom of his transformation. And now, we're getting so close, we can taste it.

And I'll be there at his side, just like I promised.

…Except not really, because we won't be friends.

…

This is _wrong_! Wrong, wrong, wrong!

What am I doing? I'm Char's _best friend_. And he needs me most of all right now. What am I doing, laying around feeling sorry for myself?

Not only that, but he's my _human_, too! Would a Pokémon let their trainer down? What kind of a Pokémon would just… give up like this?

Wow, what kind of a Pokémon am I?

No! We _are_ friends! We're just… having a failure in communication right now! I could end this whenever I want. I could go over and tell him what I really did. I'm the only one standing in the way!

In fact, yeah! I'm going to stop this! I'm going to end this stupid lie right now. There he is. I'm going to just walk across the field, and talk to him…

...right now.

…

…Stand up.

…Saura, stand up! You have to go talk to Char!

Grr… I… I _can't_… I just can't… Stupid me…

My legs are too weak… And I still feel so ashamed of myself…

What will he say? What if he doesn't trust me anymore? I've never outright _lied _to Char before! Not like this! I… I don't know. I just really don't know.

Eh… I'll tell him tomorrow. I just need some more time to get myself ready. I just…

_**ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!**_

OWWWWW!

My body explodes with pain, and I jump a whole foot into the air!

When I come back down, my eyelids are stuck all the way open, and I'm panting for dear life. And who is standing right behind me, but Ray, his paws covered in his own static electricity…

"Go!" he says. "Do it!"

"Do what," I say flatly back to him.

"Talk to Char!" he demands. "I saw that look on your face just now! You were going to go talk to Char! So, go do it!"

"But… what if I don't want to?"

"You _do_ want to," he insists, actually sounding a little bit angry. "Do you _realize_ how much he misses you? **Go.**Talk to him. Or I'll electrocute you again."

_**ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!**_

"AHHHH! STOP!" I plead desperately as I fall to the ground a second time, my heart racing at an impossible speed and multicolored dots dancing across my vision.

"See? I wasn't lying. And I'll do it again!" he threatens. "Go talk to him."

_**ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZT!**_

"OWWWW! Fine, fine!" I cry, tears now freely streaming down my face, as I take off across the field like a spooked Tauros.

… … …

"What's up?"

Well, this is it. I just woke up Char, and I've got his full attention now. It doesn't help that I've got an extreme case of the jitters from getting suddenly hooked up to a living battery three times in a row. Char probably thinks I'm deathly afraid to speak to him. Which I am, anyway. Funny how my body language is inadvertently telling the truth. Now if only my words can match it.

"I… uh… I… wanted to talk to you," I tell him. Probably a little bit redundant at this point, but the conversation's gotta start somehow.

"Sure," he says, sitting up and looking straight into my eyes, as though I was the same old Saura he knew. "What is it?"

"I'm… sorry," I say for the second time, again with the redundancy. "I'm… really sorry."

I watch how he reacts to my words. To my surprise, he looks touched. And very interested in what I will say next. Even though I'm just repeating a conversation we already had like two weeks ago when we first started on this trip. Oh boy, this conversation's not going to turn out like he's expecting…

"Didn't I already tell you?" he says gently to me. "I forgive you."

"No, no… it's… not what you think," I start. "I'm sorry because… I made a mistake. A _big, huge_ mistake. And I'm afraid that… you won't actually forgive me for it."

He looks concerned now. But sympathetic. Like he doubts I can say anything that will change his mind. He stays silent to let me continue.

"When Gardevoir came to erase my memories, I… I… I wimped out, and I told him not to!" I finally spit out. "I was a coward. I thought I could run away from it. All this time, I've been pretending my memories are all gone. I tried to do my best to trick you and Scythe into thinking I actually did it. Mostly Scythe. But… now I know… I really made the wrong decision… because I can't sleep, and… and we're not friends anymore."

Char looks totally stunned now, like I stepped on his tail and he's trying to keep from screaming. I… I'm downright horrified. So I do what I do best, and I keep talking, hoping it will fix things.

"When I heard Scythe say he spent his whole life living with a curse, I thought, hey, if he can do it, why can't I?" I ramble. "I was so scared of just letting my whole life slip away… I tried to justify it to myself, I thought I could make it, but… I can't do it. Ohh, I was so stupid... And I promise, Char, as soon as we get back to civilization, I _promise_, that's the first thing I'll do! I'll find a psychic, and my memories will be _gone!_ Forever! Just like I said I would! I just… I can't take this anymore! I just wanted to get to Temporal Tower, but I just… I had to tell you."

And then I pause… and wait for him to reply, my stomach turning in all sorts of knots. I can't even look directly into his eyes.

I watch as his tail fire grows three times its size. That's what happens when he's really angry and he feels like attacking something. I have to close my eyes for a moment.

"I'm not asking for forgiveness…" I say meekly. "But… I'm _so_ sorry… Please… say something?"

I open my eyes again, and I watch as his face changes.

At first I have to wonder if Nameless is standing behind me, because he's making the same face of amazement he makes when she's around.

And then he makes a face I know all too well: it's the evil smile he makes when he's about to tackle me.

And just like that, I'm not worried about his reaction anymore. Now my survival instinct just kicked in, and I'm worried about avoiding his tail. Because if that fire touches me even a little bit, oh my gosh, it _stings_…

_Thump._

Suddenly I'm laying on my side, covered in a really heavy lizard.

"I KNEW IT!" he cries. "I knew it, I knew it, I KNEW it couldn't have been true! Oh man, Saura! Please, don't be sorry! Don't be! Because I was the sorry one! As soon as I thought you had your memories erased, I regretted it. _So bad. _I knew it wasn't what you should have done. I felt so bad for pushing you into it, I couldn't talk to you anymore! And I started to wonder if you were still really in there somewhere! Oh, Saura, that is _really_ good to know… you have no idea."

"But I… should have done it," I try to say. "I was a coward."

"Saura, you are the most courageous Pokémon I've ever met," he tells me. "Wasn't it _you _who said that getting your memories erased was the easy way out? That you'd just feel like you gave up and didn't try?"

"Yeah…" I say hesitantly. "I… did say that, didn't I…"

"You chose to keep your memories. That's not cowardice. That's courage. And you know what, Saura? I don't care what you say, but when you ran away from the Master and left your family alone, and you joined the resistance? That was courage, too. Your family was _wrong_ for wanting you to join the Master. You did what was right. You took the _tough _path. I didn't believe for a _moment_ that all this time you were faking everything you did from the beginning. So tell me, Saura. That was the ghost talking, right?"

"Y-yes, it's true," I sighed, hanging my head. "The ghost was really messing with my feelings, so I started blaming myself…"

"Oh, I _knew it!_" Char says again, squeezing me really tight before finally letting me go. "You couldn't trick me, not for a moment! Wow… Saura, it's really good to have you back."

And for a moment, one little tiny moment, I feel really happy.

It crosses my mind that this could be the first step in coming to terms with the memories, because… the pain just vanishes, and I felt a little bit like my old self again.

I look at Char, and I see how happy he is with me, how relieved he is that I didn't alter my personality… and I just felt like a burden is lifted. And it feels really good.

But my happiness doesn't last very long.

"Char is right. What you did was very courageous. But it was also foolish."

Both Char and I hold our breaths as we hear Scythe's voice start to speak. And my stomach fills with terror again. I scramble back to my feet and I cower behind Char a little bit, all while I freeze stiff, as Scythe steps out of the darkness and stands over us.

Yeah… I should have known he'd be listening to everything I say. He never sleeps. And he's a _very_ good listener.

"If you wanted to deceive me, you did very well," Scythe admits, sounding defeated. "I was… far too distracted lately to pay close attention. Though I should have guessed by the look which Gardevoir gave me that I was being deceived. But, whatever the case, I failed. I accept the loss. There's nothing that can be done now. If we were not so close to our destination, I would send you back home."

"You're not kicking Saura off the team," Char says adamantly, standing up to Scythe for me. "Not now, not when we get back!"

"You're right, I'm not," Scythe mutters. "It's not my team."

Char frowns. "What are you saying?" he demands.

"I'm saying, it's your choice, whether to let your team be compromised with a delusional and anguish-ridden partner," he growls at Char. "Saura is going to be in agony for the rest of his life. A Watcher's curse must be countered immediately after it is placed, or it permeates the mind and it becomes permanent. At this point, it is very unlikely anyone can help him, not even Gardevoir. He must live with this choice. And he must learn to pull his weight on your team, despite his handicap. I am speaking only as a fellow team leader now, Char. If your team becomes unreliable… you are the one to blame."

"Well… okay. I accept that." Char tells him. "You know, that speech you gave us about how you spent your life insane… it only gave him courage to fight the curse. Seeing how great you became, I think Saura has a chance."

"No," Scythe says bitterly, shaking his head. "My curse was beneficial. Seeing into my subconscious mind gives me answers no other Pokémon would see. That is how I became who I am. Saura will earn nothing from worrying about his home constantly. It will only hold him back."

"I think it will give him courage," Char shoots back. "Even though I don't think he needs any more than he already has. He's my_ hero_."

You know, I should feel more touched at all this.

I do feel a little bit happy, but not nearly as much as I should be. I should be ecstatic. I should be breaking down from happiness right about now. Seeing Char standing up to Scythe for me. Seeing that he forgives me for lying to him. Seeing that he didn't want me to have my memories erased after all. Yeah… tears should be streaming down my face at this moment. But instead, I feel more emotionless than anything. I feel... blank.

And there's a reason for it.

You see… I still haven't told Char the whole truth. I'm still holding back from him. And I'm not going to feel right until the truth finally comes out.

In fact…

"Scythe…" I say meekly, stepping out from behind Char and speaking up to him. "Is it alright if I talk to Char alone? Without you listening, I mean? I really have something to say to him."

Scythe turns to me, looking annoyed. As if to say "If it's that important, say it to everyone."

_Not a chance._

"Well, Scythe?" Char speaks for me. "You heard him. We appreciate you eavesdropping on us all the time. We really do. But can you let us talk privately for a moment, please?"

A moment of tension shifts by. I can tell Scythe _really_ doesn't want to do this, but Char matches his scowl.

"Fine, _human_," Scythe finally spits, turning to leave. "I won't listen. You have my word."

And I wait impatiently for him to leave.

Finally, when his silhouette turns invisible against the dark sky, I turn to Char and lower my voice.

"Alright… what I'm about to tell you… it has to stay _really_ secret," I say. "Scythe can't know about it. Gardevoir says if Scythe finds out, it may make him snap. And I think I believe him… So listen…"

"I'm listening," Char whispers back to me, dropping to all fours so his head comes very close to mine.

"Alright," I say even more quietly. "When Gardevoir came to erase my memories, there was… something else he did… Ooh… I just… I can't believe I'm saying this…"

"It's alright," Char assures me. "I'm ready."

"Char, do you… do you remember… back when… we first came to the Gold Division?" I ask, taking it one word at a time. "Do you remember when Scythe took us to Eva to get tested for the Call?"

"Yeah…"

"You said Eva didn't test you, right?" I ask. "You said she lied? And she even blackmailed you?"

"Yeah…" Char answers. "She made me really afraid to tell the truth… But no, she didn't test me…"

"Well, I… I… I think I might know… why she didn't…" I say slowly. "I think she didn't test you because… uh… well… after she found it once, she thought it would be pointless to look for it again."

Char only blinks. He can't quite digest what I said. So, in the tiniest, most inaudible whisper I can manage, I tell him the truth.

"Char… I have the Call, too," I say. "Gardevoir found it. It's just as powerful as yours. I think some of the times when the Call happened, it was me, not you. Like… I think I'm actually the one who was calling to Lily the other day."

Char's eyes glaze over. His mouth hangs wide open. He is about as speechless as a Pokémon can get.

"I can't believe it either, Char…" I whisper. "All this time… we both had it."


	56. Chapter 43: Getting Somewhere

**Chapter 43**

**Scarred Crags**

On the morning of the twentieth day of the journey, the sky was black.

But the time was of little consequence anymore. Since the start of the party's aggressive northward excursion, "day" and "night" had begun to lose their meaning: the sun would linger in the sky for much longer than a day, and disappear for much longer than a night. Only Prince seemed sure of the true timeframe of the days as he would rouse his companions from their sleep and hurry them towards their destination, whether through a glaring white landscape or a chilling sea of shadows.

And as they ventured further into Zerferia's depths, it became clear why no Pokémon lived there: it had _nothing_. It was all a vast, featureless tundra with no discerning landmarks but the all-encompassing barrier between the ground and the sky, a ground so frozen it might as well have been coated in metal. There were rarely any land formations to be seen, much less any that a Pokémon in their right mind would want to make their habitat. Memories of a day's travels blurred together as one, defined by nothing but the feelings of numbed nerves and burning muscles, a burning which sadly did nothing to help keep the cold at bay. And even when the occasional mountains or crag-land passages would appear, the terrain would be so random and treacherous that it seemed specifically crafted by nature to be a death trap.

Later, the barren fields became coated in a layer of snow which grew thicker and deeper with every passing mile. Char quickly took a particular dislike to snow in his new Charmander body. He hated how it would stick to him and melt into water whenever he would touch it. But to the amusement of his friends, especially Nameless, it gave him great satisfaction to blast the snow with fire, seeing it curl away and evaporate instantaneously. It amused him for hours.

Indeed, It seemed that Zerferia was only suited as one Pokémon's paradise, the kind goddess which continually graced their company and offered them guidance from above as she danced through her playground of feathered clouds and wind currents – for her home was not upon the earth, but in the sky.

In all, the team kept an excellent pace, miles reeled past, spirits were very high, and the destination drew near. So far, it was a very successful and fortunate mission.

Even Scythe, in his mental anguish, found a measure of peace on that twentieth day. He yearned for the day, every once in a while, where his body would simply run dry of all possible stamina, leaving him no choice but to pass out. That night, to his relief, sleep overtook him, and he woke many hours later with a refreshed mind and newfound strength.

At the beginning of that sunless day, Scythe's eyes drifted open. It took him a moment to understand he was sprawled face-down upon the ground, and to realize his body had finally given into the exhaustion.

At once, he stifled his thoughts and laid motionless for a few moments, reveling in the comfort which the sleep had given him, rejoicing at how the long night's rest had washed away so much of his stress and disconcertion. Then, he performed his self-orientation and renewed his resolve.

He remembered where he was. The rest stop this time had been in one of Zerferia's brutal mountain ranges, which Prince had called the Scarred Crags. Like many of Zerferia's shelters, it was characterized by poised avalanches, sudden pitfalls, and sharpened rocks which rivaled his own blades. A misstep could prove fatal, and without even the Mystery Dungeon curse to activate the Reviver Seeds should a freak accident happen. Though it was an unnerving place to stay, Scythe felt comfortable; Prince was, admittedly, an excellent guide who knew these grounds like a home, and Nameless was always poised in the sky to lend her assistance at a moment's notice. Plus, although it served no purpose other than to block out the sun (since not even a stray snowflake fell from the sky so long as Nameless was around), sleeping beneath the cover of a shelter brought Scythe a certain peace-of-mind, perhaps from calming those reliable instincts of his which demanded he hide from the Watchers each night.

Feeling much like a newborn hatchling (or as much as he could be expected to feel at his age), Scythe began to stir, ready to rise and take on the challenges of a new day.

There was just one thing he immediately found odd: Prince hadn't gotten him up according to schedule. Was this day a late start? Maybe Char had intervened and told Prince to let him sleep as long as he needed. Whatever the case, he was thankful it happened.

…Or so he thought.

As he climbed to his knees and checked his surroundings, he found that something was missing from them. Something important. A particular little flame he could always count on being close by.

_Char._ Char, and all of his friends, were nowhere to be found.

Prince was there, though, eyeing him indifferently as he rose to self-awareness, his flame like a campfire among the darkness. But he was the only one. The two were alone together in the cramped little dent they used as the night's rest shelter. It was an empty dead-end, the rock walls coming to a sharp corner, the floor covered in snow and gravel, and the ceiling opening up vaguely to the black sky. Char, his sworn payload, was absent, his little flame missing from its rightful place at the corner of his eye.

"Sleep well?" Prince greeted him.

"Prince," he gasped. "The children. Where are the children?"

"Couldn't tell you," he said with a shrug.

Scythe was on his feet in an instant. He practically jumped at Prince's face, all the while Prince sat calm and unresponsive.

"I close my eyes for _one moment_ and you _lose them?_" he growled, using his newfound strength to keep himself from overreacting. "In _this place?_ At _night?_"

"Char has a light," Prince said, shrugging again. "He should be fine."

"Well, if you aren't going to go find them, I leave you alone," Scythe grumbled, wasting no time in marching off farther into the crags. "I don't know how you expect to keep them alive if you let them wander out of sight…"

As Scythe was about to disappear around the corner, Prince called to him.

"I don't think you want to do that, Scythe," he said, a knowing ring clear in his warning.

Scythe heeded the warning and stopped to think it over, but he couldn't read Prince's trick. Prince stayed still, obviously not planning to make any move to keep him from leaving. After a few seconds of hesitation, he shook his head and disregarded Prince's words, ready to scour the nearby crags for any sign of his precious Charmander.

"_**EEEEEEEEEEEEEK!"**_

A wild Pokémon cry rang out from far above, so authoritative it shook him to the very core. Scythe stopped in his tracks instantly, casting a fearful glance upward.

Nameless was perched at the top of a rock, like a night-owl watching from a tree. She flared her wings threateningly.

"Do not pass me, green blade," Nameless squawked down to him. "Return to Prince."

"I beg your pardon, great bird," Scythe said, showing as much humility in his voice as he could manage. "Have you seen the children?"

"Yes," Nameless replied angrily. "They are far away from here. You will not be. You will stay here, and they will return here."

"You're… _guarding_ them from me?" Scythe laughed, realizing the truth of the matter. "Why would you do this?"

"The fire child asked, to speak to the others in secret," Nameless answered proudly. "To watch you, so you stay here, not to hear what they say."

"You're doing what Char asks?" Scythe replied, releasing a nervous laugh. "What compels you to do Char a favor?"

"He _asked nicely_," Nameless sneered.

"What about what _I_ asked of _you‽_" Scythe hissed. "Did I not ask nicely enough?"

"I serve, who I _want_ to serve," Nameless cawed, lowering her head to give Scythe an intimidating stare. "Now, take no more step, green blade, return to Prince."

Sending a disgruntled hiss up to the Articuno, Scythe turned to comply with her orders. He plodded back into the cramped corner and sat in the warmth of Prince's fire, muttering curses to himself.

"She stopped me, as well," Prince admitted. "Children…"

Scythe said nothing. Instead, his eyes began to scan the rim of the ceiling and the darkened sky which lay beyond.

"Do not fly either, green blade!" the discerning legendary shouted from afar. "If you fly, a storm will come, to fill the rocks with hail. And you will be buried."

"She's not exaggerating, either," Prince noted.

Sighing, Scythe let his body go limp and rested his back against the rock wall.

"I like Char," Prince chuckled. "He's starting to think like you."

… … …

A ways away in another secluded little dent in the rocks, four Pokémon eagerly huddled together as though to start a secret ceremony. Char held out his tail, and the faces of the other Pokémon flickered in its light.

"Are you _sure_ we can talk here?" Saura asked. "If Scythe's listening in…"

"Scythe won't bother us," Char assured him. "Trust me. I took care of it. Now, listen… I don't know how long we should stay here, but we have some pretty important things to talk about."

Char took a deep breath, anticipating the difficult issues he would have to discuss. Seeing that Ray and Lily were at full attention, he nodded to Saura to begin.

"Alright, first…" Saura sighed, "I guess I should start with the easy stuff. First… Ray, Lily… this entire trip, I didn't actually have my memories erased. I was faking it."

While Lily only looked mildly happy to hear the news, Ray was beaming.

"Wow, _really?_" Ray gasped. "Hah! You had _me_ convinced! Wha—! That's awesome! I was really starting to miss you! But how come you were faking?"

"Well, I was mostly trying to trick Scythe, because he ordered me to do it, and I didn't want to do it," Saura explained. "Well, Scythe knows now, so there's really no point in keeping the secret from you two… so yeah. I'm the same old Saura. Kinda."

"What about the nightmare?" Lily wondered concernedly. "Does it still hurt?"

"Yeah, it's still there," Saura said dejectedly. "But I'm working with it. I'm taking things one day at a time. Gardevoir said there's a small chance it may go away over time. But uh… sorry if I'm not the most friendly Pokémon anymore… I really don't mean to be mean, honest! But I have this headache now, and sometimes when it gets bad, it's really easy to slip and say something… or snap a vine at you… So if I get angry at anyone from now on… I really, _really_ don't mean it. I'm sorry."

Saura sighed again, relieved that at least one of the issues had been lifted from his back. Ray and Lily looked happy for him. He cracked a little smile himself.

"You know, Ray, I really have you to thank for this," Saura told him. "You caught me when I was afraid to talk to Char. You're the one who motivated me to tell him."

"Heh, heh! Glad I could help!" Ray laughed evilly. "Don't you know? I can motivate _anyone_ to do _anything_, heh heh heh! Wow, Saura. I'm really glad to have you back! I guess Team Ember won't be getting very much sleep from now on, huh?"

Char winced. He hadn't thought of that, and to be honest, he didn't really want to. Saura seemed shocked at the idea, too.

"Oh, no! No!" Saura said, shaking his head from the realization of what he meant. "Ray, you don't—you don't have to! You really don't! I mean, this nightmare is going to keep me up at night so much… You really don't have to stay awake with me every night! Honest!"

"Oh, we _can!_ And we _will!_" Ray cheered heartily. "_No excuses! _We wouldn't be Team Ember if we didn't hold our traditions! Not after all the times _you_ held onto it yourself, Saura! Now we've got to repay you! I'll even have our name changed to Team Sleepless if I have to! Oh, and don't you even _think_ about not suffering with me, Char! I see that look in your eyes. If you fall asleep just once, I'm going to zap you so hard that you'll evolve into an electric-type!"

"Gee, I think Ray's happy for you, don't you think?" Char said blankly.

Saura wanted to laugh. He couldn't tell if Ray was joking or not, but either way, he felt touched. A sincere smile shined on his face.

"Thanks," he said warmly. "It means a lot."

But he couldn't feel too comfortable; he knew that wasn't the only thing he needed to say. As Ray was still laughing, Saura let his smile fade away…

"There's something else," he said, sounding dead serious. "Something… worse. Get ready for this, this is… really heavy."

Ray settled down, Lily gave an attentive nod, and once more they were silent, ready to hear whatever further news had to be spoken. Saura, though, didn't know if he was ready to say it.

"This is _serious_." Saura stressed, looking at the ground. "I mean… you have no idea. If I were to say that… Scythe just died, or I'm actually a spy for the Master, it would almost be as serious as this. Just to give you an idea."

When Saura raised his eyes back up to meet with his friends, he saw their gazes were glued fast to him, Ray had his front paws locked together in nervousness, and Lily looked puzzled.

"And this has to be a _big secret!_" Saura said further. "You can't tell _anyone_. I'm going to tell Scythe myself after this whole mission is done, I mean, if we get back safely. Maybe I'll even tell him at the top of Temporal Tower if… if things happen just right. But… you've got to promise. You can't tell _anyone_. Not even _you_, Lily. You can't tell Prince this. Do you promise?"

"Promise," the Raichu and the Bayleef said in unison, their breaths already taken away at the thought.

Saura whipped his head back and forth to clear his mind, then began to muster his courage. The words hung on the edge of his tongue, and every time his eyes locked with his friends' wide gazes, he hesitated again…

"Saura, it's alright," Char reminded him. "You told me. You can tell them. Just spit it out, and it'll all be okay."

"You're right," Saura grumbled, drawing a deep breath. "Alright, here it goes…"

He leapt in place and dug his paws into the gravel.

"Ray!" he suddenly shouted. "Do you have the Call?"

"Uh… n—no?" Ray guessed. "I mean, uh… I don't think so. I've never been tested for it, but I mean… what? Do you… do you really think I might have it?"

"Well, if you don't," Saura said, pawing at the ground and letting his voice descend into a quiet mumble. "It means… that… you're… the only one standing here… who… doesn't."

With a blink, Saura's eyes returned to his friends, fearfully anticipating their reactions. He had to be patient, though; both Ray and Lily seemed to turn into silent, motionless corpses before his eyes, their rational thought simply snapping in half as he watched.

"Of _**course!**_" Ray exclaimed, bursting from his stupor into sudden excitement. "I should have known! It all makes so much sense now! Char! Saura! You… you… you have a psychic connection with each other!"

"Uh… what?" Char said blankly.

"No, really!" Ray laughed. "You know how you understand each other so well? Why you're just such good friends? That's why! It's the Call! I bet you're Calling to one another all the time! You have this psychic bond that you just barely don't know is there, but really I bet it's bending dimensions just so your minds can merge together and understand one another! I knew it! I knew it all along! There was something else going on between you two that I couldn't figure out. Now I know! Oh, and congratulations, Saura! You're a legend now, too!"

Char and Saura glanced blankly at one another for a moment, wondering if it could be true. Were they… were they _really_ in one another's minds? Char told himself he honestly wouldn't be surprised it if were true; it'd explain a lot about their friendship. Either way, he was glad to see Ray taking it so well.

"You have the Call," Lily said, finally snapping out of her own daze. "That's impossible. That's… that's against the rules. There's only one Call every thirty years or whatever Lucario changed his rule to now. But you… _both_ have it at the same time? I'm sorry, I just… have a hard time accepting that! How did you find this out?"

"Gardevoir," Saura said. "When you all thought he was erasing my memory, he was looking for the Call. And he found it. And I think… I think I've felt myself use it before. In my dreams. It's… really deep down in my mind."

"Oh, isn't it?" Lily gasped. "Did you ever hear that humming? That's how you can tell it's going to happen. So you can get ready."

"Ready to quiet it down!" Saura said suddenly, completing her thought. "Just like you're biting your tongue! That's right! You… told me that! I… I can't believe I knew that… but you said that in one of my dreams! You can quiet the Call so it doesn't disturb everyone as much… Didn't… didn't you call me Char, too?"

"How was I supposed to know it wasn't Char?" Lily snapped back. "I wasn't even… I mean… I almost had no control over what I was… Oh Shaymin, this is real, isn't it? This is so real. There are really, right now, three of us… just standing here, talking…"

There was a moment of quiet as the reality sank in to all four of them, with blank, disbelieving looks plastered on their faces. Ray was the first to say what the rest of them had been thinking:

"What do you think would happen if all of you called at the same time?"

Char's stomach turned over several times just trying to imagine it. A call that could summon the _entire_ Gold Division… times _two_… plus Lily as well…?

"You could beckon _all_ of the legendary dragons at _once!_" Ray guessed, beginning to panic at the very idea. "You could… you could beckon _Arceus! _You could get Arceus to do whatever you want! You could take the Master down! You could _rule the world!_ You could create your own Pokémon species! You could live forever! You—"

"Ray, jeeze! Settle down!" Saura laughed. "I doubt it!"

"Maybe… we should try it?"

Ray's suggestion took everyone off guard. They looked at him oddly, but he was dead serious.

"I mean… we have three Pokémon with the Call all in the same place," he considered. "That hasn't happened before, ever! In the history of the whole world, I bet! Do you think we should try experimenting with it while we have the chance?"

The three Call-laden Pokémon were at a loss for words to respond to this idea.

"Ray…" Lily tried to say, "I, we don't even… know how… there's no… It doesn't happen on purpose. I mean, we don't think it does. There's no way to tell."

"Of course," Ray said. "But… It's a subconscious call, right? So maybe, if you dug into your subconscious… maybe you could find it, and bring it out?"

"You know, all the times the Call has happened, you and I were sleeping," Char noted. "Maybe… Ray's right. Dreams are the way the subconscious mind speaks. Maybe our dreams can tap into the Call?"

"You know, that's true!" Lily said thoughtfully. "It's happened to me before when I was wide awake. But most of the time? In my sleep! Maybe sleep helps it to happen!"

"So… maybe you should try falling asleep!" Ray said excitedly. "Fall asleep, and just keep saying to yourself, 'I'm going to use the Call, I'm going to use the Call!' Or even better, pray! Fall asleep praying to Arceus and see if it really happens! Wow, imagine if this actually works!"

"Um, but I don't think we should just take a nap here…" Char said. "We have to get back to Scythe eventually."

"Well then… close your eyes and mediate, or something," Ray insisted. "There's got to be _something_ about the Call we can figure out! We have a whole three of you here in one place! Whatever the Call does to the mind, it must be really strong right now! So maybe you could look and find it! Ooh, Just imagine, if we could get this to work, all our problems would be solved… No more Master… No more having to go through mystery dungeons… Scythe would be all back to normal… it would all end right here. C'mon, guys. At least try it. Don't make me have to _motivate_ you…"

Begrudgingly, Ray's friends gave into his request. They all set themselves down on the floor and closed their eyes, trying to focus and delve into their subconscious minds.

Char began flipping through his own memories and feelings, wondering if the Call could be found among them. He realized that, even if the Call was staring him in the face, he just wouldn't know it, because his own thoughts and feelings were just too normal to him. And he didn't feel the least bit drowsy because he had just gotten up. But he let himself go limp and began inspecting his thoughts closely, even though he _thought_ he knew his thoughts like the back of his hand, seeing that they were_ his_ thoughts and he was rarely ever separated from them. But he decided to humor Ray, searching his mental impulses for anything suspicious at all, echoes of psychic communication or whatever form the Call might take…

"Remember that night you two were using the Call to talk," Ray reminded. "Remember talking. If you felt anything weird, try to copy that feeling."

And so they stayed perfectly still.

And they waited.

Char was used to reflecting upon his ideas often, so he just went through the motions this time, though a little unenthusiastically.

He thought about how this little exercise was wholly unnecessary, but he figured he'd go ahead and do what Ray said, even though Dialga waited at the top of the tower and would give them all the answers they sought anyway. Or so he hoped. There was always the possibility Dialga would just kick him back out again… such as, in the case that he actually was a horrible human being cursed with having his humanity taken away, and Dialga wouldn't stand the sight of him. He remembered how that wouldn't actually be a bad thing. He'd just get to forget about all his troubles, then! The mystery of his transformation would no longer bother him. The mystery of that Poké Ball, that recurring dream, could be safely ignored. The Call would still puzzle him, but with a whole _two_ companions who shared his condition, he knew he was far from alone. He would just have to figure out the Call along with them, and take advantage of this impossible, groundbreaking coincidence.

_Don't see the Call anywhere…_

He thought about Saura, and what kind of an incredible friend he was. How he chose to keep that tragic nightmare, that nightmare that he for saw himself, too… how he chose to bear the pain, so that he could continue being the same Saura… and how they both had more in common now than he ever thought possible…

_Wonder if the Call transferred that dream? I just thought it was because we were touching at the time, but seems like anything's possible now…_

He thought about how Zerferia wasn't as painful as everyone warned him it would be. And he thought about how awesome Nameless was, and how he almost wished she would join him on the road back after the mission was done, and not stay in Zerferia as he knew she would. Really, he wanted Nameless on his team. He seriously thought about asking her. It was worth a try.

_We're so lucky Saura used the Call to wake Nameless up… I don't even know how we would have made it one day without her controlling the weather… It makes my mind explode trying to imagine standing in these flatlands, no shelter, nothing to hold onto to keep the wind from blowing me away… Ughghgh! My spine, it tingles…_

He thought about Scythe, and his well-kept secret plan. He wondered how it was coming along. He wondered how he would help. Had Scythe learned to adjust his plan since all these Pokémon were here now? Saura and Ray would do whatever he asked, but Prince was another matter… Char knew, deep in his heart, that Prince was Scythe's biggest problem. Even bigger than Nameless, at this point. Even though Nameless could probably gobble Scythe up in one peck if he tried to do something dangerous. But no… it wasn't Nameless he was worried about. It was Prince! But… what could he do about that? Nameless protected Prince, and Prince… well, not even Scythe could beat him in a battle. Was Prince going to ruin everything?

_I've always trusted him, but now I'm afraid of what Scythe is going to do…_

Char snapped to attention, almost throwing himself to his feet. He would have, too, if it hadn't been for a protruding rock directly above his head.

*_Thump*_

"Oww… stupid stupid… oww ughh…" Char hissed, stumbling and gripping his bruise.

Saura and Lily both opened their eyes and looked at him. Ray looked surprised.

"What was that?" Char demanded suddenly, ignoring his injury as soon as he could.

"Nobody said anything," Saura answered him. "Maybe you're hearing things? Are you sure you didn't… I don't know, bump your head?"

"No, I'm serious," Char insisted, disregarding the silly joke. "I heard something. I thought… it might have been the humming. But I don't know, maybe not. It was suspicious, though."

"I heard something, too, actually," Lily said, blinking. "Just for a moment. I thought it was nothing, but… maybe… Heh, hopefully we're not just imagining things."

"No, we're doing it! We're getting somewhere!" Ray cried in amazement. "See? We're doing it! We're going to call Arceus right here, right now! Now, go back and think of _exactly_ what you were thinking a moment ago! And think it as hard as you can! Uh… what were you thinking, anyway?"

"I was thinking about Scythe, actually," Char admitted. "I was worried about him…"

"Hmm…" Lily said hesitantly, picking her head back up off the ground. "You know… while we're here, telling secrets and everything… maybe there's something I have to say, too."

"Oh?" Saura said interestedly, blinking his eyes back to attention. "What is it? We're all ears."

"It's… about Scythe, actually," Lily sighed, bowing her head slightly. "Something happened a few days ago. Prince told me about it. He said not to tell anyone else, heh, but here I am, telling you… I'm usually not this bad with secrets, and I won't tell yours, but I really trust you guys…"

"We understand," Saura said.

"But yeah, Prince gave me a warning," Lily admitted hesitantly. "He said to watch out for Scythe, because… Apparently, Scythe tried to trick Nameless into doing something bad."

"You're kidding," Char replied, feeling his heart sink a little. "Do you know what he tried to do?"

"After the temporal tower mission, he wanted Nameless to knock out Prince."

Char gritted his teeth. It was just as he feared. Scythe was resorting to desperate measures to get Prince out of the way. All he could think, now, was "really?" Had he really reached his wit's end, and tried to manipulate the Articuno to do his bidding? Had he really tried to get her to betray the one Pokémon closest to her? _Really?_

But deep down, Char wasn't that surprised. His heart sank lower than ever, feeling so sorry for Scythe and his fateful intentions, whatever they were… He wanted now, more than ever, to just call down Dialga or Arceus or whomever would listen, and just make Scythe's plans work for him, and take all his pain away. He was tired of seeing the old warrior suffering all the time, driven to the point where sanity was so hard to hold onto…

"So yeah, take from that what you will," Lily continued. "I know he's a smart Pokémon and all, and you guys must have a lot of respect for him. But I'm actually starting to be afraid a little bit. He won't tell Prince anything about his bad attitude and… well… I'm afraid of what Scythe is going to do when we get back from the tower… he obviously has something he's— what? Char? What's wrong with your face?"

Char had to shake himself out of a sudden trance.

"Say that again," he requested.

"Say what again?"

"Everything that you just said."

"Uh…" Lily hesitated, blinking and trying to recollect her thoughts. "I was just saying… I think I'm actually starting to be afraid of Scythe, even though I know he's always been trustworthy and all… but if something's going to happen after the tower, and he's not telling us what it is…"

"You're afraid of what he's going to do!" Char completed for her, as though it was some sort of epiphany.

"Yeah," Lily sighed. "I know it's probably just silly of me… I'm just getting paranoid again, but…"

"No, Lily! You don't understand!" Char cried, almost breathless. "Lily, that's—"

_*Rrrrumble….*_

The group froze as the thunderous sound of a rockslide reverberated from deeper in the crags. A few pebbles crumbled down the cliff walls and around their feet. They waited, still as stones, with perked ears and widened eyes pointed in every direction, until the disturbance settled.

"Uh… that wasn't a good noise…" Lily muttered nervously. "I hope that was just an avalanche or something…"

It was then that the reality of the situation really began to dawn on them. They were four relatively weak Pokémon gathered together _in the middle of the night_, and they had wandered at least twenty minutes away from the three Pokémon who could actually defend them from danger…

"Yeah, let's start heading back," Char suggested. "We shouldn't keep them waiting much longer. Prince wants to be out of this mountain range in time for—"

_*Rrrrrumble…* *Rrrumble…*_

Again, the noise came from somewhere beyond the cracks in the walls, louder and more persistent than last time. Genuine fear was quickly pooling in Char's heart, and he watched as the shadows around him retreated and his light source became much bigger. Admittedly, it didn't bring him very much courage this time—the disturbance sounded unmistakably _big_.

"Seconded," Lily offered, a quiver in her voice. "And how about we run?"

But they never had the chance.

_*__**CRASH!**__*_

There was a ground-shaking explosion as a rock became dislodged from the wall and crashed into several pieces upon the ground. There, through a previously small crack in the cliff, a creature stirred.

Char felt his heart stop. That crack had been their escape route. It was the way they came. They squeezed through it into this little chamber, thinking it was a place of safety…

Now… they were cornered.

"No," Saura whispered. "No, no, no…"

"It's… only a rock Pokémon," Lily said, trying to sound confident. "We can beat it. Saura and I can take it."

"What do you think it is?" Char asked, eyeing the moving shadows. "It looks big…"

"Probably just an Onix," Lily reassured everyone. "That's the only thing I can think of that could even survive up here. We can take an Onix. They're big and stupid."

The four small Pokémon backed up as far as they could against the corner, as the rocks stirred in the shadows.

"What if it's not?" Char wondered, his voice wavering with worry.

Then, from the shadows… something protruded from the crack in the stone wall. Something made of rock. A gravelly _roar_ filled the air as it scraped against the surrounding walls.

It was a thick, blunt, fingerless arm, winding and coiling around like a miniature Onix. But it was no mere Onix. It moved with strength and purpose, as though attached to an even bigger entity, as it forced itself into the chamber where the small Pokémon had gathered. Char thought to take another step back, but he was already flat against the wall. His battle instinct mounted.

A second arm, much like the first, was jammed into the crack, worming its way in Char's direction like a floating, living rock, faceless and featureless, its polished gray surfaces shining in Char's light…

With both arms in place, the creature heaved.

_*RRRRRRRRRIP!*_

Rock and gravel spewed everywhere as the creature threw both arms apart and simply shoved the stone walls out of its way as if they were mere curtains, causing the chamber's structure to collapse. Char yelped and covered his head as a boulder smashed down next to him, his breaths turning into short whimpers.

The being emerged from the shadows and stood for a moment in Char's flaring light, revealed for what it was. Char beheld it, and felt his body flooded in dread.

It was a Pokémon which Char had never seen or heard of before. It stood like a living mountain of rocks upon two legs, towering over him by at least three times his height. Its body was almost indistinguishable from the surrounding terrain, as if a pile of boulders had been possessed by black magic and assembled themselves into a human-like form. It stood still, emitting a freakish murmur as it watched its victims with a weird assortment of tiny orange eyes embedded into its blank face.

Like the rest of Zerferia, the face betrayed nothing. No heart or soul, no emotion, no reason… nothing but danger and malice. It held itself almost like a robot, a guardian of this deserted fortress of crags, come to smash these strange moving intruders until they would lay shattered and silent among the rest of the gravel…

"New idea," Lily choked out, barely able to stay standing in fear. "We scream for Nameless at the top of our lungs."

And so they did.

The combined screech of their voices seemed to stun the rock monster for a moment. The thing backed away a few inches, watching in confusion and surprise as Char and his companions combined their cries and sent them into the heavens, an extended wail that lasted for half a minute until their chests collapsed.

In the ensuing silence, the little group of Pokémon could only cower beneath the beast with held breaths, watching what it would decide to do next, hoping to Arceus it wouldn't barrel forward and embed them into the surrounding rocks…

But, within just a few seconds, their call was _answered._ The sky returned a call of its own. It was a caw from the distance, clear and beautiful, the voice of a legendary Pokémon heeding their plea. The rock beast visibly shuddered at the sound of the cry, as if remembering it from a fateful encounter. It was like a beacon; upon hearing it, the hearts of the trapped Pokémon were filled with hope that they might survive the dark day.

But would Nameless arrive in time?

"I'll make a smoke screen," Char decided. "I can make it big. It won't be able to track us."

"Char, no!" Lily gasped. "Then Nameless won't be able to see us!"

"Nameless has good hearing!" Ray said. "She said so! I asked!"

The beast took a curious step nearer. The gravel upon the ground jumped an inch, and more rattled down from the cliff-sides.

"Just do something!" Saura gasped. "It's coming!"

"Alright… it's a Rock Pokémon, right?" Char guessed. "It _has_ to be. Alright. Lily, Saura, I know it's dark out, but use the strongest plant attacks you can. Ray… Lightning. Might as well. We have to lure it away from the exit. If it comes to get us, we can slip past, and maybe—"

_Thump._ The beast took another step closer, almost as if it were toying with them.

"Alright, go!" Char urged. "Go, go! Attack!"

Char's inner fire needed no persuasion; it was already there for him. He drew a long breath and prepared to release a curtain of smoke to shroud their tiny forms and make it more difficult for the beast to connect a hit. Saura and Lily focused energy into themselves, gathering powerful projectile attacks. Ray held his breath and began an intense cringe, trying to call a bolt of lightning from the night sky which was just barely visible far above their heads and past the cliff tops…

Char jumped forward and released his fire, cutting it short at the last second to convert it to a thick, concentrated cloud of soot. It was a very good smoke screen, his best yet, even, and it made the light of his fire all but meaningless as it expanded to fill the dark ditch. Saura yelped as his energy ball snapped away from his bulb and was hurled into the dark cloud.

"I can't do it!" Ray cried. "There aren't any charges answering me! No clouds!"

"I can't see anything!" Lily added.

From Lily's neck, there sprouted half a dozen thin, sharp blades of grass. They grew in many directions, twisting and coiling around themselves like a giant knotted net, until it resembled a makeshift spider's web. When it was large and confusing enough, she slung the whole thing through the smoke cloud and into the foe.

"_RRRR-rrrrrRRRAAAA!"_

The beast's hallow, twisted voice sounded from the other end of the chamber. Its message was clear: it was _angry_ now.

_Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump._

"It's _coming!" _Lily shrieked. "Dodge! DODGE!"

Char tensed, focusing on the smoke cloud, watching closely for the monstrous silhouette which would soon emerge… Waiting to know just which directions would be safe…

"_Never remain on your hind legs. Always drop to all fours. You must be able to dodge in any direction at a moment's notice…"_

Char fell to the ground, joining his friends upon all fours, poised to pounce.

It came so quickly, he barely was able to see it. That monstrous shadow appeared, _running_ at them, its massive body whipping the smoke around as it moved…

And just as quickly, it swung around one of its stump arms, attempting to bludgeon Char square in the head.

"_EVADE!"_

In a slow, slow heartbeat, the trapped Pokémon leapt past the monster through any opening they could find—around its feet, under its arms, against the wall… And Char, seeing that arm about to club him in the face, dove straight between the thing's legs, ducking his head and picking up his legs as he sailed through the gap like a missile. It was such a small passage, such a desperate attempt… but the creature had poised its left leg in front of the other to balance itself in its reckless attack, letting just enough room for Char to scrape by…

And the creature's arm, it came _so_ close to hitting him… he felt the whoosh of wind blow past his face, and thought for sure he would be out cold before he could touch the ground again…

But, thanks to the smoke screen, the monster had barely miscalculated the path of its arm. It sailed clumsily past, missing by a few hairs and failing to cut off Char's escape route. Char touched the ground on the other side of the monster, to his utter relief, and joined his friends in their rush toward the opening in the wall.

_***SMASH!***_

Just as quickly as it had appeared, the massive gap in the chamber wall was gone.

It took Char a moment to realize that, where there had been a safe and clear passage just a moment before, there now rested a giant boulder. No—a _monolith._ A tall, gargantuan stone sealed off their escape route. With the icy, gravelly floor offering not the slightest bit of traction, Char couldn't stop himself in time—and his head smacked into the barrier.

"_Ahhhh!"_ Saura shouted in panic, pivoting his body to hit the great stone sideways. _"What the—?"_

Char shook off the injury and re-oriented himself. By instinct, he turned to glance back at the monstrous being, gazing at its shadow through the quickly-clearing smoke cloud.

When he saw what had happened, he could not believe his eyes.

The monster had _thrown_ the monolith to block their escape. It had done so by plucking it _straight out of the wall_ and hurling it effortlessly over their heads.

He shook his head. That was… _impossible._ It simply couldn't have happened. But, yes, there was now a gaping dent in the cliff face, the place where the being had torn the huge granite slab from the wall as if it were made of sandstone.

That's when it dawned on him: this monster, this Pokémon which he did not recognize, could only be a _legendary_.

They were fighting some ancient, million-year-old being. Some spirit which embodied the strength of rocks. Some being which mountains fell upon, which tectonic plates shifted across, which earthquakes crushed… yet it survived through the millennia, only to have some foolish little children searching for privacy happen to wake it from its slumber.

Their attacks would not defeat it. Their attacks would not _phase_ it.

"_CHAR!"_

Hearing Saura's sudden plead, Char snapped out of his stupor. But it was too late—the creature had jammed its hand-less arms into the solid rock face a second time, tearing another pointed slab from the wall…

"Impossible…" Char could only whisper, watching the beast's god-like strength as it worked.

"_CHAR! WATCH OUT! CHAR!"_

"_RRRR-rrrrrAAAARRRRRaaaa!"_

The beast heaved, tossing its behemoth weapon at the spot where Char stood. This time, he didn't miss.

A sort of awe washed over Char as he beheld the two-ton rock flying at his face. It was just too large… and it came too fast… Char knew there was no point in running. He only anticipated the inevitable collision… wondering if it would indeed cost him his life.

At the last moment, he held his breath and closed his eyes.

Then he felt it.

_***SMASH!***_

The first thing he made out, after the sound of the projectile exploding into many boulder-sized chunks, was the sound of Saura's voice. It mixed with those of Lily and Ray, screaming his name in sorrow for his loss…

The second thing he realized was that he could hear _anything at all._

He was _alive._

He opened his eyes. He found that his body had not moved an inch from where he had cowered. In fact, nothing had really changed, except there now sat about a dozen new chunks of rock obscuring his vision, all spinning with kinetic energy.

He blinked. He had _felt it._ He had felt its weight, its pressure, colliding with his tiny body…

Yet, he had felt no pain.

In fact… he was utterly unharmed.

He stood up and appraised his body. No scrapes. No injuries. _Nothing._

"_What?"_ Char had to spit, this realization dawning on him.

"Char! What just happened?" Saura called to him. "How… are you still alive?"

"I don't… know," Char admitted.

"Maybe it was an illusion," Lily guessed. "Maybe that rock didn't even exist. Come on! We have to find a way out of here! Saura, have you ever made a vine rope before?"

"No…"

"Alright, here… let's wind our vines together, like this. They'll be stronger that way. Then maybe we can climb to safety without having them snap…"

Char saw that the golem was just as baffled as he was. He could see the gears turning in its alien head—_Enemy is still moving. Doesn't make sense._

Intent on correcting its mistake, it wasted no time in yanking yet _another_ hunk of rock and taking aim at Char. This time, though, Char was curious.

He continued standing on two legs, staring proudly and defiantly at the legendary rock monster as it wielded its next projectile. Grunting in its incomprehensible voice, it swung its arms and released its burden onto the standing Charmander.

This time, Char made sure not to blink.

_***CRASH!***_

He watched, in utter bewilderment, as the two-ton slab of solid rock shattered against his frail little body, as if it had been tossed upon a diamond cutter.

Again, he felt nothing. No pain. No shock. It hadn't even knocked him off his feet. He had only felt its touch against his skin, as though the deadly gravel were mere raindrops upon him. His stance remained unchanged as the remnants of the explosion rolled off harmlessly behind him.

Char held his breath as he glanced down at his body once more, wondering… _how?_

_Is… Arceus blessing me…? _Char wondered, his mind buzzing for _some_ kind of answer. _Am… am I a legendary Pokémon now?_

"_aaaRRRRRRRRR-raaa?_"

Warily, Char took a few steps toward the confused beast. He wanted to test this newfound invulnerability.

"_Char,_ what are you _doing?"_ Saura shrieked. "Char, no! Get back here!"

"Char, what if it's a _trap_?" Ray cried.

Char had a feeling this was no trap. Those rocks were very real. They were no illusions. And the golem was real, too. But… was _he_ real?

Enraged, the monster thrashed its arms and stomped across the chamber to meet Char. It hesitated for a brief moment before winding back its left arm and swinging it around, bludgeoning Char in the side of his head.

It _slid off him_ as if he were made of ice. Unbreakable ice.

"_RAAaaaa-aaAAA!"_ the legendary Pokémon moaned, its head and arms convulsing in some sort of agony.

"Join the club," Char muttered. "I haven't the slightest what's going on, either…"

"_**EEEEEEEEEEEEEK!"**_

_*SMACK.*_

From the sky, a blue blur shot down. It struck the rock beast square in the face, causing it to topple onto its back. There was a minor earthquake as it hit the ground, where it thrashed and moaned in pain.

Char soon felt himself being lifted very quickly and sickeningly into the air, his body halfway encaged in a muscular talon.

Before he knew it, the claw opened and shook him free, dropping him a few feet onto a hard platform far above most of the surrounding crags. He landed on his back, where the grand, starry sky of Zerferia opened up to him. But he had little time to appreciate it; he realized soon enough that Scythe was standing over him, scowling.

Expecting Scythe to immediately begin scolding him, Char cringed… but when he didn't, he realized that Scythe didn't look angry. In fact, he looked very frightened.

"I'm sorry," Char muttered.

"Char, _this_ is why I eavesdrop on you!" Scythe cried. "Otherwise, you run off and get killed. Do you understand now?"

"Yes," Char sighed. "It won't happen again."

"By the gods, if you want to speak privately, all you need to do is ask!" Scythe hissed. "You don't have to commission a feral Articuno to keep me in my place! Next time, at least let me know where you are."

_*Thump.*_

Nameless made another pass, dropping Lily at his side. She scrambled to her feet and shook her head.

"What _was_ that thing?" she growled. "What just happened?"

"And how did I survive?" Char added, picking himself off the ground as well. "Those rocks should have killed me… but when they hit me, they just broke apart like glass!"

"Actually… I think… I may know the answer to that one," Lily said thoughtfully. "It's Prince."

_*Thump.* *Thump.*_ Saura and Ray joined them, still panting intensely from the assault.

Nameless glided overhead, gracefully dropping and landing to rest on the stone platform. Prince dismounted her back.

"I am surprised," Nameless said. "I never seen that thing before. Unless my memory is bad."

"Char, what is it with you and waking up legendary Pokémon from their sleep?" Prince laughed, coming to Char's side. "The Call is getting out of hand, wouldn't you say? I'm not mad at any of you. Scythe can be the one to be mad, if he wants. Me, I'm just glad you all made it out unharmed! Thank Arceus."

"What _was_ that thing?" Char asked, peering over the cliff and down into the pit of darkness where the rock monster still stirred. "I knew it had to be a legendary… "

"That is a Regirock," Prince explained. "Indeed, a legendary. I know little about it. I did not even know a Regirock lived in the Scarred Crags. All I know about them is that they are literally piles of living rocks; if you break them open, you will find no internal organs. We are unsure of what sort of force animates them; it might be pure aura. And, yes, for a fire-type such as yourself to combat one is particularly suicidal."

"But… Prince?" Char asked. "When I was down there, it attacked me… but… it was like I was invulnerable. Nothing it did could hurt me!"

"Ah, yes," Prince hummed. "They were all rock-based attacks, correct?"

"Yes," Char answered.

"Well, then… you should be thankful I arrived when I did," Prince said, a clever smirk upon his face.

But Prince said no more. Char frowned; he really wanted to press the issue, as it baffled him to no end, but he felt he was not quite in a position to do so. Instead, he took one last look downward, squinting to see the Regirock in the starlight as it patrolled the little chamber it had trapped itself in. It grunted as it turned in circles, looking for any sign if its disappeared victims. It didn't seem smart enough to think of looking up.

"Just… do us all a favor," Scythe implored, staring at the golem. "Please, _please_, do not speak of this back in the Gold Division… I do not want Domo catching wind of yet _another _legendary Pokémon he will have to chase…"

At that, Nameless helped the team descend from the cliff and back to ground level, and they began with their daily trek northward.

* * *

**Zerferia Plains**

The night sky was clear and beautiful, painted with many blue and white sparkles.

Today, as he trudged through the snow, Char kept his neck craned and this gaze fixed at the enormous display of lights far above.

Even in Zerferia, an unobscured view of the sky was rare; many towering clouds hung there, poised to drop intense blizzards the moment Nameless would stop containing them. But tonight, all of the clouds had shifted away, and for possibly the first time, Char beheld the raw beauty of space from the eyes of a Charmander.

"_Beautiful, isn't it?"_

Seeing the starry sky had always stirred something deep within Char, but he had never seen them like this. Never without clouds, never without the horrible swarm of Watchers hanging in the sky, and never without the impending sunrise poised just behind the earth, slowly but surely snuffing out the soul of every last star, one by one… No, today, he saw the rivers of stars for what they truly were: omnipresent, uncountable, humbling… Only the shadowy form of a magnificent bird would sometimes glaze across his vision…

His heart raced at their visage; it was as though he _knew_ their beauty intrinsically, by instinct… It was as though his spirit belonged up there somewhere, among the stars… That maybe, just _maybe_, they held one of the answers to his past…

_"Ambera is very beautiful. Even as the darkness of the storm threatens to choke the sun, it shines ever brighter."_

It reminded him of the gorgeous sunset he and Scythe had watched together, that night they stayed in the desert with the Dragonite team. Like evening sun, the darkness of night, too, contained legendary treasures for the eye. The stars were enough to add an ethereal glow to the landscape and the snow which coated it.

_"It always captures me, the kinds of pictures the storms can paint in the sky. Sometimes, in the summer, if the air currents are just right, marvelous things happen in the sky above Basin Canyon. I can't count the times my team and I have simply stopped to watch the ebb and flow of the thunderclouds…"_

_"By itself, the sunset has no beauty. It is just a sunset. A natural phenomenon. It is… a rare combination of colors in an unlikely place. It only has beauty because you have eyes to gaze upon it, and it means something to you. It has a story to tell your heart … If the day comes when the sunset is just a sunset… Ambera's voice will have been silenced. And I will have failed."_

It dawned on Char that, here, outside of the boundary lines of Ambera, the glory of the night sky was a beauty that had not been silenced yet. Within the reign of the Master, though, it was gone… drowned out by the dominion of the night Watchers, never to be witnessed or enjoyed by another Pokémon. It was a beauty that only the strongest and most confident of Pokémon could glimpse at, but a beauty that children would never know…

Indeed, neither the Master, nor the Watchers, were able to stop the stars from coming out at night. But together, they were able to hide, to censor its beauty from the eyes and hearts of the Pokémon who lived across the land…

_That_, he told himself, was what Scythe fought for. So that Pokémon everywhere could see for themselves the beauty of the world they lived upon. And it was a good thing to fight for.

Char turned his attention back to the ground for a moment. Still nothing; just a blanket of snow stretched out before him. But he squinted, trying to just barely make out something as far away as the eye could see. Prince reported that they were mere days away from Temporal Tower. _Days_. He promised they would see their destination on the horizon before the sun fully rose again, possibly in the early hours of dawn.

Though he knew how soon he would have all the answers to his mysteries, there was one feeling Char couldn't immediately shake.

The Call. Before the Regirock attacked, had he really heard what the thought he had heard?

"Scythe," he said, turning to his guardian who kept a constant watch on him from behind. "Can I talk privately with Lily? You said I could ask if I wanted to."

Scythe did not respond at first. He looked irritated.

"_You must promise me something in return. That, for the duration of this trip, you will stop bringing up this subject. Haven't I made it clear that I despise the act of keeping a secret? Every time you confront me, it hurts, like a blade to the chest … Even if I were to try, I cannot make you trust me."_

"We aren't talking about you, we promise," Char insisted. "I just want to talk to her about the Call."

"Very well," Scythe grunted. "Run ahead, but not out of sight. Whisper, and I won't listen."

"It's alright. Nameless will keep an eye on you," Prince said. "Go."

Char nodded to his friends, then ran far ahead of the party as instructed. Lily followed.

… … …

"So… you were saying?" Lily whispered, once they were a good distance away. "Before that _thing_ attacked… what were you trying to say?"

"I think we found one of the properties of the Call," Char speculated. "Empathy."

"Empathy? You mean, we share feelings?"

"Maybe. I don't know," Char said. "But I mean… when you said, 'I'm afraid of what Scythe is going to do', that was exactly what I was thinking…"

_"I'm an old Pokémon. Every day, much is expected from me. Some days, when I open my eyes in the morning, I can't tell if my body is filled with energy, or just the determination to bear exhaustion. You will find, as you grow old, that you experience many different kinds of emotions. And you will learn to cope with them. You will learn to relish the pleasant emotions and harden yourself against the unpleasant emotions… And the more you harden yourself, the more you will know stress. "_

"I think it was... well, an understandable thing to be thinking, if you were thinking about him when Ray asked us to meditate," Lily said. "Scythe is starting to scare me a little bit. More than I'd like to say, actually. I don't know what he's even doing here."

"No, I mean, that was _exactly_ what I was thinking," Char insisted. "Those were the _same words_ that I said to myself in my own head. I think maybe… I read your mind. Or you read mine. I think _something_ suspicious happened there."

"Hmm… it could just be a coincidence though," Lily said.

"But I thought I heard the humming for a moment when it happened," Char said. "Didn't you say you heard it, too?"

"Well, I _thought_ I did. Power of suggestion and all," Lily admitted. "Maybe we were just hearing that Regirock start to wake up. ... wait, no, maybe you're right. Maybe we're getting somewhere? Could be. Iono."

Char looked up to the Bayleef, trying to figure out how to phrase his thoughts properly. Lily returned a warm smile.

"I just can't shake the feeling that something happened back there," Char said. "Or maybe that something's been happening this entire time and nobody realized it. Maybe Ray's right. Maybe Saura and I communicate mentally without knowing it. It would explain a _lot_. Maybe we just, every now and then, we take one of our own thoughts, and there's a pulse of some kind, and we send it over to the other person… Hey, Lily, you've been with Prince a long time. Hasn't this ever happened to you? Haven't you just… suddenly started understanding one another? Thinking the same thoughts? Just… out of nowhere?"

"Well, yeah, sometimes," Lily said. "But I think all friends do that, if they've been friends for long enough. You don't need the Call to do that…"

"Hasn't he changed a lot?" Char questioned. "Do you think… over the years you've been with him… do you think he's started to turn into someone different?"

Lily hesitated before answering. The question certainly tugged at a heart string.

"Yeah," she said. "He has. When I first met him, he was… well, I guess I should just say that… it was hard to trust him at first. Not all of it was his fault, mind you. My Call kept going off at the worst times, and so many Pokémon were trying to catch me… then Prince came along, and at first I thought he was just going to kidnap me and use me, just like everyone else was trying to. But when he first found me, he was pretty violent. He was… heh… he wasn't the friendliest Pokémon. He really scared me at first. But he looked at me, and he asked me to trust him. And I thought… you know, Lily, you have nothing else going for you at this point… You have to put your trust somewhere… so I went with him. And he protected me."

"And now?" Char questioned. "How is he now?"

"Now, he's more like a father to me," Lily said. "When I first met him, I never would have imagined this was really the way he was. But he's… he's made so many sacrifices for me, I can't… I can't remember them all. But he kept his promise to me, that he would protect me from any Pokémon who would try to use my power just for its own sake, and he's always treated me like I'm a Pokémon, not just some time bomb. But yeah, he's changed. Now, he's so forgiving and generous. He has… a big heart."

"A big heart… like you?"

Lily twisted her head and gave Char and odd look.

"Do you think he has ever started… well… acquiring your own personality traits?" Char asked. "If you say he's been getting more sympathetic to you over the years… would you say that a piece of your personality has become part of him?"

"That's a _really_ weird question," Lily laughed. "But uh… maybe? When he's happy, he acts a little bit like me. We have the same sense of humor now. But I mean, that doesn't have to be the Call, either. Normal friendship can do that, too."

"Did he help you get over being away from your family?"

Lily stopped in her tracks, surprised by the question.

_"Are we going to go through this again? I told you already, there's nothing I can say that will make you trust me."_

"That night… after Legend's story, and before the Watchers attacked… when you came to talk to me, you told me that you came from overseas, and you were really starting to miss your family," Char pressed, stopping with her. "Especially after the old Emerald Division fell. You said you had nowhere to go. You were lonely, and you didn't know where to go because of the Call. And Prince was an outcast, too. He was banished from his family. I'm saying… Did you help one another get over that?"

"Yeah," Lily uttered. "A lot…"

"Would you say that… maybe… part of that could have come from empathy?"

"Yeah…" Lily said, wide-eyed. "You know… when you put it that way, maybe… it did."

The answer was so close now. Char could feel it dangling in front of him, but he just couldn't grasp it. But it was the last missing piece of the puzzle. The last connection, before _everything_ would make total sense.

He didn't even know what _it_ was, he just _felt_ it. It burned with significance, an answer that just needed to be found, hiding just out of his sight.

All he needed, now, was to ask the right questions so that it might be revealed.

"It wouldn't surprise me, if that were true," Lily said, beginning to walk again. "If the Call really is active all the time… Prince says it is, in some form. He can feel me when I'm around because he got used to the pulses my Call sends, or something… but yeah. Maybe you're right. I don't think it outright changes you… unless you're having one of those episodes. _Then_ yeah, all the Pokémon in sight will start to think like you. But yeah… maybe it just changes things, just a little bit at a time… so that… so that you learn to understand one another."

"Do you think…" Char breathed, trying to find just the right expression for his complicated thought, "that maybe the Call… has a mind of its own?"

"Hah, tell me about it…" Lily scoffed. "I have _never_ been able to figure out what causes it to start. And it's gone off at _least_ a dozen times since I evolved. And… other than being asleep for most of the times, as you pointed out before… there isn't a single thing in common any of the times it happened. Not one. It… really baffles me, to be honest."

_"Fine, then! No, I am not afraid that my plan will fail. My plan involves… doing something I will not enjoy. And yes… it involves you."_

"No, no… that's… not quite what I meant," Char said. "Do you think, maybe, the Call… has a _will_? Like… like it's a spirit of its own? And it has a purpose… like, it has its own plan. It wants something to happen. So it manipulates your life, and goes off at just the right times, to change the world and get what it wants? So maybe… you can't control it? Maybe… it controls _you_?"

"That's… a thought," Lily considered. "Wow… that's… wow. That's intense. But… but wait. I don't think that's true."

"Why not?"

"Because… if the Call is trying to like… push me in a certain direction, it's not doing a very good job of it," Lily said. "I mean… you know. On one vine, it goes off just in time to make a bunch of evil Pokémon soldiers tear down the Emerald Division. On the other… You know, if it really wanted to _kill_ Pokémon, there were so many better Pokémon it could have chosen, and so many better times it could have gone off… but it didn't. Or even just all these years I've been on Team Flamewheel, where it's just left me alone on the whole, or let me figure out how to muffle it... plus, if it does like you say and makes an empathic link between me and Prince, so we become better friends… In that case, I don't really get what it's trying to prove. Alright… maybe. I don't know what the threads of fate look like. But… if there's really a spirit in control of the Call, I think it's a really stupid spirit. Or it has no idea what it's even trying to even accomplish."

"Would you say the Call made your life better, or worse?"

"Pfft. Worse. _Much_ worse," Lily coughed. "No surprise there. But… if what you say is true, and it really did start to affect the way Prince was acting all this time… Heh, if… little pieces of _me_ started to grow into _him_…"

_"Another thing... You want to know why there is blood behind my eyes?"_

"In that case, it really helped me to get over the problems it caused, too," Lily said. "Because… like I keep saying, if it hadn't been for Prince… I would _not _have made it this far. Somewhere along the line, I would have just… lost hope, and ran off, and probably gotten myself killed along the way."

"_You want to know where it comes from?"_

"Because he was always there for me. He always kept his promise, to protect me from the Master, or anyone else who would try to come after the Call… and after everything got torn down, he's the one who helped me find purpose in my life again, in being on Team Flamewheel, and working for the resistance…

"But yeah… I really have a lot to think about now. It's so weird to think that maybe… all the kindness he's been showing, all this time…"

"_It comes from you."_

"…has been coming from _me…_"

…

And there it was, spread out before him as clear as the stars in the sky.

He had his answer.

This time, it was Char's turn to stop walking. _Everything, _all at once, made so much sense.

"It comes from me," Char whispered. "I did this… And Saura, too, I guess…"

"Are you alright?" Lily asked concernedly.

"We did this to him," Char said, gaping. "Me, Saura, now you… _We're_ the ones hurting him."

"Char… what do you mean?"

"Back… back in the Gold Division, when Alakazam issued us to come on this trip…" Char explained, "I saw Scythe break down and cry in the hallway. That was when it started. That's when I started to think that maybe he wasn't as trustworthy as I hoped. It was such a small doubt. Subconscious, maybe. But I still trusted him. I saw him as a friend, I wanted everything to be okay for him. But there was that nagging little doubt inside me…

"And that doubt grew, and grew, and it kept growing, because I saw Scythe starting to get really stressed out, losing his temper, and his eyes started to turn red… And I started to really pity him… And it got so much worse when we got into Rayquaza's Clutch. That's when he really started to lose it. And every time he lost his temper or he did something that made me worry, It… really challenged my trust, and I had to keep saying to myself, _'trust him, trust him, no matter what, trust him…',_ and it got harder each time, because it was like, now I was lying to myself, and I didn't really trust him, but I still had to act like I did…

"But now I know… if the call makes an empathic bond like we think it does… then… all his stress… all his anger and his loss of control… is coming from _me_. And _you_. And _Saura._ I think he's feeling all our doubts, and they're becoming part of him… it's like a vicious cycle."

Lily blinked in confusion. "Wait… you mean… you think Scythe is absorbing all your feelings?" she said. "Even so, it doesn't happen that fast! With Prince and I, it happened over a few decades…"

"Scythe is super-sensitive to the Call," Char explained. "He can hear it. He can listen to that voice that talks. That's because a Watcher cursed him, and messed his mind up so that his subconscious isn't hidden from him anymore. But sometimes, maybe the Call doesn't talk with a voice. Maybe it talks with a hum. With feelings. Like the way Prince hears you. And maybe Scythe doesn't know that yet. After all, him and I only go back about a month and a half.

"And no, I don't think he's absorbing all my feelings. I'm not mind-controlling him or anything. Like you said, that doesn't happen unless there's a full-blown episode. I know for sure he has his own feelings. But the Call… it just changes things, little by little. Like the sun rising at the very brink of dawn, how it turns off some of the stars but leaving all the rest on. So… the more distrustful we grow of him, the more pain he feels, the harder this all becomes on him… Just picture it, Lily. Just... imagine that you've got these little doubts humming in the back of your head _all the time_. You don't know why they're there. They don't make any sense... but they're there... That's… what we've been doing to Scythe all this time.

"I can't speak for Saura. As much as we share thoughts, I don't know what's going on in his mind all the time. He could really distrust Scythe. Either way, I've _always_ trusted Scythe in the back of my mind, no matter what he's done, even if just a little bit. I've always held onto that trust. And when I look into his eyes now, no matter how red and tired they are, I still see something like hope… and now I know, that comes from me, too."

"What are you saying?" Lily questioned.

"I'm saying," Char said with conviction, "Now we know… we need to trust him. _Unconditionally._"

Lily made an uncertain face at the statement.

"Scythe's planning something," Char said. "Now… I don't know _what_ that is. All I know are two things: it involves me, and it's very, very, _very_ important that his plan works the way he needs it to. Otherwise, things could come crashing down. _Big_ things. So when the time comes for him to do whatever he's going to do, he _needs_ to be in full control. He _can't_ doubt himself. So… _we_ can't doubt him either. Lily… you and I have got to trust him. With _everything_ we've got."

"Char…" Lily choked out. "I'm sorry, I understand your reasoning and everything, it's just… If he wants to knock out Prince, I'm not totally sure… I could trust him either way."

"We need to trust him unconditionally… _Even_ if he wants to knock out Prince," Char whispered, fire behind his eyes now. "If that's what he wants, then we'll _help_ him do it. We've _got_ to. Because, all I know is that we can't afford for Scythe to fail. It will be _bad_ if he fails. For _all_ of us."

Lily did not respond. She couldn't find the words. But now, very slightly, she felt her opinion of Char starting to change.

"Lily, do you _understand?_" Char hissed, casting a side glance to the rest of the team who were slowly approaching. "I know this is hard for you. I know you trust Prince a lot. But you've got to see this."

"Char, I can't just blindly trust Scythe," Lily hissed back. "I'm sorry… I can't."

"But you blindly trust Prince, right?" Char begged. "You know what that's like! You said so yourself, you weren't so sure about Prince when you first met him, but you just had to choose to trust him. That's what you said! Now I know you're not so sure about Scythe right now… but it's kinda like that! Come on, Lily… do you understand?"

"I understand," she said. "But… I just want to make one thing clear to you, Char."

"What?"

"I'm _not_ going to betray Prince,"

"Lily…"

"I don't care _what_ happens," Lily growled. "If Scythe is doing something harmless, I'll support him, sure. But if Scythe… turns against Prince… I am _not_ fighting on his side. In fact… I'm not even going to stand around while Prince gets beaten. I'm going to _defend_ him."

There was a mighty crack of air overhead, causing Char and Lily to jump in place. Nameless swooped down, landing beside them, a pleasant coo sounding from her throat.

"Have you seen, little ones?" she called to them. "The fire in the sky."

"Huh?" Char responded, his interest piqued.

"Yes… green fire. And white!" Nameless announced. "Not is it true fire, I know. But it is beautiful! Look!"

She waved her right wing, pointing to the far distance, and Char followed with his eyes.

There, inches above the horizon, a god-like glow hung in the night sky. The "aurora borealis", as humans called it. "Articuno's breath", as the Pokémon did. It was a stunning sight, like a silken curtain, changing exotic shades of sapphire and emerald. Char felt touched at witnessing the light on such a clear, beautiful evening, as he was sure he'd never seen it before, even in his human days. Immediately, he felt drawn to it, wanting to rush ahead and get a closer look before it would inevitably fade away.

"You call me beautiful, and you name the fire after me," the Articuno commented, "but it has much more beautiful than I, forever. Would you say?"

"Yes…" Lily said, her face beaming at the sight. "It is… really pretty…"

And then, something caught Char's eye.

Upon the backdrop of the aurora, he spotted the tiny silhouette of a strange shape protruding from the horizon.

* * *

_Special thanks to __**Gorsecloud**__ for practically being a cornerstone for this chapter. _


	57. Chapter 44: Anomaly

**Chapter 44**

**Part 1**

It stood like a pillar which held up the sky—like a tower of ancient coliseums stacked to the heavens, until it reached a vanishing point to the eyes of the humbled Pokémon who stood near its base.

Its shape, its structure was unreal; no man or mortal Pokémon could have constructed such a monument upon the foundation of the arctic plain. The outer wall of the tower even appeared in the image of the lord of time—it was as deep blue as the dawn sky, its pillars a steely silver.

Alakazam had said that the tower was but a symbol of Dialga's strength, and perhaps did not even exist in the way it appeared to the eyes of the mortals... And now Char knew it was true, for he saw how the tower was like a hallucination—as though it occupied a void of nothingness, or a parallel dimension which protruded into his own reality. He thought he could feel the supernatural reverberations it created in the air, or the way the ground subtly trembled underfoot in protest of its existence.

And though it was not as large as could be expected from a god's temple– Rayquaza's Clutch easily took up at least four times the land mass—it was as tall as a mountain, tall enough that it looked as though it could take a week to scale, and it cast such a far-reaching shadow across the snowy plains that it appeared as though some deity had drawn a boundary line across the land just as an artist would draw one upon a map. But Char knew the climb would be worth it; that at its pinnacle, there stood a glorious dragon god who awaited his arrival—the one who he had seen so clearly in his memories. The one who held the power to put all his questions to rest.

At last, as the snowy plains of Zerferia glowed a fiery orange in the light of the early dawn, Char, Saura, Ray, Prince, Scythe, Lily, and Nameless beheld their final destination: the mythical Temporal Tower, the tangible throne of Dialga.

"Nameless," Scythe uttered, hopelessly squinting toward the pinnacle, "Can you fly Char to the top of the tower?"

"The sky... is not... safe," Nameless growled, her fearful glance following his. "When I fly close to it... the air... it is like a storm, though there is no storm... it feels like... my wings will tear. I am... afraid."

"Figures," Scythe said, shaking his head. "A god who designs his temple to test the tenacity of its visitors wouldn't allow such a silly shortcut. So be it..."

"Nameless... are you certain you would not want to help us inside the tower?" Prince asked her, one last time. "You would be our greatest strength."

"No, I would not... I have fear of... _inside_," Nameless said, averting her ashamed gaze. "I have never been _inside_... to see not the sky... I... if I cannot fly, bring the wind to me... I am useless. Useless to fly and useless to battle! I am sorry, Prince. I want not to go."

"I understand," Prince sighed. "You have already given us so much. Thank you for leading us this far. Will you wait for us to return?"

"I will wait," Nameless said, nodding. "I am very good at patience. But I may fall to sleep if you do not return by two years. So you must wake me again. But I will be here. I promise."

The team bid their thanks and goodbyes to the gentle Articuno who had given them company on the cold journey, and they took the first of their cautious steps to the tower's front door. Scythe donned the pouched bag of valuables which had been given to them by Alakazam, Ray accepted the sack which Team Ember had stuffed full of the items they were experienced with using, and Prince took the lead of the procession, carrying nothing on his person but some sort of scarf around his neck and the small, sagging pouch still tied to his waist.

As the shadow of the tower covered them and the ominous doorway of the structure loomed closer, Scythe turned to address the group one final time.

"This may be the most difficult dungeon mission of your lives," he said solemnly. "We must work as a team. Prince and I will be here to guide you, but do not be foolish and rely on us if your own strength is required... if you must attack a wild, attack. If you must use one of your items, use it. We have ten Reviver Seeds, but do _not_ ignore your fear of death because of them. _Never_ purposefully let one be used unless it is to save two or more of your teammates from using them as well. Otherwise, focus, and keep yourselves alive at all costs. As Daemon always used to tell me, if you use one Reviver Seed, you use them all; using just one means there is some fatal flaw in the team that could prevent the success of the mission."

"Scythe and I will take turns carrying the bag," Prince said further. "Though we will drop the bag and fight if we must. Ray, you should do the same."

"That's the plan," Ray said, hefting the sack higher onto his shoulder.

"Before we enter," Prince said, beginning to dig into the bag hanging from Scythe's shoulder, "it would be a good idea to wear the rescue emblems now. We must decide who will get them. There are six of us, but only four of them. So, four of us will be guaranteed to escape this tower with our lives. The two of us who do not... should our Reviver Seeds run out, we risk being felled by a harsh attack, or trapped forever in the mystery dungeon until we starve to death."

"Hmm, above all of us, Char should get one," Scythe said. "I hope it will not be an issue, but if this mission goes up in flames, Char should survive to carry on."

"Agreed," Prince said. "Here, Char. You will have the first one."

Prince produced one of the glimmering egg-shaped badges, as well as one of the large green scarves from Lucario. Kneeling down, Prince slipped the scarf around Char's neck and tied it firmly in place, pinning the little button-like badge onto it. Char instinctively reached up to touch the object, feeling its warm, pearly surface.

_No dungeon,_ it spoke telepathically to him, very much like a Wonder Orb would.

"By the same principle, I believe Lily is entitled to the next one," Prince said. "Any objections?"

Scythe looked thoughtful. "Hmm... no objection," he decided. "Go ahead. Give her one."

It dawned on Char just what was going on: while he and Lily were the obvious choices to receive the life-saving emblems, the next two candidates would not be.

_If Scythe is trying to get Prince out of the way before it's too late,_ Char figured, _then that means... we have to make sure Prince doesn't get one of the emblems!_

He glanced up to Scythe's face. It was focused intensely on a faraway point; he was thinking hard and quickly of what to say next.

Lily straightened up as Prince tied the scarf and fastened the emblem to her, as Char was sure he had done for many past dungeon missions with her. As he watched the gentle and deliberate movements of Prince's arms, he tried to think. How could he help Scythe? What could he say?

"Give Saura one," Char blurted. "I want Saura to have an emblem."

Scythe looked mildly surprised at the statement, but not quite disappointed. Prince, on the other hand, looked pained.

"Char... I'm sorry, but I do not know if that would be wise," Prince said hesitantly. "I know he is important to you, but... ideally, as your guardians, Scythe and I should wear the other two, I know it's not pleasant to imagine Saura getting trapped in the tower, but the reality is that two of us must take that risk."

But Lily caught on. For a moment, she looked sternly into Char's eyes. If she said something now, Char knew that it would _not_ be due to their discrepancy, their resolution not to defy their guardians. It would because Prince and Scythe didn't know about Saura's great secret. If he and Lily deserved emblems because of the Call, then Saura deserved one as well.

"No, he's right," Lily said carefully. "Char's right. Prince, give him one. I know... Char would never be the same if he lost Saura. Maybe he wouldn't be able to keep fighting. At least give him the peace of mind knowing that Saura is going to be alright."

"I vote for Saura, too," Ray added, figuring it out as well. "Arceus knows I don't need one one of those badges. I'll take the risk. I wouldn't want to separate Char and Saura."

"Hmm, Scythe?" Prince grunted, scratching his chin. "Your thoughts?"

"I'm afraid they might have a point," Scythe said cleverly. "Char isn't strong enough yet to lose his best friend. I don't think he would find life worth living if he and Saura get separated here. What if you had lost Lily? Do you think you could have kept going?"

Prince looked Lily in the eye for just a moment. A sense of defeat crossed his face.

"Fine," he sighed, fishing in the bag for another scarf. "I am outnumbered. Congratulations, Saura. You win the third emblem."

"Thank you," Saura whispered into Char's ear. "I really mean it."

As Prince bent down to bestow the third badge to his best friend, Char grew worried about the fourth. How could he convince Prince to give it to Scythe? It seemed like an impossible task. Perhaps he and Scythe could improvise some kind of trick. Maybe they could just start talking and some plan would come together. He just wished he had more time to think! He suspected that Scythe had forgotten about this issue just as much as he had.

_Maybe if I think hard enough, the Call will tell him what to say?_ Char wondered. _But... what good would that do? I don't even know what to say myself! I don't have a plan! How will we-_

"I believe it is obvious who needs to have the fourth," Prince said. "Scythe... take it. It's yours."

Scythe blinked. So did Char.

"Are you sure?" Scythe said asked hesitantly. "Do you not want it?"

"Oh, I want it," Prince assured him, unfolding the final green scarf and pinning the badge to it. "Trust me, I've grown to depend on the emblems. But if there can be only one between us, it must be yours... Even in your old age, my old friend, you still have much more to offer this world. You can even hear the Call like the spoken word, so if it happened once more within your lifetime, you would be there to catch it out from under the Master's grasp. And I... I wish this would not be an issue, I hope to Arceus we will not even have to resort to using these emblems... but if this mission fails, I fear... I will not have anything left to offer Ambera. I will have done all I can. And I will be satisfied knowing that you continued on if I did not."

As he felt the scarf being slipped onto his neck, Scythe's gaze met the Infernape's. A look of pity flashed across his eyes, but it was gone just as quickly.

"Do you object, Scythe?" Prince grunted, making sure the emblem was pinned firmly in place.

"No," Scythe sighed. "It's fine."

"Wait... Prince," Lily said, looking a little panicked. "I don't know about this. That last one should be yours. How are we going to make it through Zerferia without you? You're the only one who knows the way, not to mention that you're the only one who can keep us warm—"

"Lily! ... I know, I know," he said, gently cutting her off. "But it is either I, or Saura. And you have chosen Saura. So... I will go without. It is the way things must be. Unless you take back your choice of Saura?"

Lily was silent, her glance flicking between Prince, Saura, and the ground before her feet. "I—" she stammered. "I... no, I don't."

"Good," Prince hummed, stepping away and gazing back upon the great blue monolith before them. "In that case... I think... we're ready to enter."

The entrance was like the ominous mouth of a cave, with only blackness visible inside, framed by an archway decorated with spikes and spear-heads. It was like a portal to another world.

Char had an undeniable feeling of dread just gazing at the structure, as though it was not really there. As though it _couldn't_ be there.

It should have given him hope and confidence, seeing this great monument to Dialga's strength right in front of him, adorned with every likeness to the time god himself. But instead... it just didn't feel right. It was as though the tower... hallow. A lie.

And perhaps... if he stepped inside of it, he, too, would become a lie...

Char shook his head. No. These were silly thoughts. Of course the tower would feel weird. It was supernatural.

Still, though, he could not restrain his curiosity. He stepped past Prince and approached the side of Temporal Tower. Lifting his eyes, he scanned the strange texture of the wall, at the rune-like markings and impressions etched across its surface. It was impossibly perfect, without the slightest dent or evidence of damage. Reaching the back of his hand to the surface, he found it to be strikingly hot to the touch. He realized _that_ was the odd force he felt emanating from the building: waves of quite extreme heat, something he must have forgotten how to feel after spending weeks in the arctic. But it wasn't normal heat, apparently, for it did not so much as melt the snow around the tower's base. Perhaps it was some other kind of energy altogether, some kind of transcendental radiation.

"It is a mirror," Prince said. "What you see is a mirror's reflection; you will not see the tower's true nature until you step inside. Temporal Tower extends beyond the timeline itself, gradually, until you reach the top; the place where Dialga sits at the summit is entirely outside of time. I have been within the tower before, but I have never dared to venture too far through it; I have always been armed with an Escape Orb and my emblem... this is how I was able to gather data about the foes we will meet inside. But whenever I would exit the tower, I was rarely able to judge just how much time has passed... I even hold my suspicions that one of my trips sent me several hours into the past."

"Whoa, really?" Saura cried. "You time traveled into the past?"

"It is only a suspicion," Prince returned. "By the time I realized what might have happened, It was too late to prove anything. I had no frame of reference. Besides, my memory might have blanked and it might have just been the next day. But, depending on how long we spend in there... there is no telling how our perception of time might be changed by our journey."

"One last thing I must remind you before we enter this place," Scythe barked, his gaze becoming serious as he turned to Team Ember. "Through whatever may come, do _not_ forget your mission. We are here to bring Char to the summit. Not me, Prince, not Lily... Char, and Char alone, is our priority. No matter what danger we might find ourselves in, do _not_ make any rash decisions that would defy our highest priority. Do _not_ sacrifice Char for the well-being of a teammate. And above all, do _not_ place your instinct for self-preservation above the preservation of Char. I shouldn't have to say this, but I feel that I should. Do you understand?"

The order sent Char into a sudden daze. He couldn't breathe for a moment, nor could he think of how to respond. He just barely perceived the other team members nodding in response.

"Char, I'm talking especially to you," Scythe hissed, glaring down at him. "I know how you always want to protect your friends. But this time, you've got to get it into your head. I don't care _what_ kind of trouble Saura is in. You will _not_ put yourself in danger for him, do you understand?"

Again, he tried to choke out an answer, but his answer wouldn't make sense. Scythe just didn't know what value Saura had...

"Char? Answer me, Char. Before we take another step, I must know that you understand. We have given him a badge, so he will live. But he is just as expendable as the rest of us on this mission. _You_ are _not_ expendable. Now _promise!_"

Char was in a daze; he barely even heard anything Scythe was telling him, but at last, he gave a weak nod, whispering, "I promise."

All at once, with held breaths and pounding hearts, the six Pokémon stepped into the archway and became swallowed by the darkness within.

* * *

_It's you._

_You've come. After this time, you've come._

_Time... how humbling it is, now_

_to be bound to time._

_To feel every second drift by_

_To be banned _

_for so long_

_from my true home..._

_How I know, now, what it is like_

_to wait... _

_to feel the heart... tremble..._

_How close you feel, now. _

_I hear your footsteps in my foyer._

_I hear your heartbeat in my mind._

_You have come. You are so close..._

_But still, so very distant._

_Now, little Charmander..._

_Just how far will you go?_

_To what heights will you climb?_

_Now, we will see._

_Time... will tell._

_Time..._

_

* * *

_

**Temporal Tower 1F**

It was dark and cool.

A calm breeze washed over Char's body. It seemed almost tropical, causing a shudder of comfort as his body enjoyed the warmer enviornment. A surreal tingle rushed through his head, disorienting his senses; it was as though the pressure had changed, or the humidity had increased.

Char's feet shuffled through a soft tuft of grass.

_Grass?_

Now _this_ was strange. He looked down to see, by the light of his fire, how his feet were submerged up to the ankles in a short layer of turf... as though he stood in a prairie after nightfall.

His eyes followed the grass, watching as it spread broadly across the dungeon floor, sprouting higher shoots of wheat-like varieties of plants here and there...

...until he saw the horizon.

The black shadow of the ground gave way to a clear, deep blue sky. A _midnight_ sky. He craned his neck and glanced to the heavens, seeing how stars twinkled brightly all above the mysterious meadow, forming their streams and constellations around the scarce overcast clouds.

This was no dungeon. There remained no slightest hint of Temporal Tower.

Char's heart was racing, trying to remember where he head been and how he had gotten here. This was Dialga's tower, wasn't it? Yet... it looked as though he had been transported somewhere else. Perhaps even somewhere beyond Ambera, as the Watchers were nowhere to be seen, leaving the sky's majesty untainted. And the stars... they still meant something. Perhaps now more than ever. It was unmistakable! These stars were trying to tell him something, something about Temporal Tower, something about his journey. Char's heart raced, as his eyes took in the full majesty of the vision, untouched by even the slightest ray of dawn.

"This... is not a good sign."

Char jerked at the sound of Prince's voice, almost forgetting about the group he had come with. Thankfully, his friends were still there at his side. Saura, Ray, and Lily held their breaths, silently gazing at the wilderness. Even Scythe showed a bit of humility as he eyed the starry sky, appreciating its rare beauty. Prince, on the other hand, looked very uncomfortable.

"Where are we?" Scythe breathed. "Prince, what is happening to us?"

"This dungeon has gotten worse since I was last here," Prince muttered. "This could be an indication that the tower is growing unstable; perhaps it is about to move or disappear. It is a good thing we came when we did. Gods, the last time I was here the interior at least resembled Temporal Tower. Now it appears it has become... what is called a _deep anomaly. _By the gods, I was not prepared for this...! I should have _suspected_ this when I began to suspect a time distortion, but I... I did not make the connection."

"This is the Mystery Dungeon doing this?" Char asked, growing worried. "It looks like it transported us..."

"I have only heard of the dungeons that are called deep," Scythe muttered. "And I believe it was from you. Prince... just what are we up against?"

"The Mystery Dungeons are a corruption of the structures of reality, such as time and space," Prince said. "Over the years, they sit and they grow like cancer, consuming the land and causing time and space to fall apart, until... until they become _this_ bad. The worst of the dungeons, namely those which are normally untouched by intruders, seem to connect into one another beyond the veil of our perceptions, in some way we cannot grasp... and so, even the terrain we stand in will become variable, unpredictable. But this tower... I _thought_ it was not like this! By some trick of time, the anomaly must have accelerated... Until now, I had only known of two dungeons with these properties, one of them being the Destiny Abyss..."

Prince shuddered, bowing his head for a moment at the memory. Char felt the tension he harbored, saw it in the way his fire trembled when he fell silent. He didn't even have to say anything else; Char just knew that this dungeon he spoke of, which he called Destiny Abyss, had caused him great trauma. He knew it was a painful memory...

Prince's breath caught. His eyes darted to Scythe, as he hit his forehead with his hand.

"The _bags!_" Prince gasped, horrified. "Check them! Check the bags! _Quickly!_"

Blinking, Ray threw off the sack from his shoulder and dropped it on the ground. The lip of the bag sank down, and a wonder orb rolled out and stopped against Char's feet. "What is it?" Ray asked, looking into the bag confusedly.

"Oh, _bless the gods,_" Prince sighed, clenching his fists and bowing his head in relief. "Our bags could have been emptied from the very beginning. Just as Destiny Abyss did to me. All of my supplies... my treasures... gone, the moment I entered, scattered into Mystery Dungeons all over the world, before... before I even knew..."

Prince's fire wavered as he spoke about his past mission. His fist clenched tightly, and he averted his gaze from the others.

"Prince, please don't think about it now," Lily offered. "It didn't happen again now. We have everything we need. We're still okay."

"That may not be the case," Prince admitted. "If this tower ends up being anything like... Destiny Abyss... We can expect... nothing to go as planned. Anywhere on the face of this earth where there is a Mystery Dungeon... our journey might bleed into it."

"And our foes?" Scythe asked. "Will they be unexpected, as well?"

"They might be pulled from the respective dungeons we visit," Prince answered. "...or so we can hope."

"Prince..." Scythe whispered, "exactly... how _long_... has it been since you visited this place?"

Prince ignored the question, instead turning his attention to the landscape they stood within. It was the middle of nowhere, late at night; the moon was not out, only the stars gave a vague glow to the eerie landscape. It was impossible to tell where the entrance door had been, or which was the proper way to go.

"Perhaps this particular Mystery Dungeon is somewhere off Ambera," Prince speculated, slowly starting to lead the team across the meadow. "Though I had never heard of a dungeon in other regions of the world, there are no Watchers here..."

"Perhaps there are no Watchers because we are still inside of a building," Scythe guessed, idly slicing down some shoots of grass as he walked. "Although, if we are indeed visiting another dungeon from inside Temporal Tower... I don't know. These anomalies have always confused me to a degree."

A sound rose from the distance. It was an animal's chatter; the contented song of a Kricketot or a Pidgey relaxing for the evening. It was almost chilling to hear; it would have otherwise sounded so normal...

"But there are wild Pokémon here," Scythe hissed. "Keep an eye out for our foes."

"As always," Saura said. "Scythe tells us that every time we step into a dungeon. So much that I can hear his voice saying it in my head whenever we go into one."

"Then I have done my job," Scythe hummed. "Now... let us explore this place. Lead the way, Prince."

The grasslands lit up in the bright glow of Prince's fire as he lead the expedition. This particular dungeon did not appear to have any walls or boundaries, it was a straight field as far as the eye could see with only some silhouettes of trees in the distance. Char stayed near the back of the procession, doing his best to keep the entire surrounding area lit, lest something jump out at them.

More Pokémon cries drifted into the air. This time, an owl's hoot. Char and Saura both tensed, their attentions snapping at one of the far-off trees.

"I bet this field is an owl's paradise," Saura commented, a little waver in his voice. "Probably lots of rodents living under the ground... fresh pickings when they all come up for the night..."

"And they see this field as though it were daytime," Prince added. "Their eyes are powerful; all they need is our fire, and they can see a mile all around. They are probably watching us at this very moment."

Saura ducked his head slightly, as though to hide from sight. He bit his lip.

"Well, if they want plant Pokémon for breakfast, they're not getting close," Ray said, his voice ringing powerfully. "They know not to approach us."

"But they will; this is a Mystery Dungeon, after all," Scythe noted. "Wilds attack without exception. They are probably waiting for a strategic—"

"_Giaaaa!"_

A different kind of sound rose from the distance. It was another wild Pokémon's cry, this one something like a screech. Something like an ape's cry, or perhaps a raptor's, but... not quite. It sounded _powerful, _reminding Char of the force behind Nameless' cry,. Dread filled his heart, and he felt just the slightest twinge of recognition. He _knew_ that kind of screech from somewhere, but he couldn't place it. All he knew was that he hoped not to come into confrontation with it.

He was not alone in his fear. The whole group paused to listen to the territorial cry as it faded back into silence.

"What do you think _that_ was?" Ray wondered.

"Hard to say," Prince muttered. "It has been a very long time since I have been in this type of climate. I have forgotten many of the cries of the field-habitat Pokémon. I would guess... Staravia. Scythe, any idea?"

Scythe didn't respond right away.

He stood still for a moment. His eyes sparkled with recognition, almost not believing his own ears.

"When you hear that voice," he said finally, "go in the other direction."

"Scythe, do you know something we don't?" Prince asked. "What was that?"

"It could be many things," Scythe muttered. "Many things... but let's not find out if we don't need to. Let's move."

Not pressing it any further, Prince averted his course, and the team trudged farther through the grass, ready more than ever for an ambush. Char fell to all fours, ready to take the battle stance if necessary. As he walked along, he squinted at the grass underfoot.

It looked so real. Was it really an illusion? Was it really just a mirror's image of some far-away Mystery Dungeon? He could feel its tickle against his claws, his belly... He could even feel the soft, moist earth underneath. It made him very unnerved to imagine the scenery was such an effective deception.

"I wonder," Prince muttered, looking to the distance, "if this place... is part of Ambera after all. If space and time are corrupted to this degree... _time_ being key... perhaps this is a dungeon from Ambera's far past, before the Watcher infestation had grown."

"I was wondering the same, myself," Scythe said oddly. "This place... it reminds me of a time before the Watchers became a part of life I couldn't ignore. I lived many places in my youth..."

"_GIIIIIIIAAAAAAA!"_

The cry came again. Though Prince had clearly altered the party's course away from it, it now appeared to be coming from somewhere in front of them—behind some shallow dip in the ground, or perhaps from some tree. It was hard to see far into the distance to tell for sure what sort of hiding places were there, or what sort of wild Pokémon waited for them. Char dug into the dirt with his claws, psyching himself for a battle.

"Why do I feel like that's something to be really afraid of?" Lily wondered, her voice wavering a little. "My instincts are going crazy."

Char glanced in the direction of the cry, and he saw a few trees in the distance. It seemed like the only thing he could see in the darkness of night.

But then... it clicked.

The trees. The grass. The sounds of birds. All at once, it rang a powerful bell to Char. He remembered the Pidgey. He remembered his arm aching from the heavy weight of a bag. He glanced around in disbelief, wondering if his thought could be true.

"Guys!" Char gasped. "I think I know what this place is! I think I've been here before! I think... this could be the Wanderer's Meadow! The place we found Otto!"

"Char! I think you might be right..." Ray gasped. "We just went in a big circle! That's how those trees ended up in front of us again!"

"Huh," Scythe chuckled. "So... you remember this dungeon?"

"Vaguely," Saura answered, helping Char think. "It wasn't very big. It's just a plot of land that repeated itself over a few times until you find the right way. It usually takes travelers about an hour to find the exit."

"And do you, by chance, remember what kinds of wild Pokémon live here?"

"Pidgey," Char rattled off. "And Spearow. Standard field animals. You know, Rattata, Hoothoot, and..."

"And?"

"...There was another," Char remembered, biting his lip. "We prayed we didn't run into any... _wild Scyther_!"

Dread swept over the team.

It was unmistakable: the powerful cry had resembled Scythe's own.

They were being _hunted_.

Scythe wasted no time. "Huddle around Prince," he ordered quickly. "Wild Scyther are poor warriors, but they have the advantage in the dark. Watch the firelight and protect yourselves! I will try to duel it when it comes."

"I will burn it," Prince growled. "If I can defeat you in a duel, it will not last long between the two of us."

"No! Stay near the group, protect Char and the rest," Scythe ordered, beginning to breathe faster. "Scyther are communal. They could be hunting in a clan. Cries are used to confuse the prey. They draw the dangerous foes away from the young and the weak. If they have us surrounded, especially in the dark, we cannot attack. We can only wait for them. Get ready!"

Char practically backed up into Prince's legs, and his friends followed his lead. His eyes scanned the surrounding darkness for any signs of movement, but he couldn't tell what was just his mind's eye, what was the flicker of the fire, and what was a foe prowling just out of sight.

He arched his back, assuming his battle stance, ready to snap like a coiled spring or blow a fireball at the enemy.

"Wild Scyther..." Saura gasped, "If it fights anything like Scythe fights... This is going to be scary."

"Nah. This is going to be over in no time," Ray said evilly. "Scyther or not, it's just a wild. We're at full strength and we've got so many supplies, it's not funny. These battles are going to get harder, but this is the very first one! It'll be easy!"

"You're sure," Saura muttered back. It wasn't a question.

"Yeah," Ray answered. "Scythe knows what we're up against. He can beat his own kind."

Char would have added something, he felt the desire to be as still as the air.

"I wish I could believe you," Saura whispered.

For about half a minute, the team waited, ready to defend. It was still.

"It _comes!_" Scythe shouted in warning.

Char's heart skipped a beat as something moved. It was _fast_.

_Clang! Clang!_

The sound of parried blows. Metal against metal. Stunned gasps, one of which was his own.

_Clang! Clang! Clang!_

Char witnessed the faintest blur as an incredibly agile creature appeared in the firelight. For a moment, could barely see either of the two combatants as they buzzed around like the wind, faster than the eye could follow. He could only cower back and hope that Scythe was the superior warrior_._

_Thump!_

A Scyther hit the ground, twitching. Another one stood proudly over it. For once, Char was able to catch a glimpse of the wild one, and he knew that Scythe had bested it in battle and remained standing. The wild seemed smaller than Scythe, much younger. It roiled around in the grass, grasping for a sense of balance and orientation, the blank fury of a wild Pokémon in its shining eyes.

Char saw how the wild Scyther moved like a demon, its scythes stretching out, yearning for flesh to slice, its mouth gnashing and screeching in hatred of its foe. He was afraid. Even though it was such a different Scyther, it still looked so much like Scythe...

Its wings opened again, and it vanished. A split second later, Scythe's blade swung through the empty air where it had been.

"It escaped..." Scythe breathed. "It is faster than I..."

Char couldn't quite tell what happened next.

There was commotion. The sound of intense buzzing, and the sound of his teammates shrieking and yelling. But he just couldn't react in time; he couldn't tell from which direction the attack was coming from.

"_There's two of them!_" Lily yelled.

"No! ... _Four!_" Ray squeaked.

"_Prepare yourself!_"

Prince reacted instantly. There was a thumping sound as the Infernape leaped into the air, sailed over Lily's head, and smacked the wild Scyther in the face with his foot. Char caught a glimpse of the blade which Prince had successfully dodged as it flashed in the moving firelight.

_Slash!_ Clang! _Slash!_

The Scyther seemed to rebound from the shadows, flitting around Prince's face and cutting gashes into his skin. One attack had connected with his metallic shoulder plate. Panicking, Char jumped back away from the commotion, fleeing from the crazed mantis, as shrieks from his friends pierced the air.

And then there was a flash of red.

And pain. _Horrible_ pain.

Char was face-up now, somehow. He couldn't tell what had happened, but a stinging sensation from his right arm seemed to drown out all of his other senses. He opened his mouth to scream, and a torrent of fire came out. He thought he saw the face of a crazed mantis somewhere inside of the fireball he had produced...

Acting on instinct, he rolled to the side...

But he still felt a blade sink into his skin.

_Shlink!_

"Char's down!"

"Ray! Get him!"

_KRACK-OW!_ For the sliver of a second, daylight filled the sky as an electric attack was unleashed. A Scyther's cry screeched loudly beside Char's ear. Ray's face soon entered his field of vision.

"Char! Char, you're bleeding everywhere!" Ray cried.

"W-what did it do?" Char wondered, gritting his teeth as he clutched Ray's paw and pulled himself up.

"Looks like it almost sliced your stomach open!" Ray said. "Good thing you dodged when you did, it looks like he was trying to cut you in half!"

"Yeah, but this _stings_," Char grunted, returning to his feet and grasping the long diagonal wound which was left across his belly and his chest.

"Guys! This isn't over yet!" Lily screamed. "Keep up your guard!"

Heeding the warning, Char tried to ignore the pain and let his battle instincts drown it out. It could heal. He could eat a Sitrus berry later and it would be as good as new. For now, though, he had to make sure he, and none of his friends, would get sliced in half. He carefully knelt down and returned to all fours, where he felt the sickening sensation of his blood dripping out of him.

_Clang! Clang! Clang!_

Scythe intercepted another attack, dueling with the feral Scyther and testing its agility. But he was distracted; he knew now that there was more than one of the monsters, so he had to remain vigilant lest a second one try to gang up on him. Scyther knew well the strength in numbers.

But the moment he thought he had a chance for a killing blow, the foe unexpectedly retreated from the light. The horrifying sound of his buzzing wings faded back into the distance, and it was quiet for a moment.

Another Scyther burst from the shadows, arms outstretched in the killing stance. This time, Char caught sight of it.

_FWOOOSH! _Fire lit the air as Char leapt to the side, countering the wild's attack.

"Saura! Now!"

Lily and Saura seized the moment, sprouting their vines quickly and snapping them around the attacker, entangling it in a giant knot. It convulsed and struggled, jerking the grass-type Pokémon forward as it tried to free its scythes from their grasp, but they held on.

_Slash!_

Just as Char was about to release another flamethrower onto the feral, another Scyther came out of nowhere and blindsided Lily, hitting her with a body slam. Helpless to retaliate, Lily failed to hold her vines and retracted them. Fearing they would be sliced, Saura also let the enemy go, and the captive Scyther wormed free.

Prince jumped into the fray with flaming fists, and just barely missed pounding one in the face as both Scyther retreated from the battlefield.

Again, there was stillness for a moment.

"Ugh! We had it!" Lily complained, shaking her head and recovering from the blunt attack. "I didn't see that other one!"

"This is difficult!" Scythe gasped. "Scyther utilize stealth when attacking in a group. They keep themselves hidden until the right time to strike, and they know when to pull back. We are at a sore disadvantage in this darkness! While I can see somewhat into the dark, my eyes can't adjust with this firelight..."

"Ray!" Saura cried suddenly. "Ray! We can fix that! Can't we?"

"Huh?"

"Did we pack a Luminous Orb?"

"Oh! Yeah! We did!" Ray laughed. "Alright! _Now_ they're going down!"

Ray nearly jumped straight into the bag, submerging his head into it as his paws dug around in the pile of supplies within. He touched each an every orb, listening to them all telepathically identify themselves, until he found the one he wanted.

_Thump._ Something hit Char in the head. It was an Oran berry. He bit down on it without hesitation.

"Hmm, Luminous Orb. Good thinking," Prince said. "It has been a while since I have used one of those. I do not usually pack those."

Ray withdrew the large blue pearl from the sack, Holding it over his head as he commanded it to activate. Char watched interestedly as it began glowing ever-so-faintly...

There was an incredible flash, brighter than the noonday sun. Char had to look away.

When Char opened his eyes again... it was daytime.

While there was no sign of a sun in the sky, the entire landscape looked as though it was drenched in an early-evening orange. The far reaches of the meadow were now visible.

...and so was the small Scyther clan which congregated a few dozen feet from their position, looking absolutely shocked at the sudden absence of their cover. There were four of them. Only four.

"Now! While they are still perplexed!" Scythe ordered. "They cannot hide from us! _Attack!_"

As the team barreled across the ground and closed the distance to the enemies, Char could see the utter panic in the Scythers' eyes. They couldn't figure out whether to fight or to run...

...And by the time they did, it was far too late. Lily began launching a barrage of tiny leaves into them, Saura slung forward a shower of poison onto them, and Char had his eyes fixed on the one that had slashed him. Somehow, he could tell the difference.

Blades clashed as Scythe engaged one of the enemies. Prince gave an ape-like roar which terrified the Scyther even further, then spun into a cartwheel to dodge the blade and smashed one of the bug in the back with two forceful feet, knocking the wind out of it. Before it could recover, a flaming fist collided with its face.

Char raced across the ground, quick like a startled rat, straight for the Scyther he would exact revenge upon. The Scyther saw him coming and crouched low to fend him off...

But Char skipped a step, thrusting his hind legs against the dirt and propelling himself into the air. The deadly sickles were swung harmlessly underneath him.

_Smack!_ Char latched onto the Scyther's face, covering its vision. Smiling evilly, Char opened his mouth wide and bit down onto the Scyther's faceplate. It began turning black almost immediately as it absorbed the fire from Char's maw.

He could feel the Scyther thrashing, trying unsuccessfully to brush him off with its blades while not accidentally decapitating itself, but it was no use. Char clenched even tighter, until he felt the Scyther's exoskeleton begin to fail.

It was quite a gruesome sight when Char finally dislodged his fangs from the bug Pokémon, who now laid motionless in the bloodstained grass.

"And _that_ is how you kill a Steelix," Char said proudly, returning to his friends' side.

Saura and Ray had helped one another defeat the third Scyther, but now they just stood speechless, gawking at the mutilated mantis Pokémon which Char left behind.

Saura began choking on his words, averting his gaze from the corpse. "I... I... You know, ever since you killed that Steelix, I told myself I'd give anything to have been there. Now... I'm starting to be glad I wasn't there."

Ray just kept staring blankly; he couldn't say a word.

_Clang! Clang!_ Scythe parried the blows from the last standing Scyther, the most skilled of the four. Char watched the duel, wondering if this final Scyther was the leader.

"What skill, brother!" Scythe shouted at it, twisting his body and buzzing his wings, avoiding the counterattacks and zipping in circles around the foe. "What impressive training the wild has given you! You are talented! But... I know one technique more than you!"

_Smack. _ The enemy Scyther landed a backhanded blow at Scythe's chest, taking the old warrior's breath away and causing him to reel backward.

_Clank!_ The foe followed up with another blow, which glanced off Scythe's horn as he barely dodged it.

"_Scythe!_" Saura yelled. "Watch out!"

"Hold still!" Prince grunted, poising himself to strike. "I will end it!"

"_No!_" Scythe barked back. "Stand down! You will just confuse me!"

_SLAM!_

The feral Scyther saw an opening and slammed, head-first, into Scythe's body. Scythe took the full force of the powerful blow, spinning back and slumping to the ground.

The team gave a collective gasp of worry, but none moved. Not until Scythe called for help.

Scythe rolled over and righted himself, gasping for breath as he knelt to face the enemy. The demonic Scyther was cautious, though; it did not expect such a strong enemy to fall so quickly, and suspected treachery. But after hesitating once, twice, and seeing that Scythe only returned a glare and showed no signs of returning to his feet, the wild Scyther determined his opponent to be helpless. It opened its wings and launched a counterattack, its arms spread in the scissor formation...

_SLASH!_

At the last moment, Scythe jerked himself to his feet. He did not avoid the attack; rather he prevented the attack from being fatal; The wild Scyther's attack connected fully, blades digging into Scythe's thorax at least an inch before Scythe resisted them with his arms. His eyes closed tightly, bearing the pain...

"Whoa!" Ray gasped. "Scythe's turning white!"

Char blinked. As Scythe wrestled painfully with the foe and tried to pry its blades away from connecting to one another and slicing him in half, Char saw his body was indeed becoming brighter. He knew this was the special, unexplained power that Pokémon harbored... the same power which built in his claws when he would command them to slice through rock.

"_GIAAAAAIIIII!"_

_SCHLINK._

Releasing a victorious screech from his lungs, Scythe's body seemed to erupt in power, thrusting his full weight onto the foe so unexpectedly that it did not even have time to panic. It amazed Char; it seemed like Scythe had bounced the power of the wild's attack right back at it. The wild flew backward and slumped to the ground... in two pieces.

Scythe smiled as he stood over his kill.

"What _was_ that?" Lily gasped. "What did you do? What kind of a move was that? That was _incredible!_"

"That is my favorite technique," Scythe said, marching back to the team. "It is known as the _vital counter. _With it, I can double the power of an enemy's attack and send it back at them. It is rare for a Scyther to know the technique; it requires a very strict manipulation of the white energy, something which cannot be taught, only known by instinct."

"So how did you learn it?" asked Ray eagerly. "Did you know it all your life?"

"I am led to believe that, yes," Scythe responded. "I believe I know it only because my father did; he must have passed it genetically into my egg. There was a time when I was—"

"Hey, guys?" Saura said warily, interrupting Scythe's proud banter. "Uh... I think this one's still alive!"

One of the Scyther, the only one that remained whole, in fact, stirred upon the ground. It emitted a dazed groan as its blades witched. Saura backed away quickly.

As the team watched the recovering creature. Char wondered if he should finish it off. But it lifted its head, and its eyes had a different sort of expression in them.

It wasn't like the untamed demon's gaze he'd seen in them earlier. This one was remorseful, pitiful... as though the Scyther was acknowledging its defeat and asking for forgiveness.

Char's heart nearly stopped. He'd seen that face before. The way that the wild suddenly looked up to its foes. The way its gaze suddenly turned respectful.

The way it pleaded for acceptance.

"Finish it," Scythe ordered. "Don't just stare at it. Finish it before it returns to its feet."

"Wait... no," Char said suddenly. "Wait just a moment. Um... who knocked this one out? Do you remember?"

"I did," Prince said. "I defeated it."

"Prince, look at it!" Char cried. "I think it's impressing on you!"

Prince blinked, staring at the fallen wild. And the wild stared back.

"No...!" Saura said in disbelief. "_This_ is happening again? Just like Otto? That's impossible!"

"There must be something about this meadow!" Ray guessed. "Prince! Do you think we could use a second Scyther on our team? To help us fight?"

"Perhaps..." Prince said absently, his gaze locked with the creature's. "Items might run scarce, but..."

"Then show it you're its friend," Ray told him. "Show it that you accept it."

Prince took a careful step toward the helpless creature, looking upon it with wonder and pity. The wild looked surprised, and indeed, grateful for this show of mercy, as its eyes followed Prince's movements.

"This... has never happened to me before," Prince admitted. "I... have never impressed a wild in my life... I... I wonder if I have finished off some wilds who would have been impressed... But gladly... I would gladly like to have a Scyther on my team."

Prince knelt down, touching the Scyther carefully upon the forehead where he had delivered the brutal fire-punch that had knocked it out. There was a stain upon its green faceplate, a brown streak where the fire had touched. He stroked the wound, watching the Scyther wince at the contact.

"Char," Prince called, "Bring me a Sitrus berry..."

Char did as instructed. He turned to Ray, but saw that he did not have the bag. It was still back a few yards from where they had rushed.

The Scyther's face turned to a scowl.

Prince tensed.

_BUZZZZ._

"_GIAAAAAAIIIIIIAAAHHH!"_

The Scyther attacked. Prince yelled in fury as the Scyther swung its blades at his knees, drawing blood.

"KILL IT!"

Hearing the commotion, Char's head snapped in Prince's direction.

The Scyther was coming right for him.

He tried to fling himself out of the way, but he couldn't stop the attack from connecting.

_SCHLAP!_

Pain sliced through Char's arm. So sudden and forceful, the pain was, that Char's mind almost shut itself off. Instinctively, he reached up to touch the wound.

He felt nothing.

Looking down, Char saw his arm laying at his feet. It had been sliced off.

"_Ahhh... AHHH! AHHH! AHH! AHH!" _Char wheezed, cupping his remaining hand over the stump as blood poured out. "_My- my- my- my ARM! My arm! MY ARM!"_

Char could feel his ember blazing now. He could have burned that Scyther to a pile of ash with a simple flamethrower. But he couldn't move. His mind was frozen. Frozen with impossibility. His arm was _gone._

_SMACK._ Prince punched the Scyther a second time as it tried to double back and finish off Char. The Infernape screeched in rage as he jumped at the reeling Scyther, pinned it onto the ground with his full weight, held its head in his hands, and snapped its neck.

"It... it was faking?" Lily managed to say.

"No; likely it was still dazed from returning to consciousness," Scythe grunted.

"Dear gods, Char..." Prince grunted, quickly unwrapping the scarf from his neck and tying it tightly around Char's wound. It quickly soaked with red.

"_My... my... my ARM! MY ARM! MY ARM!"_

"_CHAR!_ Settle down, for the _love_ of Entei, Settle down! You'll bleed to death if you don't calm your heart!" Prince tied a double knot into the bloodsoaked scarf.

"_Aaaaaaahhhh!_" Char wailed, looking down at the lifeless limb which still sat at his feet. "I... ahhhh! Ahhh!"

"Char, calm yourself!" Scythe barked. "You'll attract every wild in the room! Ray... go grab your bag before some Rattata steals all your berries."

"But my _arm is gone! My arm is gone!_" Char cried, continuing his tantrum as he fell limply into Prince's arms. "I... I thought... How... how is that... I thought Pokémon were... stronger... than this..."

"Against any other Pokémon, yes," Scythe said. "There is not another Pokémon who can dismember you as efficiently as a Scyther. It... is what we are built for. That is what we do. We cut our foes to pieces."

"Char... it's alright. You will have your arm back," Prince hummed.

Char took a deep breath. "H-how?" he managed to answer.

"We're in a dungeon, remember?" Scythe replied. "Reviver Seeds heal any wound you receive while in the dungeon. If you later fall, you will be reborn whole. But try to carry on as long as possible. I get the feeling we will be using some Reviver Seeds. But let us not abuse them, if we can help it. Char... you are blazing, it seems. Your flame is as big as the sun. Let us use that to our advantage while we can. You will be whole again soon."

A wave of resistance and a tearing sensation pulsed through Char as he tried, instinctively, to move the severed muscles in his shoulder. With a little self-control, he managed to stop screaming to the heavens. He tried to calm his heart. It was alright. The wound was temporary. It was okay. It hurt. _So much. _And already it felt so _wrong_ not to have a second claw. But it was okay. Okay.

Though Char managed to quiet himself, he couldn't help emitting a long, constant whimper. Tiling his head to the side, and saw Ray, Saura, and Lily standing beside him. Ray had not gone to get the bag as instructed. They all stood there, offering shocked gazes of sympathy. It was all they could do.

"By the gods, this is only the first floor," Scythe growled, trying to scrape the gooey, clear blood from his blades. "Prince... how many floors is Temporal Tower?"

"Twenty-four."

Scythe gave a pained moan. "Ohhh... Prince, do me a favor, and for the duration of this dungeon, do not follow Char's advice again."

"Understood," Prince grunted, cradling Char in his arms and waiting for the wound to clot.


	58. Quiet Now

_Author's note: This document, previously titled "The Inevitable Author's Note," contained nothing but an apology and an explanation for a very long absence I took from updating the story. In May of 2013, I wrote an extra chapter to fit into the story here to replace it. _

* * *

**"Quiet Now"**

_Many, many years ago, before the Call had been found..._

A young Scyther dashed through fields of tall, green grass – silent and unseen, but swift and deadly.

He felt the exhilaration of the hunt, the thrill of flight. His wings vibrated in a steady pattern, extending each of his steps into a long, gliding pounce.

The smell of the grass, the partially-overcast sky that teetered on the edge of twilight, sure to erupt with the glorious colors of sunset at any moment. The delicious scent of prey somewhere ahead.

It was all perfect.

He held himself back just short of where the tall grass ended. He dug his toes into the moist dirt, anchoring himself upon the ground, and crouching down low.

He was perfect. The perfect predator. This is what he lived for.

His clan-mates caught up with him, stopping to flank him perfectly on both sides. He knew there were more allies lined up behind him, keeping the perfect formation.

They all awaited his order.

The Scyther looked ahead, peering through the grass, and saw them. The Tauros. The mouthwatering, sweet-meated Tauros.

"We are undetected," his partner reported, his voice as silent as the wind.

"What are you thinking about, Adron?" the other implored. "Who's our target?"

The Scyther smirked.

"They all are," he replied cockily. "The entire herd will be our dinner."

_Ahhhhhh…_

_Ahhh…_

"The entire herd!" the Scyther on his right echoed, seeming overjoyed at the very thought. "Can we take them all down?"

"Well, if anyone can do it, Adron can," the one on his right said. "Adron, we await your words."

_Ahh, this…_

_This feels so nice…_

"How many are with us?" Adron asked his wing-mates.

"All of them," his left wing-mate reported. "All fifty-five. We're all here. This is the full power of our swarm."

"_Fifty-five?_" Adron echoed, incredulous.

"And we're all in your command," the right wing-mate said. "The Adrellos are at your command."

The Scyther hesitated, thinking. He was the leader. He needed to make the right call. But this was what he lived for! This was his calling in life. He was blessed with the talents of a leader. He knew by instinct what others couldn't see. He knew when and where to strike.

They were all counting on him. As the newly-ordained father of the Adrellos, he could not let them down.

_Ahh… such…_

_Such a good, good dream this is…_

_By the gods, I missed this. I missed this so much…_

_Ahh…_

_I… I haven't rested this well for a very, very long time._

_I haven't felt this since… since…_

The warm, divine wind was blowing past his face. The sun was falling, casting shadows in his direction.

He was a Scyther. He was one with the wind, one with the shadows. This was his night.

He gazed at the Tauros, the perfect prey. He saw how the leaders of the herd lingered in front, free for the picking.

_I haven't felt this since I came to be on the resistance._

_..._

_Wait._

_Resistance? What is that?_

Do not mind. That isn't important now; just relax.

The Scyther masterfully commanded his subordinates, surrounding the herd of unwary beasts. His orders were perfect; he knew intimately the skills and abilities of all his clan-mates, and delegated them to the proper tasks.

When he gave the word to attack, the blades cut cleanly through the brown hides, spilling that sweet, salty blood upon the –

_No… no, I think it is important._

_What is the resistance?_

_It…_

_Wait. This isn't me. This is just a dream. _

_This isn't my life anymore._

_My life is somewhere else. I'm somewhere else._

Not for tonight, my dear Adron. Tonight, you may be back here, where you love to be.

Tonight, you may be happy.

_No. No… no, this isn't right. This isn't right at all._

_Stop this dream. Make it end. Make this dream end._

Alright… If you so insist, I will.

… … …

The Scyther awoke in a dark room, head planted uncomfortably against the floor.

His body was sore. His mind was sore.

The sleeplessness returned. The buzzing returned. The thoughts that ran on their own, never stopping for him… they all returned, full-forced.

The Scyther grit his teeth, feeling the exquisite dream become nothing more than a forgotten sensation. The memory faded too fast from his mind, mixing up with the insane jumble of ideas and intentions… the untamed _beast_ which he lived with, fighting against for every day of his life. The beast which he had struck a pact with, demanding answers from it in return for his continued survival.

He tried to forget the dream faster. The faster he could forget what it felt like, the less bitter he would feel.

He sat himself up against the wall in this dark room, staring into the shadows. He could see into the shadows well enough, but they stretched too far into the distance to make anything out.

He knew, somewhere in those shadows, a pair of eyes watched him.

A gentle, cooing voice entered his mind. A telepathic voice. One that he knew too well. He cringed as it spoke.

_Adron_, it said gently. _My dear Adron… you are hurting. Why do you choose to hurt? You know that it pains me to see you hurt…_

_I have gone as deep as I can go, Adron. You know that I can make you feel much better, but today you have brought with you a powerful Absol to keep me out of the core of your mind._

_Why do you keep me out, Adron?_

_Why can't you let me in like you always used to?_

_Why can't we be together?_

That voice. That voice was part of his dreams, never leaving. He hated that voice.

Yet, how could he come to hate it? It was so comforting, so soothing; whenever it spoke, it made the confusion go away. It made the pain go away. It made his thoughts form orderly patterns.

And it allowed him to rest. To sleep. To dream.

Yet, he seethed as the voice echoed between his ears, trying to pierce through to his innermost subconscious.

_Oh, Adron…_

_Don't you see how broken you are becoming? Why don't you let me make it better? I can heal you…_

_Will you let me heal you? You know I can._

"No," the Scyther seethed, trying to block out the voice. "No… _Enigma_. Stop. I will not let you any further."

The voice wavered at the sound of the spoken name.

_Why don't you call me Mother anymore…?_ the voice replied. _You would always call me Mother. It made me so glad to hear._

"Because you're not my mother," the Scyther growled. "I do not know my mother. My clan made sure of it."

_How cruel of them,_ the voice sighed. _No one should need to live a pained life without someone to call their Mother. Everyone should have someone to flee to, someone to protect them, when they are lost, or worried, or in pain…_

_That is why I am here for you, my dearest Adron… That is why you need me. _

_And that is why we need Master, as well… he is our pillar of strength to flee to…_

The Scyther leaped to his feet and shouted into the darkness, his voice exploding with rage.

"If only the Master knew _what you have become_!" the Scyther challenged in a fierce growl. "How can you claim to care about me, take away my pains, when you are the _cause_ of those pains?! Do you – do you think I am _blind_? I will not fall for your temptations, Enigma! Not anymore…"

_Adron… your words cut me. My words are not temptations. I love you, Adron… you know I love you._

_But you know I also love Master, and I am doing precisely what Master wishes._

_I only ask that you help take away my pains, and I will take away yours. It is all I ask._

_Every night, I will let you rest peacefully and dream. Every night… _

_Just the way it used to be._

"_KIAAAAHHH! I WILL NOT SLAUGHTER!_" the Scyther cried into the darkness. "I will kill NO MORE! I will… not… let you kill any more…"

_You know that Master dislikes weakness. The weak creatures fall without us meaning to. We try to save them, yet we cannot save them all… Some must perish._

_They let themselves die because they do not understand what Master wants. They cannot bring themselves to see._

_It pains us, but it is not something we can help, my dear Adron. You must come to understand._

"When their blood stains _my blades,_ it stains my soul as well," the Scyther growled. "I am their murderer. And I will _not_ let you use me for the culling anymore."

_But you are a born hunter, _the voice said, sounding desperate. _That is what you were born to be, my good, dear Adron! Don't you see? You are happy when you are out there, in the field, hunting the prey! I see it in your dreams, and you see it there as well. That is who you are! I merely wanted you to be who you truly are. No one should ever be forced into something they are not._

_But… if the hunt no longer makes you happy… I can understand._

_I miss you so much, Adron… if you come back, then I promise nothing will ever stain your blades again, for as long as you live. No more hunting, no more slaying._

_You may have your chamber back. You may have everything back which you once owned. You may have your dreams, your rest, and your command… everything._

_If running errands for me is paining you, then I would not wish it upon you any longer. I do not want that anymore. I just want your company again, Adron. I miss you so much…_

_Please… just be here for me. And let me be there for you._

A shudder went through the Scyther's mind.

This… this was a heavy temptation.

It was a temptation to betray his newfound allies, his newfound life, his newfound goals…

Everything he had worked for would be left behind.

Yet… it would be perfect.

So perfect.

The Scyther's breath caught. He swiped a blade through the air before his face, as though cutting through the thought of ever having considered the voice's offer.

"No."

_My Adron!_ It cried, saddened. _What will it take to please you, my dear Adron? I would do anything to see you happy again at my side. _

_I would give you anything you ask for! And those things I cannot give, I will give to you in your dreams._

_Adron... Why do you reject me so? Why do you wish to remain away?_

"Because… because it is not enough to lay idly in the darkness," he said with conviction.

"Because I need to repent for what I have done. All those souls still cry out to me. I still remember their faces."

"I must avenge them. I cannot stop until I have _undone_ everything you have made me do."

"Until then, I will never be happy. If you wish to help me become happy, Enigma, let me leave. Let us go our separate ways once more, and watch fate play out in whatever way it will."

There was a quiet pause. A tense silence. The Scyther's eye caught something moving in the darkness.

_Very well, Adron,_ the voice replied so gently, yet so regretfully. _If that is what you truly wish… though it pains me to see you go, I will let you go… if that is what will make you happy._

The Scyther felt her mental presence retract, leaving him separated from her. He felt the madness of his own mind rush back into its former place.

_No one knows you the way I know you, my Adron,_ it said to him. _Not even you._

_You may go… But I just, I hope you one day come to realize how much I love you, and return to me…_

_We could be together again… just like we used to be…_

The Scyther shook his head, looking pained.

A flash of sadness sparkled in his eyes. A moment of vulnerability swept over him.

For just that moment, he felt like a hatchling again. A tiny hatchling, loved and cared for by powers greater than himself… A hatchling loved by all, adored by all, and with a great future ahead of himself…

But he realized he was a grown Scyther now, not a hatchling anymore, and the moment ended quickly.

With a snort, he turned and walked away, forcing through a door in the wall and exiting the shadowy room.

_Please,_ the voice called to him one last time. _My Adron…_

The voice whispered to itself, sobbing and crying alone in the darkness.

"Please… Please come back…"


	59. Chapter 44, Part 2

**Chapter 44**

**Part 2**

_..._

_And still, I am powerless._

_Powerless to help you._

_Powerless to touch you._

_There is still nothing... nothing I can do._

_You have brought this upon yourself._

_By your own actions._

_Your own decision._

_It is you, you who wanted to take this path_

_to disrupt the plan that was already set in motion..._

_To destroy what has been made._

_And here you are,_

_here to destroy everything..._

_to sacrifice... everything..._

_And I..._

_I can only wish_

_that the stream you forage_

_the path you drift upon_

_will bring you_

_to whatever you were looking for._

_I will see you soon._

_So very soon._

_You are so close._

_So very close._

_But, at the same time,_

_So very far..._

* * *

**Temporal Tower 2F**

The pain went away almost immediately, but pain was hardly the worst of Char's problems.

Engulfed in the blaze of Moltres, and with the numbing surge of adrenaline still yet to fade away, Char felt oddly detached from himself as the others dragged him along through the remainder of the meadow. He knew the others were talking to him, asking him if he was okay, but he didn't care much to listen. And when he did, he didn't feel like answering. All he could do was walk, step after step in whatever direction he was led, feeling the fire consuming his soul, feeling his shoulder throbbing, and throbbing, and throbbing...

He kept trying to look at his right arm, as though to see if it had returned. But each time he tried to move it, to bring it before his eyes, his nerves returned such a shock of protest that he felt he would pass out, his mind flashing before him the nauseating image of his severed limb still laying there in the grass...

Soon after the Scyther ambush, Prince found a way out of the meadow: a staircase. A pearl-white, inexplicably out-of-place staircase sat in the middle of the Wanderer's Meadow, seeming to fade into transparency as it extended upward. Upon setting foot onto the stairs, the surrounding environment flickered like the image on a pond's surface. The staircase wound in a spiral as they climbed while everything else faded to white, re-materializing as something very different when they reached the top.

They had progressed to the second floor.

It was dark here in this new environment, but not because it was nighttime. Unlike in the Wanderer's Meadow, the sun was surely in the sky here, perhaps far to the east in the early morning hours. Unfortunately, it was blocked from view.

This floor was a labyrinth of brown sandstone canyons, an endless series of interconnected hallways branching out into the distance. The canyon walls stood so high, they blocked most of the sunlight and drowned the paths in dim shadows. The scuffles and grunts of wild Pokémon scavenging for food echoed from deep within them.

Lily shuddered, trying to eye the sky, or what little of it could be seen from their position "Eugh, I already don't like this," she said. "Can we go back down the stairs and see if we can get a different place?"

Prince eyed her. "What stairs?"

She turned around, finding the staircase they'd just ascended nowhere to be seen, much like Temporal Tower's front door.

"We will need to find another staircase, just like the one we took," Prince assured everyone, beginning to lead them down one of the paths. "That is one of the rules of the dungeons, even those as deeply scrambled as this one: all the floors must be connected somehow, just as the dungeon must be connected in some manner to the outside world. Otherwise the dungeon would literally be disconnected from reality, and would rot out. In some dungeons, these connections manifest as staircases. No one knows why. Some think they are the stairs Palkia walks in his domain between the threads of existence."

The group stayed close together, following along behind Prince, as they tiptoed through the rocky passages and waited for the first wild Pokémon to show itself. Lily and Ray hung near the back of the procession, taking turns looking over their shoulders for an ambush. Saura cowered behind Prince, looking between his legs at the path beyond.

Scythe's eyes scanned the surroundings, flitting around like flies.

"Not good," it was Scythe's turn to say. "I believe... I know this place. If so... it is not a safe place to stay."

A small pebble fell from a nearby pile. At once, the group froze, holding their breaths.

_Hiccccchhhsssssssss!_

Suddenly, there appeared a creature made of mussed, brown fur, scampering from a cubby hole in the rocks. It attacked, spewing spittle into the air as it hissed in fury at the intruders, its long, pink tail twitching like an earthworm. A pair of sharpened fangs gleamed in the firelight as the thing rushed upon the explorers.

Seeing the Raticate coming right for him, Saura growled, quickly sprouted his vines to defend himself. Scythe stood poised, blades ready to decapitate the creature at just the right time, if he could find the opportunity. Prince coiled his muscles, preparing to engage the creature and pummel it with a barrage of fiery fists.

_FWOOOOOOOOOOOSH!_

"_AHHH-! Watch it!"_

"_Yow!"_

A giant fireball, larger than even Prince or Scythe, burst into existence. It blasted the disfigured rat away, setting every strand of its fur aflame with yellow and blue fire. The creature squealed in agony as it tumbled onto its side, twitching helplessly as its body turned pitch black and began crumbling apart.

Char stood on his three remaining legs, panting so hard that his chest seemed like it would fall off. His mouth hung open, smoke billowing from it.

Scythe blinked. "Char... that was a bit excessive."

Char bowed his head and closed his eyes, trying to ignore Scythe's voice. He continued panting heavily, feeling the intensity of his fire refuse to subside.

"Char's pride has been harmed," Prince said, a gleam of amusement in his voice as he looked upon the wounded Charmander. "And when the pride of a fire-type is compromised, they fight with terrible power until it can be restored."

_I've lost more than my pride,_ Char thought bitterly.

"As long as he keeps this inferno of his away from those who easily burn," Scythe said. "He shouldn't be mindlessly blasting it whenever he perceives an enemy. He hasn't even spoken a word since the injury, how are we to know he will exercise caution?"

Nodding his head, Prince knelt at Char's side and spoke in a gentle voice. "You know, Char, you can focus if you try. I know you're upset. I know it's easy to retreat back into your Ember and forget about the rest of us. Believe me, I have blazed before. I know what this feels like. But please try and focus. I know you can."

Prince placed a hand onto Char's back, but Char winced away quickly from the contact.

"Char... if you cannot control your blaze, you might harm us, to a fatal degree," Prince sighed. "You could attack Scythe by accident. Or Lily. Or... Saura. You don't want to harm Saura, do you?"

_No... I don't want to hurt Saura._

"Yeah, Char... I was standing really close to that, you know" Saura spoke carefully, standing at Char's side. "You almost lit me on fire. I was really scared."

Char's eyes drifted open. He eyed Saura, a powerful mixture of anger and shame burning behind his gaze.

"I... I just..." Char gagged. "I just... I feel so wrong. I feel... like throwing up. I just... want... my arm back."

"You're doing just fine without one, you know!" Ray submitted, trying to cheer him up. "You should see your fire right now! It's awesome! Seriously, turn around and look at your tail."

He did.

He was immediately reminded of his bedside brazier, all the way back at the Gold Division. His team's hall. His _real_ home.

His flame roared with might, its base licking over half the length of his tail. At its very tip, a tiny cone of white sprouted, surrounded by an aura of blue. It flared tall, a majestic presence, fueled by his wounded spirit and showing no signs of dimming.

_Is that... me?_

Watching the dance of his blaze, like another separate spirit connected to the end of his tail, did make him feel different.

Almost like a Charizard.

"How long is this going to stay?" Char wondered, trying to keep his balance on one hand as he gazed at the beauty of his fire at a level he had never seen before.

"It depends on how strong you are," Prince speculated. "That is a very grave injury, graver than most Pokémon face in the everyday battle, so your Ember isn't going to let you down for a while… but it will have its limits."

"Just look at that!" Ray added. "Right now, you're probably stronger than the rest of us put together! Now c'mon! Get up, and use that fire and burn all the wild Pokémon you want! Just... try not to burn us while you're doing it. We'll try to stay out of your way."

"Alright... alright," Char moaned, painfully forcing himself up on his two feet. "I'll... try."

Feeling his blood rushing through his head and his fire relentlessly churning, Char returned to his two feet and waited for his vision to focus. It seemed so bright. The dusty rock walls were coming alive, dancing with the shadows of all who surrounded him.

Everything started to spin. Instinctively, Char tried to shift his balance with his right arm... and again, a shock of nervous energy exploded in his head, causing him to heave forward and land back on his claw. He closed his eyes tightly, grumbling in protest of all the unnatural sensations surging in his body.

"I'll... be fine," Char assured everyone, taking deep breaths. "Let's go."

… … …

"Scythe, you said you knew this place?" Prince mentioned as they journeyed on, Char managing to hold himself up for a while.

"Well... it was a very long time ago, _very_ long, that I was here," Scythe tried to recall. "I... spent some of my time growing up here. There was a ceremony... of sorts... Eh, the memories are so distant. But yes, I do remember the name of this place: it is the Shattered Plateau."

"You grew up in a _dungeon?_" Lily questioned. "How does _that_ work?"

"Well... it wasn't a dungeon, back then," Scythe explained. "At least, nobody had noticed it. But many years in the future, when the clan returned here for a season, they found it... different than it had been in the past. Different, in fact, every time we entered. But not all of it. Just a few parts. Some of our clan members insisted we were crazy when we claimed the terrain among us was changing. And so we lived there, in what must have been the mystery dungeon, for weeks. But then, some of our clan mates began to disappear without a trace. That is when we decided to abandon the place as haunted."

"So... you must feel like one of the wild Pokémon that live in the dungeons all the time!" Saura guessed. "You really didn't even know you were inside of the dungeon?"

"Yes, it was hard to prove, for some reason, that the land we stood upon was shifting like the sand," Scythe muttered. "It seemed that some of us noticed the changes, while others were completely oblivious. I would not doubt it is the same reaction as the wild Pokémon; they might not even realize what is wrong."

"So, uh... do you remember any of the Pokémon that live here?" Saura asked.

"Yes," Scythe hissed. "Rattata family, of course. And Shinx family. And... … Scyther. _Dozens _of Scyther, as our missing clan members were lost in the dungeon and became wilds over the decades."

A collective groan of dread rose from the party. Char smacked his head forcefully against the ground, cringing.

"For the love of all that is sacred, Scythe, let's get out of here, lest someone else lose a limb," Prince growled. "Do you have any 'pure seeds' in that bag of yours?"

"I do not believe so, no," Scythe replied, glancing down at the pack strapped to his shoulder. "Unless by some chance Char's bag has them, though I doubt they could have afforded any. We do, however, have petrification orbs. Let's get one at the ready; if we are ambushed by Scyther, don't hesitate to use one."

"_Kiaah_, what good is Alakazam not packing pure seeds with you?" Prince almost screamed, swinging his fist in a rare show of anger. "I have never gone into a dungeon without at least four!"

"_Quiet_, or you will attract more attention than Char's miniature sun," Scythe rebuked. "Now get out a petrification orb. Also, we should have X-Ray lenses in there. We should make use of those. Lily, you can wear them. Keep watch for us."

Muttering to himself, Prince shifted through the bag on Scythe's shoulder, periodically glancing around as though ready to parry a surprise attack. With some effort, he yanked out a smaller pouch with several bulges, and also something that looked like a disgusting, poorly-made band with two large, flat crystals loosely attached to it.

Lily made a face as Prince brought the odd necklace over to her.

"_Those_ are X-Ray lenses?" she said. "I don't think they'll fit me..."

"Then wrap it around twice, then; just be lucky we have them. I've been meaning to get my hands on a pair of those for decades, since the Destiny Abyss swallowed my old pair," Prince said. "I can forgive Alakazam's failure to give us pure seeds... I might plead to him to let me keep it."

Prince strapped the gemstones to Lily's face as best as he could manage. When he was done, they looked horrendously tight and uncomfortable.

"Whoa... okay, whoa." Lily said, looking around with the glasses on and wincing constantly. "I can't see anything. I can see through things. But it's hard to tell what's actually there... This might take me some time to get used to."

Lily tried to take a step forward, but cringed back as though she were afraid of running into an invisible wall.

"Heh... Lily, you look like a Sableye with those on," Saura chuckled.

"Of course she does," Scythe said. "What do you think the lenses were made from in the first place?"

Saura bit his lip and averted his gaze for a moment.

"Keep an eye out through the walls," Prince instructed her, putting everything away except for one orb. "Tell us of any wild Pokémon you see. If you have trouble telling your surroundings, lift the lens from one eye to help you see."

"Nah... I'll get this. I think." Lily said, tiptoeing forward. "I just have to pay closer attention."

Lily stepped carefully, focusing intently on the ground beneath her. She gave a yelp as she stepped on a small chunk of gravel and almost tripped and fell on her face.

"Okay, okay…" she breathed, kicking the pebble away. "I… wait."

She paused, seeming to hold her breath. Her head lowered ever-so-slightly toward one of the rocky walls surrounding the team. She was squinting.

"Do you see something?" Prince asked her, a little concerned. "By the gods, I hope it is not a Scyther…"

"What… _is_ that thing?" Lily hissed, taking a few careful steps forward toward the wall. "It's… a Pokémon…"

Saura and Ray cast wary glances at one another, falling as silent as possible. Char scowled, his heavy gasps and roaring inferno making the only noise…

"It's… not a Scyther, I don't think…" Lily reported. "Or maybe it is… It could be, actually…"

Ray emitted a stifled gasp of dread. Char began to growl like an agitated hound.

Lily gasped.

She jerked her head upward. The team followed her gaze up, up to the top of the plateau wall.

Something stood there, staring down at them.

A humanoid Pokémon.

Terror shot into Scythe's eyes when he realized what confronted them.

"We must run…" Scythe whispered…

Saura began to back away hesitantly, loathe to provoke the creature with even the slightest of movements…

Scythe's gaze shot back to the team, Char's fire reflecting in his eyes.

"Run," he hissed again. "Run!"

"W—what is it?" Ray hissed back, unable to make out the vague figure far above them.

Scythe's gaze met the Raichu's.

"Wild Scizor."

There was a moment of apprehension as it sunk in.

"C-couldn't we take it?" Ray said quickly. "We could gang up on it… We have… two fire Pokémon…"

Scythe remembered that had taken his eyes from the foe, and his gaze snapped back to the plateau surface. The Scizor was gone.

"Didn't you hear me the _first time_, I said _run!_" Scythe gasped, desperation in his voice, his wings beginning to flit with nervousness. "Go. _**Go!**_"

So they ran.

Prince leapt into action, scooping up Char into his arm. "_Follow!_" he hissed to the others. "Keep up with me! Ignore any enemies unless we are trapped! We will find the staircase!"

Prince took off running _fast_, just as he had the night the Watchers had attacked the Emerald Division. Char felt his breath taken away as his head dangled out behind Prince, watching the gravelly floor zip past beneath. Looking up, he saw his friends galloping along as fast as they could, dodging boulders and bounding over piles of gravel as the plateau walls blurred past. They periodically fixed their gazes upon him for a few fleeting moments, then past him, watching for any signs of danger. Char realized Prince was using his massive fire to help guide the way through the dark maze.

"_Kyaaaah!_"

A wild shriek rang out as a figure leapt from the shadows, streaking through the air straight for Saura.

"_Whoa!_" Saura gasped, trying to jump out of the way… but he skidded on some gravel and fell onto his side.

"_Saura!_" Char cried, tensing and trying to escape Prince's arm. But Prince held on even tighter, not looking back for a moment.

_*Clang!*_

Scythe appeared from seemingly nowhere, protecting the fallen Bulbasaur from the rogue Scyther. The bladed warriors clashed their claws once, twice, before the feral collapsed away, its face nearly sliced off.

With widened eyes, Saura scrambled to his feet and once more joined the retreating procession, though they had fallen far behind. Char had to strain his neck to see them…

"Prince…!" Char yelled. "Slow down! Y-you're gonna leave them in the dark!"

"They're catching up," Prince assured him, glancing back for a split second. "By the gods, this is all Alakazam's fault… If we get separated, they can use a Luminescence Orb, if you even have those… Mmmnnhh…"

Prince let out a frustrated grunt, and suddenly Char felt the oddest sensation of being tossed into the air briefly as the Infernape switched him from one arm to the other

Char struggled to crane his neck and keep an eye on the party behind, but even with so much stamina pulsing through him, it was physically impossible, especially as his view jerked around wildly as Prince dashed over the uneven floor. He soon gave up, relaxing his head and staring at the ground, only for something odd to come into his view.

It was the little brown pouch, still dangling from Prince's belt, swinging around as its bearer hurried forward. Char thought it looked oddly heavy for something so small.

_What is in this thing? _Char wondered. He thought to reach out and touch it, but hesitated, remembering he had no limb with which to reach, and dreaded the painful impulse that kept wracking his remaining joint when he tried to move it.

Prince pivoted his body strangely, stopping in his tracks. Char gasped as his stomach lurched and body swung around, his vision changing so that he could somewhat see what was in front of Prince from the side of one eye…

The sound of crumbling rocks. A small avalanche…

A wild Graveler faced off with the two fire Pokémon, freshly risen from its peaceful sleep in the cliff-side wall. Char could even see the large gap in the rocks from where it had fallen just moments ago.

"_Grrrraaahhhhggg…"_ The beast grumbled in protest at being awakened.

"Prince—" Char gasped. "Prince… put me down! I—I can help fight!"

Prince ignored his request.

"_Prince!_" he tried again, speaking louder so as to break the ape's concentration. "Let me down! You can't fight it like this!"

"_Quiet_, Char!" Prince snapped. "I need to focus…"

Prince did not move. Instead, he posed himself, taking a very steadfast stance. He held his free arm at the ready. The Graveler tilted its body oddly, eyeing the Infernape with certain malice…

Char cringed. "Prince… it's gonna roll—"

"_Quiet!_" the Infernape hissed again.

Char bit his lip, watching as the Graveler began to tuck in its many limbs. There was nothing more he could do… he held on tight to Prince's arm, and braced himself for the collision…

"_Garrrrrrr!"_ the beast roared, thrusting itself into a slow but steady roll directly at its enemy…

Char felt as Prince jerked his body, right before the impact, but did not move… Char held his breath and shut his eyes, as the large boulder Pokémon rolled right into the side of his head.

_*CRUNCH!*_

Char felt nothing but the gentle shower of gravel upon him. Blinking his eyes open, he saw the Graveler laying defeated at the side of the canyon, with a large, leaking crater upon its body.

Char could only blink for a moment.

_Whoa…_ he remembered. _I'm… still invincible? But… but if I were invincible… I wouldn't be missing an arm…_

"You can defeat a Graveler in one blow, if you know where to strike," Prince explained.

"But… it hit us! Didn't it?" Char demanded. "There's no way it could have missed us! But… I didn't feel anything! Did _you_ feel anything?"

Prince fell quiet, scanning the hall for the next escape route.

"_Prince!_" Char cried. "What is _going on?_ Please tell me!"

"I am reluctant to tell you," Prince replied. "I fear you might… abuse the knowledge. Later… I will tell you later. But for now… we need to get out of this Scyther hive!"

"_GO!_" Saura's voice shrieked from not too far behind. "_There's four of them! KEEP RUNNING!_"

Prince inhaled sharply, clutched his Charmander even more tightly, and hit the dirt running again. Char glanced in the direction of Saura's voice, trying to catch another glimpse of his best friend…

And that was the last thing he remembered.

… … …

Char felt himself falling.

The sensation had come from nowhere. Utterly nowhere. One moment, he felt secure, if not a little bounced around, beneath Prince's arm. The next…

He wasn't even sure if Prince's arm was still there.

He thought he heard a cry of anguish pierce his senses, as though from Prince, but it sounded a long, long ways away…

When he tried to look around, he became even more confused. His surroundings didn't make sense. They were white. Or too dark. Or too blurry.

He blinked. He tried to rub his eyes, only to be brutally reminded of his disability.

Ground. He was on the ground. The floor was rocky, covered in sharp sand. He laid on his back. The beacon of light at the end of his tail billowed tall before his eyes, colors of red and blue and white dancing within it. Up above, a crack in reality… no, it was just the sky. The sunlit sky peeking through between the cliff-tops.

_What?_

Char took a deep breath. Kicking his feet and thrusting his claw against the ground, he rolled himself upright.

_Yes… I'm sure I'm still in the dungeon. But… what happened?_

And then, the dreadful truth hit him…

He was alone.

Alone, lost in what was probably the most dangerous dungeon known to Pokémon. No items. No partner. No _arm_.

The panic began to mount.

"_Priiiince?_" Char called, hearing his voice return to him several times through the splitting halls. "_Scyyyyyythe? Sauraaaaaa!"_

The only reply was a feral _hisssss_ somewhere beyond the darkness.

Char held his breath, quickly deciding to withdraw his voice. He gulped.

_Was I… knocked out, or something? _Char wondered, backing a few steps into the corner. _Did I… Did I get lost in the anomaly? Am I… do I need to be rescued?_

Remembering something, Char looked down. The emerald scarf was still tightly bound to his neck, and the tiny emblem still pinned to it.

_I have this…_ Char remembered. _I… I could probably use it to escape. Could I? I could bail, and Nameless would save me! Is that even how it works? Could I teleport myself out of Temporal Tower? Don't I need an escape orb? Well… I guess I could try…_

He reached a shaking, hesitant claw to touch it.

_But... no!_

_My ARM!_ He remembered in horror. _If I leave the dungeon now… my arm will be gone! I have to find Scythe! I have to use a reviving seed and get my arm back!_

More sounds came from the dark. Footsteps. Something searching, hunting.

Char's eyes darted from one shadow to the next. He gritted his teeth.

_Well…_

_I have all this energy and power right now…_

…_I am _not_ helpless!_

_Here… goes nothing._

"_RAAAAWWWWWWWWRRRR!_"

The cornered Charmander returned a roar of his own, the most intimidating he could muster, and darted headlong into the nearest dark hallway.

"_Hichhhissssshhhhh!"_

An Ekans was coiled around a small boulder, snapping at the Charmander as he ran past. Char pivoted, changed his course, thrust his body into the air, and blasted the little snake with a mouthful of flame. He caught a glimpse of the snake twitching and curling in agony, slipping off the rock as its scales were seared straight from its flesh, before he continued onward.

A Graveler stood in Char's path, turning its evil gaze toward him. Focusing, he charged the white power into his claws, then flew like a torpedo onto the rock beast's face and attached, digging his steel-hardened spikes into the thing's eyes. He tore through the monster's stony surface as he pulled himself up and over, launching himself past the foe and returning safely to the path. He kept going, needing to cover as much distance as possible…

_ZZZZzzzzzzzzZZZZZZZZ._

Char paused in his tracks, kicking up gravel as he skidded to a stop.

The unmistakable sound of Scyther wings. A sound that would probably haunt Char's nightmares for the rest of his waking existence. A sound that would have probably made him reel back and cower in terror.

But not now. This time, Char was _ready_. They were _not_ going to take away his other arm. They were _not_ going to take away _anything_. It was _his _turn for revenge.

_I don't fear you!_ Char told himself. _You will fear my fire!_

_ZzzzzzTT!_

_Ka-chang!_

Char dodged, and a steel blade ricocheted from the ground where Char had been waiting. Char rushed to the cliff wall, leapt, and rebounded from it, whipping his tail through the air like a giant fiery mace to scare the giant insect.

_Clang!_

The Scyther's blades, aimed to slice the Charmander in half, clashed directly below as he sailed through the air. Feeling proud of himself, he pivoted once more to land… but he landed on the gravel and skidded, and without the aid of his arm to balance, he tumbled over, hitting his head on a boulder.

_No…_

_SLASH!_

He didn't feel it… but after he dodged, he _tasted _it. Blood.

The Scyther's blade had gotten him. A streak of fresh blood dripped across his forehead and chest. It had not gone too deep, but it brought him that much closer to death…

_NO!_

Char blasted fire in a random direction, hoping the inferno would be large enough to catch the Scyther.

"_KYAAAH!" _The Scyther screeched in surprise, zipping to the cave wall to dodge it.

_CLANG!_

A blade rebounded from the boulder as the Scyther made another advance.

_This has to end!_ Char realized.

With his white, glowing claws, Char bounded _straight up_ the cliff wall as far as he could, until his weight became too much… Then, with a gleam in his eye, he thrust powerfully with his legs and hurled himself straight from the wall. The Scyther, who had risen to his elevation, was in his direct collision course.

_WHOOSH!_

_WHOOSH!_

Millimeters above him, two furious blade-swipes just nearly missed their mark, sinking into a limb that did not, for the moment, exist. Char slammed into the insect's body, full-forced.

"_Karrraaiii!"_ The Scyther yelled in protest as the searing flames licked its flammable body. Its wings buckled under the combined weight of the two Pokémon.

Char bared his teeth and sank his fiery maw into the Scyther's neck.

_THUMP. _The Scyther hit the ground, defeated, with the panting Charmander on top. In disgust, Char coughed one last blue plume of fire onto the enemy, burning its wings away.

As he leapt down from atop his kill, the salty taste of blood entered his mouth again, and he began to feel weak.

"See?" he said to no one, every word a heavy breath. "See? I can take you! Come on! Challenge me! Any other Scyther out there? Come on, try to kill me! I bet you can't do it!"

A powerful wave of nausea came, and Char slumped to the ground, tripping over the defeated Scyther and falling on his face. He barely even knew it had happened; one moment, he had been filled with pride and euphoria from his victory, the next, he awoke, not knowing how much time had passed…

Shrugging it off for the moment, Char got back onto his feet and began to dash through the corridors once more in search of his lost companions. The path bent and turned in many unnerving ways; Char noted all the side-paths he neglected to follow, hoping dearly that he could rely on the sound of someone's voice to find his way. Surely, they would be searching for him, wouldn't they? Or were they, too, staying silent, hoping they would avoid the attention of the rogue Scyther clan? Either way, he knew he had to find them, or his chances of getting to Dialga alive were next to none…

… … …

He ran for a whole minute, two minutes, encountering no Pokémon but a small group of Rattata who scurried away at first glance. He gave up trying to remember the way he came; he only ran forward, picking a random path whenever there would be a fork, and prayed to Dialga that he would run into someone he recognized…

Every moment, things were getting more blurry. Char felt his control over his body weaken, become stranger, with every step…

And every so often, he would trip on seemingly nothing, and feel the cold, hard rock skidding against his forehead…

_Slump._

Char awoke on the ground again, cursing to himself. He had lost count of how many times it had happened now. He rolled onto his back, clutching his stomach until the nausea would fade. His spirit was faltering.

Something caught his eye.

The glimmer of glass from an adjacent cave, his firelight glinting from something small.

Holding his breath, Char lifted himself from the ground and prowled toward it.

_This… had better not be a monster nest again,_ Char hoped, wearily eyeing the cave ceiling for any signs of movement, as he moved in to inspect the object. _I don't know if I could take a monster nest in this state… _

It was a Wonder Orb. A tiny smile crossed his face; it was always nice to find these in the dungeons and to see what kind of random ways they would assist. Though he knew he would have difficulty carrying it along without a bag, he scurried over to it and pressed the tip of his nose against its surface.

_Itemizer Orb_, it replied. _Activate now?_

_No,_ Char replied. _Um… How do you work?_

_A nearby wild Pokémon resident of the Mystery Dungeon will become an item._

_Uhh… thanks,_ Char replied, raising an eyebrow at the concept. _Um… how is that supposed to work, anyway? A Pokémon becomes an item?_

The orb, of course, did not respond.

_What kind of an item?_ Char asked it.

No answer.

_Well… let's try it,_ Char decided. _Next Pokémon I see… becomes an item._

Standing carefully on two legs, Char cradled the glassy sphere against his body and tried to lug it along with him.

In no time at all, it began to annoy him. Lugging a huge supply bag was one thing, but carrying an orb with his only hand through a Scyther hive… it was downright unnerving. Char eyed the sky and all of its surrounding shadows, wondering about every little buzz and hiss that seemed to enter earshot, ready to use the orb or lob it at an opponent and run as fast as he could…

While his fire continued to burn so powerfully, Char felt as though it was burning _him_, consuming the very last of his energy, his life force, the coal of his inner ember. It crossed his mind that he did not know if his second wind, the Blaze reaction, truly had any limits. Would it fail him? It certainly felt like it was reaching its last threads… Lugging the orb along, Char tried hard not to think about his own mortality, only taking step after painful step, feeling the sharp gravel make tiny indentations on the bottom of his feet…

He dropped the orb twice. It had rolled out from his grasp, his claw seeming to release the orb without him commanding. It was a difficult, exerting process to crouch down and try to pick it up again, balancing the orb and his body on his two wavering legs. He hoped for a Pokémon to use it on; he hoped even more that the nearest dark corner wouldn't call to him, beckoning him to just crawl over and relax, closing his eyes forever…

Finally, he met another wild Pokémon: yet another Scyther. This one, oddly enough, seemed to be sleeping.

_Activate now,_ Char ordered the orb.

The orb shattered instantly upon command, waking the sleeping Scyther. However, just as Char was about to cringe back, many small, detached glimmers of yellow light rose from the broken glass, swarming in the air like flies toward the waking feral. The mantis Pokémon gave a growl of protest, and then in anger, as the spots stuck to him, seeming to freeze him and lock his body in place…

It was almost a grotesque sight as the orbs gravitated toward the center of the Pokémon, bending the fabric of its flesh and skeletal structure… through it all, the Scyther wailed and hissed so furiously, Char thought he would surely break free from the spell…

Char couldn't bear to watch as the last of the spell took place; his head was turned as a _pop_ sounded from where the Scyther once sat. There, in its place, was a small seed, still glowing with power.

_A seed?_ Char groaned to himself. _That's all I get? A seed? _

Shrugging, he picked it up and looked it over. It wasn't a Reviver Seed, that was for sure. It also wasn't a Stun Seed or a Sleep Seed…

_I don't even know what this will do,_ Char realized, stroking the rough surface of the oversized seed. _It could have horrible effects if it was the wrong kind… augh, it's useless unless I can get it appraised! I can't take the risk!_

Char angrily stuffed the seed underneath his scarf, hoping it would stay in place as he dashed about.

Another sudden dizzy spell. Char fell back to all threes and cringed, waiting for the tingling sensation in his head to subside. Even though the cut across his front had already scabbed up, he knew he wasn't doing so well. He could not afford even one more hit from a Scyther's blade.

_I need… my strength back soon…_ Char told himself. _I… don't know what will happen to me if..._

_*Clang!*_

_*Clang! Clang!*_

Char perked his head at the sound. There was scuffling from down the hall. A battle?

It fell silent.

Char's head started spinning. _I know that sound_, he realized. _That's a Scyther blade against rock. Someone's fighting a Scyther. Or maybe it's Scythe! Is my team there?_

Taking a sharp breath, Char scurried in its direction, tuning his ears for the sound of another clash. His breathing grew more intense and strained the farther he went, worried that one of his friends had not survived a clash with a Scyther…

The sound never rose again. And Char hit a clean dead end in the path.

"NO!" Char wailed, thrusting his forehead against the wall. "No…"

He wished he could just push through the wall. He wished he could smash a tunnel straight through the rock, and find a way to the other side. But the rock would not give, no matter how hard he forced against it…

Remembering an alternate passage, Char reluctantly turned around, fighting a sudden dizzy spell…

There was something on the floor. Another item.

It was a band of some kind. Something feebly attached to a string. Char sniffed at it. It smelled… familiar.

Char sat down beside the object, pulling it from the gravel…

Attached to the long, dirty brown string came two flattened jewels, the sandy gravel flowing from them…

_Lily's X-Ray lenses._

Char's eyes widened.

_Lily… was here?_

_What happened to her?_

_Was she… knocked out? She had a rescue emblem…_

_Or worse… was she… taken?_

Grasping the item tight, Char did his best to shake off the dirt. He held one of the lenses awkwardly to one eye.

The walls containing him seemed to vanish, revealing the dungeon labyrinths beyond. But they were all so dark, as light from the sun failed to touch almost anywhere… Char thought he could barely, just barely make out the forms of moving Pokémon far in the distance… but he couldn't tell who, or even where, they were… If they were closer, perhaps he could see them through the shadows…

Char tried to put the valuable lens on properly, but the tiny brown band was far, far too long to stay on…

_Wrap it around twice, then_, he remembered Prince saying.

So he tried. He tried so hard, contorting his tiny body into knots, almost strangling himself on a few occasions, just to get the large, floppy band to fit snugly around his head.

But he couldn't do it. Not with only one arm.

"_AUUUUUUGHHH!_" Char bellowed in frustration, slamming the priceless item to the ground and spitting fire at it.

_Thump._ Char fell atop the tangled band, passed out.

… … …

Char figured his blackouts didn't last for very long; if they did, he would have surely been expelled from the dungeon. He remembered the first time he was knocked out in a dungeon, back when he had accidentally stumbled into a patch of the viciously poisonous Dragon's Eye buds. He had blacked out for nearly a full minute until his friends had cured the poison, but he had not been expelled, so he knew there was a window of time before expulsion would take place. He feared his blackouts would grow longer, and eventually prove fatal to his mission.

Worst of all… he wondered if getting expelled would mean the loss of his arm for the rest of his life. He tried so hard not to imagine that kind of a life. It only made the nausea return.

When he woke again, he sadly picked up the nearly-useless X-ray lenses and slung them around his neck. They sagged all the way to his feet, so he put a few twists into the band and raised them to a more reasonable level. He tried from time to time to twist them further, making the band small enough to wear and utilize, but the loops would always come undone before his tiny claw could catch them. Sighing, he secured them to his form the best he could and carried on.

On and on he went. The Shattered Plateau never seemed to end, and his friends were still nowhere in sight. The X-ray lenses proved useful, as they helped him avoid notice from no less than two feral Scyther, but still could not aid him in his search for his party…

A new kind of nausea overtook his belly, one that didn't subside in moments. He was _hungry_.

Char just couldn't believe his luck. He felt absolutely miserable. Perhaps worse than in the freezer; at least he wasn't alone when he smoldered, and had Prince there to revive him when his fire was almost out. But now… every part of him ached in some way or another. He didn't want to battle. He didn't even want to stand. He figured that his Blaze was feeding from the Golden Apple that had dutifully kept his belly filled for so long, but now, it seemed gone. And there was no way he wanted to pass out from hunger _again_.

He pictured it. A Golden Apple. He knew there were more in the team's bag, just waiting for him to sink his teeth into, to partake of that wonderful, godly flavor. His arm aside, he wanted nothing more than just a small slice of one.

He remembered the seed still tucked beneath his scarf. He reached up to feel it bulge. It wasn't much, but… it would fill his belly a little, give him just that much more time to reunite with his team. But he didn't know what it would do to him. He had heard of the Hunger Seeds, seeds that could practically starve a Pokémon to death… It could be a Blinker Seed, turning him blind… Or, it could be one of the fabled Doom Seeds, which could sap his power until he was no stronger a Charmander than when Saura first found him…

_No._ Char decided. _No… I just… But I can't starve to death! But… no. No. I can't… I have to see them again._

_You idiot,_ another part of his brain said. _You will never see them again._

_Why not?_ he challenged.

_Because_… _you turned Scythe into a seed._

Char paused for a moment.

"No!" Char muttered. "No… it can't be true."

_You know it's true!_ his mind told him. _Scythe passed out looking for you! He was sleeping… and you used that orb on him! Now you're holding Scythe in the palm of your hand! How do you feel about that?_

"No!" Char cried more desperately. "No, it… it can't be true! That wasn't Scythe! It couldn't have been! I know Scythe! I know what he looks like! I can't… I couldn't! No, no, no! It made wild noises! And it didn't even talk to me! Scythe would have said something if he would have noticed me!"

_You idiot,_ his mind told him. _You've lost everything. Your friends, your health… and now… your sanity!_

"NO!" Char cried, nearly tearing at his forehead with his claw. "NO! No, no no! NO! NO!"

_Kiaaaaaaaaah!_

_*Clang! Clang!*_

_CRASH._

Noises. Battle noises. Pokémon cries. The sound of buzzing Scyther wings. They were all very close by. Panicking, Char lifted a lens onto his eye and glanced around. Nothing but shadows caught his attention.

_THUMP._

Char saw stars. A powerful blow to the back of the head. His only claw occupied with the lens, he couldn't defend or save himself from falling… He reeled forward, hitting the ground hard.

Rolling onto his back in panic, he met with his foe…

A large, powerful Scyther stood over him. It did _not_ look happy. It was hunched over in a battle pose, ready to slice him to ribbons.

Terrified, Char backed away, scrambling to the wall on his three limbs, slipping on the loose gravel. He took the deepest breath he could, mustering a great fireball…

But then the Scyther spoke to him.

"Char," it said. "Why did you have to come _now?_"

Char noticed the bag draped over the Scyther's shoulder.

Scythe.

_Scythe!_

Char tried to open his mouth and plead to him for help, but Scythe interrupted.

"Char… it is _dangerous_ here!" he hissed in intense desperation. "Hide. _Hide! Go!_"

Swinging his body, Scythe slung the bag behind a nearby rock.

"By the gods, Char, you look on the edge of death. Heal yourself." Scythe ordered. "Also…"

He looked quickly over his shoulder, his eyes brimming with fear.

"Dig out a petrification orb as fast as you can, and _use it._"

_CLANG!_

A resounding metal clash. Scythe pivoted his body, blocking a blow to his head. A large, red pincer.

Char _dove_ behind the rock in terror, hoping to Arceus not to have another dizzy spell again.

The bag. He tried to dig through it. But in such a panic, he could barely untie the cover flap with one hand; it kept slipping out of his grasp. And he didn't know which pouches held what.

"Scythe! I can't… I can't do this!" Char breathed in despair.

"_You have one more hand than I do!_" Scythe roared, parrying a blow from his opponent.

Nearly hyperventilating, Char fished his hand deep into the supply bag. There were many small pouches, neatly organized so every kind of item could be attained with ease… except for now, of all times. His claw brushed against a small pouch, which he thought contained orbs. Fiddling with it, he managed to widen the loop enough to get inside and fish out the contents… He gave deep breaths, trying to align his thoughts, and focus…

He pulled the item out. It wasn't an orb at all. It was a seed. A Reviver Seed, to be exact. It was unmistakable, with the shiny golden surface, and the supernatural aura about it…

_CLANG! CLANG!_

_THUNK._

The sounds rising from the duel between the Scyther and the rogue Scizor drew Char's attention. He witnessed Scythe suffer a brutal blow, a jab right to the face.

"_HURRY!"_ Scythe pleaded.

Char yanked the unknown seed out from under his scarf and tossed it randomly into the supply bag. He replaced it with the Reviver Seed, which was much larger and harder to hide.

Thrusting his hand back into the bag, he fished around harder, feeling for the distinct shape of the small Wonder Orbs. There were a few sitting in the bottom of the bag…

_This is a Trawl Orb. Activate?_

_This is a Decoy Orb._

_Spellcaster of Invisibility._

"Aurghhh…" Char grumbled, his mind bombarded with several streams of telepathy at once.

_SLASH! CLANG!_

"_CHAR!"_ Scythe cried. "DODGE!"

But Char couldn't react fast enough…

The next thing he knew, the image of the bag spun around wildly below his feet. Something was holding him off the ground, holding him very tightly, so that he could barely move.

Crushing him.

_No_.

He couldn't struggle.

His voice didn't even work.

He felt himself going limp.

_No._

The Scizor pincer squeezed. Tighter. He felt a rib crunch somewhere inside.

_No…_

Char did the only thing he could do... and held his breath.

There was a sizzling noise.

"_Screeeeeeeeeee!"_

The Scizor dropped him. Char turned to face his opponent… only to see that the claw which had held him just moments before was now… deformed. The exoskeleton had melted! Char had overheated his body to defend himself, sending a small shockwave of scorching temperature directly into the steel-plated bug.

The Scizor held its ruined claw before its eyes, as though in disbelief.

_See how you like it without a hand,_ Char thought bitterly.

That one moment of hesitation was all Char needed. He leapt back out of the foe's range, took a deep breath… and loosed his fire without reserve.

The blue fire mercilessly engulfed the foe as though it were a tiny Weedle. It turned and lashed out with its flaming form in many directions, enraged in its final moments, emitting a constant, disturbing squeal…

_SLASH!_

Scythe intervened to deliver the finishing blow, and the Scizor fell to the ground in a pile of molten steel.

"There… there might be more…" Scythe gasped, turning to the miserable little Charmander. "We… we must get off this floor. Char. You look like you dug your way from a Wailmer's belly… Thank the gods I found you."

"Scythe!" Char cried, wanting to hug him, only afraid of lighting him on fire. "What happened? How did I get separated? I didn't remember… anything…"

"You and Prince fell into a 'warp trap', as they are called." Scythe rasped. "A random vortex that sometimes appears in dungeons, sending you to somewhere else on the floor. It was… highly inconvenient. I did not realize it until I followed the sound of his cry, and fell into it myself as well… The others most likely are scattered all over the floor as well, fighting for their lives… I don't think any of the Reviver Seeds were used, so they are most likely surviving…"

He indicated the bag.

"Char. Dig in there, and find a 'Rollcall Orb', and use it. I… I tried to do it myself, but it was a mistake… While I was distracted, the Scizor found me… And for the love of everything, Char, eat a Sitrus Berry and heal yourself. We are only on the second floor of twenty-four; we cannot afford a Reviver Seed to be used yet. This tower… this is worse than I have imagined…"

And so, Char dug into the bag, touching each orb until one of them identified itself as a Rollcall Orb. He ordered it to activate.

Without warning, four other Pokémon appeared in the same room, each looking very frightened and spent.

Prince looked absolutely berserk.

"Oh… Oh," he muttered, looking around and realizing where he was. "I was about to say… By the blazes, not again! I had just succeeded in finding Saura… another warp trap might have driven me to insanity. You used a Rollcall Orb, then. Good… very good."

"Char!" Saura gasped. "You look horrible!"

"I don't feel so good," Char gasped, falling onto the floor again. "I…"

Saura rushed to him, though feeling the intense waves of heat radiating from his body still, he dared not touch. He peered down upon his best friend with relief and sympathy.

"You—don't look so good yourself," Char replied, twisting his head to meet Saura's gaze, noting the scabs upon his body and the tatters on his seed.

"I… got sliced up a little, yeah," Saura said. "Once I found Prince, he protected me… he's good at fighting those Scyther… _really_ good…"

"Char! Here…"

An orange paw entered Char's view. It held an Oran Berry.

"It's one of the last from Team Ember's bag," Ray admitted sheepishly. "I, uh… I had to use a few to survive when we were separated. It was just me and Lily… actually, here. Just… take all of them. You look like you could use it."

Three of the dark blue berries tumbled to the floor before Char. Driven crazy at just the sight of them, he grasped one of them and took a ravenous bite from it.

"Oh… interesting! Char, you found Lily's lenses," Ray noted. "Yeah… we were fighting some Luxio and later we just realized it was gone. We figured she dropped it somewhere. Oh, man. It's good to be back."

"Don't relax quite yet," Prince warned, digging through the bag for his own supplies. "We need to find the staircase still. Wait… what's this?"

Looking surprised, he pulled out the seed which Char had tossed in.

"Hmm. Where did _this_ come from, I wonder? This wasn't in here before. I'm sure of it."

Char sat up, quickly filling his belly with the healing berries and feeling his strength return. "I found that," he told Prince with a full mouth. "I didn't know what it was."

"Pure Seed," Prince told him, turning the item around in his fingers. "Definitely a Pure Seed… Hmm. Very lucky of you, Char. Good work. This… is an item of unparalleled value to have in our position. We could use it now, or we could search for the staircase and save it for another floor. Scythe, what do you think?"

"Eat the Pure Seed, for the love of Arceus," Scythe ordered him. "Whatever lies on the next twenty floors cannot be as bad as what we have faced on this one."

"Scythe, wait a minute!" Ray said suddenly. "Lily and I actually found the staircase. It's in a really big cave. It's not hard to find! If we can just take a small walk so we can figure out where we are, we can save the seed!"

Lily nodded. "It's true. We knew we couldn't go on until we found the rest of you. But we kept good track of where we are, so…"

Scythe looked at the ground for a moment. He didn't like the idea.

"No," he shortly said. "Let us not risk it. Not here. Prince, if you would…"

"Fine, then," Prince said with some reluctance, tossing the seed in one hand and weighing it. "Everyone, form a chain. Normally a Pure Seed will only work for the Pokémon holding it, but if we all hold onto one another…"

And so, Prince picked up the handicapped Charmander in his arm once more, Saura and Lily used their vines to bind the rest of the team together, and Prince bit down on the seed. After a rush of momentum, a similar sensation to falling into the warp trap, the team gazed at the staircase.

The wretched floor was finally behind them.

* * *

**Temporal Tower 3F**

_I can't… do this._

Even after stopping the bleeding and eating his fill, Char still found himself in a world of misery.

After having stuffed himself with the Oran Berries Ray had offered him, he realized he actually felt _worse_. Since he had healed, his Blaze reaction had begun to subside… and where all the pain was previously drowned out by an all-encompassing flame, it now flooded back in full force.

"Are you going to be alright, Char?" Saura asked him carefully, afraid of getting too close and accidentally hurting him.

_No,_ he wanted to say. _No. My arm is throbbing. My arm, that I don't even have, is throbbing. I can't focus. I can't take it. I don't even know where we are. I don't care._

Instead, he reached his claw up and under his scarf, feeling the smooth, glassy surface of the Reviver Seed.

It _called_ to him.

"Char," Scythe suddenly said, kneeling down to meet his eye. "I have to thank you… for helping me defeat that Scizor. I have… never been adept at fighting those… I have forgotten how helpless they can be against the element of fire."

"Scythe, I was just trying to survive," Char told him through gritted teeth, trying unsuccessfully to ignore his newfound discomfort. "I just reacted."

"Then thank you, Char, for reacting," Scythe said with deep earnest, rising to his feet again. "Thank you for surviving. It is… a miracle that we did not use a single Reviver Seed so far. A warp trap accident has been known to consume many of those at once. We need every one of them; they are as precious as our lives. "

The third floor of the scrambled tower was one of the strangest-looking Mystery Dungeon floors Char had ever witnessed. It appeared as a long, empty room with a low ceiling and a floor made of marble. Every fifty steps or so, a ridged pillar stood to hold up the ceiling, forming a perfect, endless grid of passages as far as the eye could see. It almost resembled a forest. Unlike the previous floor, this one was very well-lit, though there were no noticeable light sources anywhere.

Good thing, too, because Char no longer had his massive flame to light the way; his tail fire was back down to normal size.

_With the Blaze, this was manageable, _Char thought to himself, feeling for the Reviver Seed again as soon as Scythe's back was turned. _But now… this is all downright useless! And disgusting! I want my health back. And I want my arm back. _

_And I want them back now._

Char slipped the golden, glistening seed from under his cloth and eyed it greedily.

"Whoa!" Saura gasped, noticing Char's held item. "Is that a Reviver Seed? W-where did you get that?"

"Found it on the last floor," Char lied. "I… I think I want to use it."

Sympathy crossed Saura's face.

"I just… I want my arm back, Saura…" he whined. "I don't care what Scythe thinks. I don't want to save it. I want to use it _now_."

"I… can't blame you," Saura said to him in a lower voice, making sure the conversation would not be overheard. "But what if we get up to, like, floor twenty, and we run out of them? And what if you get your legs copped off by a Gliscor or something? Wouldn't you wish you had it?"

"I'm… I'm not _going_ to get my legs chopped off," Char insisted. "The only reason that Scyther got me was because it tricked us. It tricked us because it couldn't beat us in a battle. The only way it _will_ happen again is if I'm stuck without my right claw for the rest of this place. I can't battle well without it. I can't focus without it. And now, I was an idiot and devoured all those berries and I'm not even Blazing anymore. I… need it back."

Saura sighed, peering around at the others to make sure they weren't paying attention.

"Alright… I won't stop you, Char," he said. "Just make it quick. Scythe _will_ stop you if he catches you. And he probably won't be too happy once he finds out anyway. But… it's your seed. Your decision. Go ahead. I'll… cover you as best as I can."

Char clutched the precious Reviver Seed tightly, wondering exactly what it would feel like to have his health instantaneously return to him…

"Hey!" Saura shouted, bounding to the front of the line. "Hey… I thought I saw movement over there!"

"Movement?" Prince repeated. "Hmm… I didn't see anything. Was it large?"

"No, it was small. A quadruped Pokémon, I think. I don't know, I didn't see it very well. It blended in."

"Lily?" Prince called. "Can you see anything behind the pillars?"

_Alright…_ Char told himself with one last, heavy breath. _This is my chance. Here…_

_Here goes nothing._

_*CHOMP*_

Like a rabid squirrel, Char stuffed the seed into his mouth and bit down. He felt as a shatter rippled across the unblemished shell of the seed, and as all the tiny pieces began to disintegrate and burn in the fiery recesses of his mouth.

He quickly found that the seed didn't taste so good. It tasted like a root. A gritty, dirty root pulled up from a clay-strewn quicksand pit in the middle of a swamp. When he gnashed it with his teeth, it seemed to fight back, flooding his throat with the desire to hurl it all out. He knelt down, preparing himself in case his stomach would decide to do just that.

"Char! Is something wrong?"

Someone called to him. He didn't know who. But he knew he had to choke the thing down before anyone would find out. Wearing a scowl as though dipping his tail into a sea of ice-water, Char swallowed the seed chunks, gagging as they got caught in his throat.

"Something's wrong," Prince's gasped, rushing over to him. "He's gagging. He could be injured internally. Char. Char? Can you breathe?"

Saura bit his lip, glancing over to his friend in worry.

"Char! Did you swallow something bad?" Lily asked him. "Were you poisoned? Ray, do you have a Pecha fruit? He might be poisoned…"

"I know we do, it's in here somewhere… Hang on, Char! I'll find it!"

"No… no," Char managed to say, finally getting the lumpy seed to go all the way down. "I… I… I'm not poisoned."

"Then what happened?" Prince demanded. "Did you step on a trap? What? What?"

"How…" Char hesitated to say, his eyes growing blurry with the sheer energy it took to force the seed into his belly. "How long… does it take… for… for a Reviver Seed to… work?"

"Reviver Seeds work instantaneously upon death," Prince told him, confused. "Or within a minute or two if fallen unconscious… essentially, any time you would have been expelled…"

"_No._"

Scythe looked incredulously upon the sick little Charmander. Dread washed over Char as he realized… Scythe knew.

"_Char. _You… you could _not_ have been so…"

Char bit his lip and turned away. He could ignore his mentor's disapproval. He just waited for the seed's effects to kick in.

"No. Char. No. I can't believe you," Scythe gasped, pushing past the other two Pokémon and standing intimidatingly over Char. "You did. You _ate_ a _Reviver Seed!_"

"W—what else was I supposed to do?" Char pleaded back. "I couldn't… I couldn't take it anymore!"

"Char… Reviver Seeds don't _work_ if you eat them!" Lily informed him. "Best they'll do is fill your belly a little bit, but… Oh, Char!"

Char fell speechless for a moment as the truth sank in.

"W—w—How was I supposed to know that?" he cried in anguish. "I mean, it's a seed, right? You eat seeds, and…"

"_Char…_" Scythe growled at him, absolutely _seething_ in rage. "I am this close. _This. Close._ To severing your other arm for such a _stupid_, thoughtless act. That seed could have saved one of our lives closer to the summit of this tower. And now it is gone. _Wasted_. If someone dies on this expedition, it will now be on your shoulders. I _hope_ you understand this fact, Char…"

"_Chk?"_

Char felt a lurch in this throat. He realized a bit too late that not all of the seed had gone down just yet. One of the seed's shards had gotten turned sideways, lodging itself halfway down.

His eyes widened in shocked pain. A piercing sensation filled his chest, draining every ounce of his energy. He keeled onto the ground, hand squeezing his own neck… His hearing was muted, and he felt the blood drain from his own face…

His throat convulsed so wildly, so painfully, trying to spew the glass-like object form his throat, but it would not move; it was embedded, stabbing at him on the inside…

And, for the first time, after nearly a whole minute of torture, Char felt his body fail him.

He saw the bright light, the same one he had seen in the freezer. It came for him, as though the sun had descended upon him to disintegrate his soul… It looked so fiery and welcoming, yet it was cold, numbing…

For just a moment, nothing else existed but the light.

A memory rose from the very back of the dying Charmander's mind… the oddest memory for such a time. He remembered using the Call and calling to Dialga… asking him, pleading to him for direction, protection…

_Oh…_ Char thought to himself. _Dialga, it's you…_

But then…

For an even smaller moment…

He saw… something _else_.

It was… something malicious. Something… painful.

Something… that _hated_ him. Wanted him dead. Manipulated him. Waited patiently for his arrival. For the perfect moment.

He saw… the _eyes_. The dark, red eyes…

_Pop!_

"…and they're supposed to heal you! And… wait. What?"

Char blinked. Out of nowhere, He was standing on his feet.

He looked at his arms. His left arm. His right arm. Both worked perfectly. He touched his head. It was completely whole. No scabs, no scars.

He felt no pain. He felt no hunger. He felt _perfect_. Reborn. He smiled with certain glee.

…That is, until he noticed the five Pokémon staring oddly at him. All with their mouths hanging open.

"Whoa," Ray gasped.

He noticed Scythe hanging his head in something like shame.

"Well…" Prince muttered. "I suppose… that is that. Char got what he wanted."

"Char… has a funny way of getting what he wants, even when he doesn't deserve it," Scythe sighed. "Arceus, I hope we find more Reviver Seeds… we are down to eight, only…"

"I don't think we should worry about it," Prince said. "Let us stay vigilant, attentive to our surroundings, and we will stay strong enough to reach the top of the tower. I will make sure of it."

Char sighed happily. He felt so full of life now, so ready to take on the rest of the tower, that all of his pain from before his reincarnation had vanished.

Yet… what he had seen after the flash of light… it still deeply bothered him.

Because it felt like it hadn't gone away.


	60. Chapter 44, Part 3

**Chapter 44**

**Part 3**

_Oh, little child…  
Have you any concept of where you are?  
Of which direction you travel?  
To what fate you rush headlong into?_

_Tell me, little one…  
Can you see?  
Can you see things as I do?  
Can you look into the infinite hall  
and see what will become of you?  
What will become of us all?_

_Or are you blind, as all mortals are?  
Do you see time  
with a beginning, with an end?  
A bounded road,  
conveying its passengers seamlessly  
each to a singular destination?_

_For who else but I can see time as it really is  
in all of its flowing glory,  
with all of its spreading branches?  
Who else can know what fate you carve  
with your blind actions?_

_Who else but I,  
the one created to oversee it?  
I, who harbored time's first ripple  
within the fabric of my being?_

_Alas, though time is omnipresent  
I am not.  
Though I stand here, far away,  
So very far away…  
Soon… we shall meet…_

* * *

**Temporal Tower, 4F**

"I saw something," Char mumbled to himself for the fifth time.

It seemed to have taken the little Charmander all of ten seconds to grow accustomed to having his arm again, forgetting the pain of being crippled and the rush of having his own ember consuming him from within. Something else had now taken hold of his mind; something which disturbed him far more deeply than a simple injury.

Char had caught a glimpse something in the void between his death and rebirth. Something which, he imagined, also caught a glimpse of _him_.

"We are on a mountaintop, it seems," Prince reported from several yards ahead, wincing as he gazed over a drop-off. "I recommend not approaching the cliff, unless you have a pair of wings readily available."

Had he really seen what he thought he had seen?

He couldn't tell. His mind went over and over it again, remembering the indescribably odd sensation of _dying_ and then being resurrected... and he just couldn't tell. He couldn't tell if he had actually _seen_ those glowing red eyes staring into his soul, or if it was merely something he _felt_...

"_Char!_" Scythe snapped, clanging a blade on the ground in front of the Charmander's face. "You have your arm back, now _pay attention. _You no longer have an excuse to be lost in your own world of pain."

"Scythe, I-" Char tried to spit out. "When the Reviver Seed worked, I thought I saw something-"

"Pokemon see many strange things when they are revived," Prince hummed, his attention drawn by the new environment as he searched for a path across the mountainside. "It is said that, for a sliver of a moment, your soul leaps from your corporal being and witnesses the void outside of the timeline. The _eternity_. Some call it... the Hall of Origin. Some Pokémon claim they can even see their own souls for a moment-"

"_Ray, _for the love of the gods, _please_ stand away from the edge," Scythe snapped, his patience long gone. "I will _not_ have _another _of our seeds used in such rapid succession."

"Actually, Scythe, it is possible a seed will _not_ save him if he were to fall," Prince added. "It is possible that stepping off the cliff would result in him plummeting to his death from one of Temporal Tower's windows. Something similar happened to a good partner of mine the last time we explored a dungeon manifest as a tower... it is difficult to tell where exactly the anomaly ends and where reality begins again."

Char cracked a tiny smile as he watched Ray tense in fear and slowly back away from the end of the ledge. He had to admit, the sky beyond the false mountain looked colorful and inviting; clouds tinted orange and purple floated in a clear blue sky as the sun peeked between them.

But…

Those _eyes_. There they were, burned into his vision, even upon the beauty of the sky.

"Hey," Lily said to Char, a look of concern briefly flashing in her eyes. "Are you going to be alright?"

"I think so," Char replied. "It's just... I guess being revived for the first time threw me a bit. Not to mention losing my arm… I'm trying to forget about it as fast as I can."

"Ugh. I _hate_ being revived, myself," Lily blurted with a laugh. "Makes me want to throw up. Though I guess that's a good thing that I want to avoid it as much as possible... But yeah. You can see some really strange stuff before you blip back."

"It's... it's not really that I saw something..." Char tried to explain. "It's... it's that... I still see it, I think."

"When you close your eyes?"

"No... it still feels like... whatever I saw, it's still _there_. I just... can't see it. Like there's a curtain in the way, but it's still there, waiting for me on the other side. And I... really don't like it. I... hope I'm not going crazy."

"At this point, Char, I think we've _all_ gone crazy to some degree," Lily said, rolling her eyes.

As Lily walked ahead to Prince's side, Char's eyes wandered around. The team traveled upon a mountain trail. On one side, a steep drop-off; on the other side, the mountain's peak loomed surprisingly close. The air was crisp and clear, but a bit thin; Char briefly recalled his episodes of altitude sickness before pushing the thoughts away, hoping the problem would not return.

But as Char struggled to stifle the unpleasant memory of flying, there came another flash of familiarity.

This feeling he had, bothersome as an unreachable itch… he remembered it from somewhere. Somewhere… recent?

"We're being watched," he whispered to himself, trying to jog his own memory…

"Perhaps... this is the peak of Red Haven," Scythe wondered. "But we would need to be several hundred years in the past for it to look anything like this. Since then, the peaks have been sanded down and replaced with shelters. Then again... that is only _if_ the Temporal Tower is playing tricks upon the six of us personally, sending us to places we have seen before. If not... this mountain could be anywhere."

"As for myself, I do not recognize this place at all," Prince admitted. "This is no dungeon or mountain I've ever explored. At any rate, we should put those X-Ray lenses away for now; visibility is quite clear at the moment, and I do not want those things lost. Who has them?"

"I do," Lily replied, untying them from her neck. "Char gave them back after the staircase."

Char snapped his claws. In an instant, it had come to him.

"Ray," Char said. "Remember those goggles we found in Blackriver City?"

"Y-yeah," Ray responded, caught off-guard. "I think I brought them with us. You want them?"

"Please," Char answered, fretting with his claws in anticipation of what he might see with them. "Hurry, before they're done putting away the X-Ray glasses... I think we're being watched again. I think there are ghosts here!"

"Ghosts?" Saura repeated, almost hiding the quiver in his voice.

Ray stood on his hind legs and slung Team Ember's bag around to his front, undoing the opening to allow Char to dive in. Once the goggles were in hand, Char lifted them to his face and peered through the red-tinted eyeholes. Ray and Saura waited in suspense for his report.

"_Char_," Scythe suddenly snapped, almost making the little Charmander fumble the bulky eyewear. "… do you see anything?"

"Nothing," he said at first, glancing to the mountainside and then to the sky. "Nothing so far. Hmm… these aren't nearly as useful as the X-rays. They can't see through anything…"

"Hmm… Char, I agree with you that something is out of place here," the Scyther uttered, looking away. "I can feel it. Whatever you saw in the moment that you were dead… might be the truth. It was smart to look for ghosts. If ghosts were here, so be it… I just… wish I knew what was wrong."

Lowering the goggles, Char wished he could breathe a sigh of relief knowing that his mentor agreed with him, but he knew now that his own thoughts and feelings were bleeding over into the Scyther's mind to some degree. Nevertheless, he hefted the goggles over his shoulder; he was going to keep them close for a good while.

… … …

Yards passed as the team plodded down the path, enjoying the pleasant scenery of lush plant life and colorful pebbles strewn across the ground. The blue-stoned mountain was an impressive sight, sending Char a fun tingle of vertigo (much better than the horror he'd feel in his stomach by turning his head and glancing down the cliff). All in all, it wasn't the hostile Mystery Dungeon landscape Char had grown accustomed to recently. It almost made him feel relaxed.

"Hey, I can put those back in the bag if you want," Ray said, tapping him on the shoulder and indicating the goggles. "They look a little heavy…"

"Not yet," he replied, clutching them more closely.

He kept his eyes sharp for some nasty trick of the Mystery Dungeon that would bring doom upon everyone. He imagined his Call radiated into Scythe more than ever, for the old Scyther's mind seemed locked upon the same topic.

"The mountaintop," Scythe muttered to Prince, but loud enough so that all could hear. "Perhaps it will erupt and rain lava upon us all. Unless this is truly Red Haven. Red Haven contained lava internally, but was not a true volcano. It had no crater, no shaft. Its pressure was relieved by a series of hot-spring craters in a seven-mile radius, tunnels dug by the ancient Pokémon of Ambera to equalize the pressure and craft a suitable habitat for fire-types. Even without them, the lava would not have erupted from the mountaintop, but from the ground, not nearly enough to build up such a mountain…"

"Then again, this is a Mystery Dungeon," Prince reminded him. "They have no need to follow the true laws of physics. If it wants to dump lava upon us, it will."

"Easy for _you_ to say, fire-type," Scythe scoffed in reply. "You can trudge through lava ankle-high with no lasting damage. You and Char. The rest of us prefer to consider our options." He kicked a pebble across the path. "Prince, you have more knowledge of fire than I. Tell me, do these stones look to you like they are dried lava?"

"All rocks are dried lava," Prince returned with a smirk, "just as all ice is frozen water. It only depends on how long ago the rock solidified."

"You're not helping," Scythe grumbled. "Do you see any indication that what we tread upon is an active or otherwise dangerous volcano?"

"Um..." Saura offered meekly, "I don't know very much about lava, but... if this were a volcano, do you think all these plants could have grown like this? Some of those trees look... hmm, at least a decade old."

"That is a good point. _Thank_ you, Saura," Scythe sneered at Prince. "Therefore, if there is little cause to worry about drowning in lava, or invisible ghosts, what dangers lurk here? We should at least learn what Pokemon species live in this territory..."

"Honestly?" Prince considered. "A mountain peak like this, from the looks of it... we should beware of Dragonite."

"And I would trust that you know best how to counter them," Scythe shot back, matching the Infernape's smirk. "What with Team Regret, you've worked with more dragons than I."

"Haven't you still got that Gabite on your team? You mean to tell me you've never trained with him?"

"Dragonite and Gabite are _very_ different types of dragons. Gabite are far superior in terms of resistances and strengths..."

"If they are so much stronger, then you should have no trouble countering the inferior type of dragon."

"Gabite do not _fly_."

"Yet _you_ do."

"You are _still_ not helping. ...Remind me again what use I have for you, now that we are here in the tower?"

"I have explored five mystery dungeons for every one you have stepped into, old friend," Prince said with a swagger, his subtle sarcasm replaced with cockiness. "You might be the tactician here, but I am much more familiar with the phenomenons present in these dungeons. For instance-"

_*Slump*_

With no warning, a pitfall trip opened beneath Prince's feet, and he disappeared below the surface of the ground. A yelp arose from the party.

"Well, someone's going to have to help him up," Scythe said, not even cracking a smile as he indicated his lack of hands.

Wasting no time, Lily and Saura jumped forward and extended all their vines into the crater. Char pounced and skidded to a stop at the lip's edge, peering curiously inside.

The pit was not too large, and did not have any discernible traps lining the bottom like the other pitfall traps Char had witnessed. It simply looked murky and uncomfortable. Prince looked unharmed as he sat at the bottom for a minute, rubbing his forehead and cursing to himself for not paying attention to his surroundings.

"It's alright," he called back as the vines were offered to him. "I'm alright. I can get up myself..."

Char watched as Prince groaned and crawled to the lip of the ditch, perplexed as to why the dungeon contained a trap with no discernible hazard at the bottom. Poison spikes, death spikes, sticky goop... he'd seen them all. But this one was smaller, shallow, and completely empty.

_Maybe this floor is giving us a break after all,_ Char imagined. _Though... it stinks a little bit down there. Maybe it's a poison gas trap? It doesn't seem to be doing anything..._

"Uh-ugh," Prince grumbled, climbing out from the ditch. "I am alright... When it comes to traps, I have seen many worse. This one was relatively harmless"

"Perhaps because it wasn't a trap," Scythe noted unexpectedly.

Char turned to the Scyther, whose gaze was cast away from the group and to the opposite side of the pit. Buzzing his wings, he leapt the pit's length, his eyes focusing intensely on the ground.

"It's a grave."

"A grave?" Ray repeated. "But there's nothing buried down there. How do you know it's a grave?"

"Otherwise," Scythe explained, nearly mumbling to himself, "it wouldn't have a footstone."

The five Pokémon were quick to rush to Scythe's side. Indeed, at his feet, there sat a reddish, rectangular plaque. A couple words were etched in its surface.

"The writing is Unown," Scythe noticed. "I cannot read it. Char?"

Intrigued, Char dropped to all fours and squinted at the small writing on the plaque. Saura and Lily crowded around him.

"It says," Char reported, "_Here rests… the hero_."

"There's more," Prince noticed, crouching next to him and tracing his finger across its surface.

"_Here rests the hero with… the silver soul. Unknown and forgotten, he fought until the end… … …Char._"

"Yes?" Char answered reflexively.

"No, Char…" Prince repeated. "That's what it says. Your name… is written here."

_What?_

Char shook his head. He pounced onto the plaque's surface, scrutinizing its words. Indeed… there they were, the four Unown letters which made up his name, the name he was known by in the Pokémon world.

"This… is my gravestone?"

"B-but you're not dead yet!" Ray cried, panic overtaking the Raichu as he jumped down into the ditch and seemed to search for a dead body. "This… hasn't happened yet!"

"Precisely," Prince noted. "This place… it must indicate an event… in the future."

A foreboding silence fell over the group as implication sank in.

"Wait!" Saura cried, containing his panic. "Maybe it's not you, Char. There are lots of Pokémon named Char! Some aren't even Charmander! Char… Char, are you okay?"

Char hadn't moved. His gaze was fixated on the stone and the words imbued upon it. His limbs trembled, threatening to buckle and no longer support his weight.

"No…" Char said blankly. "No, it's me. I… I have the silver soul."

"What does that mean?" Saura asked.

"I… I don't know…" Char admitted, tracing his claw over those words. "I… I have a silver soul… someone… someone told me that, once… And I… I wanted to be buried on a mountainside…"

"_What_ did you say?" Scythe demanded.

"I don't know…" Char uttered, freezing up. "I… just…"

_Where did _that_ come from?_ Char asked himself. _I wanted to be buried on a mountainside… I never said that! I never even thought that! What are these, memories? Are my memories coming back?_

_Did I… die? Did I die before I was turned into a Charmander, and buried here?_

_No, no! Otherwise the gravestone wouldn't say "Char", would it? It would say… my real name…_

Char's eyes darted from word to word, carefully rereading the contents…

_He fought until the end…_

He looked again for his name, but…

It wasn't there.

The word _Char_, which had been there just moments ago, was now missing.

His trance was broken just in time to see a reluctant Ray about to zap him back to his senses.

"N-no! Don't!" Char pleaded, rolling away from the Raichu. "It's okay. I'm back now. It was weird! The word on the stone changed! I saw it. This place is trying to play tricks on us! This floor is playing mind games!"

"Mystery Dungeons do not play mind games," Prince noted. "Mystery Dungeons contain random happenstance. Only the Pokémon within them are capable of confusing you…"

_That's it,_ Char realized. _The Pokémon within! _

Char stood up, throwing his goggles back onto his face…

…only to find a small Shuppet lounging at the bottom of the pit.

In a convulsion of surprise, Char lowered his goggles from his eyes as if to prove his vision wasn't failing him. When he put them back on, the Shuppet reappeared before him, now sitting on the grave's footstone and mere inches from his face.

As Char took a frightened step away, the invisible ghost nodded its head at him, then at the surface of the gravestone, where more words were being etched into it before his very eyes, while other words were being removed. It took Char a moment to realize what he was actually seeing: the etchings were somehow being _re-arranged_ to form a new message!

_DO YOU LIKE IT?,_ The gravestone now read.

Char's claws clenched the goggles hard, but he tried not to lose his cool. "Like what?" he feebly demanded of the ghost.

The Shuppet nodded again, causing more letters and lines to switch positions.

_YOUR MEMORIAL._

"How did you know I wanted to be buried on a mountain?" Char tried further, picking his words carefully. "How did you know I had a silver soul?"

The Shuppet smiled.

_I HAVE BEEN WATCHING._  
_I KNOW YOU._

"You're trying to trick me," Char accused it, testing to see how it would respond. "You're just… reading my mind and playing games."

The Shuppet glared at him this time, as if thinking of how to reply. After hesitating, it bowed its horn down upon the stone's surface one more time…

_I KNOW YOUR REAL NAME._

Char felt as though a block of ice had been shoved down his throat. He glared back at the ghost, scrutinizing its appearance. Wondering… just where it had come from.

_"NOW!_"

_*SLASH!* *BANG!* *THUMP!*_

Char shirked back as Ray, Scythe, and Lily suddenly appeared in his vision with flailing vines and glowing claws, overwhelming the small ghost with a surprise attack. The thing shrieked for a moment as its phasing form was flung back into the burial pit, then it simply disappeared.

"Ahh-! Thank you," Char managed to say, pretending the encounter had not affected him. "How did you see the ghost?"

"When I realized there was a ghost there, I dug into the bag for some Eyedrop Seeds and passed them around," Ray explained. "All I knew was, if the wild Pokémon are smart enough to talk to you in a Mystery Dungeon, there's no way that can be good."

"There's another issue," Scythe said, a ring of solemnity in his voice.

Char turned to the Scyther. His face looked pale-white.

"That ghost was a Watcher."

Char blinked.

A Watcher? He'd been so preoccupied by the fact that a wild ghost Pokémon had been talking to him about his own gravestone, he supposed the recognition hadn't clicked in… He clutched his goggles hard, staring at them as though they had somehow tricked him, and it occurred to him that the strong red color-filter of the lenses had probably made the ghost look normal to his eyes.

"That makes no sense," Prince cut in. "Char was speaking to that ghost. I've seen and battled thousands of Watchers… not one of them spoke."

"Yeah, and the sun is out," Lily added. "Watchers are only out in the night, right? It looked like a normal ghost Pokémon to me…"

"I wasn't… speaking to it, actually," Char corrected. "It wasn't talking to me at all. It was changing the words on the gravestone. Didn't you see?"

Char looked at the gravestone once more. It was completely blank.

"That's beside the point," Prince replied. "The ghost was literate. No recorded Watcher has ever displayed such a skill."

Scythe's gaze landed somewhere very far away, as if he were trying to stare into the past to remember something he had once seen.

"Lily? What did you say?…" Scythe mouthed, staring down upon his own shadow. "That the sun is out? It does not seem like it will be out for very long…"

Char looked at the sky.

_The sun…_

_…is setting?_

"…We have to find shelter!" Char realized. "The Watchers are _here!_ They're coming out! We have to find shelter!"

"I see…" Prince said, nodding and clenching his fists. "The dungeon intends to trap us out in the open and have us swarmed with ghosts, does it? We could jump inside of this hole and cover it, but since a ghost already popped out of the covered hole, I wouldn't trust it. Our best bet would be to take shelter in the mountain. Come, let's find a cave."

The shadows seemed to extend from the trees just as fast as the team hurried past them; Char was horrified, and somewhat disgusted, at the antics of the dungeons' ghosts. It wasn't the first time ghost Pokémon had played a cruel trick on him, only to swoop in and attack once the trick was revealed.

His head still spun with the ghost's words. It _knew_ something… something about _him_… his _name? _What was his name? Did it know more? Char didn't know how it was even possible. He almost wished the ghost were still around, so he could interrogate it. And if the ghost was indeed a Watcher… would the other Watchers be of use to him?

"There's no time to look for a naturally-formed shelter," Prince decided as they approached a solid rock wall. "The sun sets too quickly. We must _make_ a cave."

"Got it!" Ray said, setting his bag on the ground so he could dig into it. "Let's see… don't we still have a bunch of those iron thorns in here somewhere? Maybe we could attach them to some sticks, and make pickaxes out of them…"

_*CRUNCH*_

With a surprising explosion, a dozen small rocks cracked from the wall and crumbled away, leaving a sizable dent. Prince retracted his fist.

"It's been a while since I've had to use this technique," Prince admitted, examining his hand as though for serious injuries. "I suppose it's good I haven't forgotten it just yet. _YAARH!_"

Once more, Prince's fist shined with internal power as he executed another karate-like punch upon the mountainside, expanding the hole even further. The dent was now deep enough to shelter one Pokémon. Char was very impressed at the Infernape's show of power; he and Saura couldn't seem to pick their jaws from the ground for a few moments.

"Doesn't that hurt?" Char blabbed, wondering if he could do the same.

"I don't feel a thing," Prince answered. "And that is very fortunate. Without the factor of pain, terraforming becomes less about the technique and more about the brute force, but you still need to know how to do it… _*crunch*_… efficiently. It's about knowing where the weak points are, to bring down a large wall in as few moves as possible. _HUFF!_-."

As Prince continued to smash in the wall, a sizable stone clunked Char in the head. Char waited for the inevitable rush of pain, but it never came; the concussion had felt like a bag of feathers.

"_Ow!_" Saura cried, shaking his head as pebbles rained down onto him. "Watch where you're shooting those things!"

"Watch where you're standing," Prince told him, winding up for another punch. "Char, want to come help me? I can teach you the technique…"

Char looked at his claws, then curiously up to the busy Infernape. Something clicked in his mind.

"Prince... you can't get hurt by rocks, can you?"

Prince halted his work, turning his surprised but sincere attention to the Charmander.

"Correct," Prince replied. "Rocks cannot hurt me."

"And they can't hurt me, either?" Char wondered.

"Correct," Prince said again. "You're very observant, Char. You must want to know why. I will explain it to you… _*crunch*_ … after you've helped me dig this cave."

Tossing the goggles back into Ray's bag, Char stepped up to the large nook in the wall which Prince had created with his bare hands. He clenched his claws, wondering if the strength to tear down slabs of solid rock lied somewhere in him, too.

"Focus the white energy into your fist," Prince instructed. "When you strike, pretend the rock is as intangible as the surface of water, and do not hold back."

Char didn't know exactly how to focus the energy into his whole fist, though he managed to make his fingers glow white by invoking the instincts for Metal Claw. Resisting the fear of a bad bruise, Char clenched his fist, aimed, and smashed the rocks as hard as he could.

A couple tiny pebbles exploded at his face.

"Do not strike straight, but from an angle," Prince further directed, continuing his work. "This will direct the fissures you create, allowing large parts of the rock to separate when the fissures connect. If you strike the wall straight-on – _YAHH! -_ the fissures will travel straight back, and none will connect."

Char tried again. He eyed a good place and swung his charged fist in an arc, making sure to punch toward the nearest crack that Prince had created. A rock about the size of his fist broke away.

"It's no use," Char said, flexing his claws. "I'm no good at this…"

"Prince, do not rely on Char," Scythe warned. "The sun has almost set. Hurry and make enough room for all of us."

"_Fine_," Prince grumbled, rearing back his fist and making it glow as bright as a Sol-rock torch. "I'll double my efforts… _YARRHHH!_"

The cliff rock seemed to fold like paper as Prince's mighty fist arced into it. The rocks thunderously shattered as dust and debris fell away, revealing a very impressive new dent. Prince stood straight up, examining the hole and looking very proud of himself.

_*Crumble…*_

_*Crumble…*_

"Almost got it," he reported, plotting his next course of action as the rocks still noisily settled.

_*Crumble…*_

_*KA-CHAAAACK!*_

A split-second before it happened, an expression of recognition crossed the Infernape's face, followed by a look of shame.

*_CRRR—UMMMMBLE!*_

_*THUMP.*_

At the alarm of all of the members but Prince, a massive slab from the cliff-face, directly above the dent Prince had worked so hard to create, simply disconnected from the wall and _smashed_ Prince's body into the ground.

Saura cried out in panic. He tried to rush forward to Prince's aid, but was forced back by the giant cloud of dust and rock-shards rolling off the avalanche.

When the dust cleared, Prince lay pinned to the ground beneath the incredible obelisk he had created, with only his head and a few inches of one arm free.

"Prince… you're still alive!" Saura cried, cringing at the painful sight.

"Ahh… Yiiiyiii… I'm fine, I'm fine," Prince gasped, his bright head-flames licking the obstacle which pinned him. "Immune to rock damage, remember? It's a little hard to breathe, though… Nnnnhhh, now I remember why I stopped using that technique. Never was good at directing the cracks, couldn't keep them from going straight up… Ahhh…"

"You… _idiot_," Scythe growled, though it was obvious to Char he was almost about to burst into laughter this time.

"Ohh, you don't have to tell him," Lily sighed, rolling her eyes. "He's done this to himself before. _Three times_. I _purposely_ never let him teach me how to rock-smash."

"Enough," Prince grumbled, his voice a weakening wheeze underneath the giant weight. "I suggest you try to find another hiding place while you still can. Use a Luminous Orb to hold off the ghosts. It doesn't work for very long, but it does help. Find some kind of shelter before they come…"

"Very well," Scythe said. "Come, let us heed the advice of our attending dungeon-crawling expert. I feel so very privileged to have someone like him accompanying our team."

While the others began walking away, Char stood and studied the rock which trapped Prince in place. He had a thought.

"Char, what are you doing?" Saura called back.

"I suggest you go with the others," Prince told the Charmander. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine for now."

"Hold on," he answered, inspecting the rock's weak points, "I might be able to break this."

_*Crumble…*_

Char's claws were only just starting to glow when he heard the thunderous rumble. He shot a panicked glance around for the source of the noise.

_But… I haven't even hit the rock yet!_

*_CRRR-RRR*_

_*CRRR-UMMMBLE!*_

"_No!"_

Char felt a massive force collide with his head, and everything went black.

… … …

It took Char a minute to realize that he had not, in fact, been knocked unconscious.

His vision had gone dark. He noticed no difference between opening and closing his eyes; even the familiar glow of his own tail-flame did not reach his perception. Nothing hurt too much, although his body was sprawled in an incredibly uncomfortable position, his neck quickly cramping from being twisted too far to the side. When he tried to move, he found his limbs resisting his commands; his body was filled with such an intense heaviness that he couldn't even budge.

That's when he realized: he was buried beneath a pile of large rocks.

"Char…" a muffled voice called. It was Prince.

"Y-y-yes?" Char answered, not sure at first if he could even speak.

"Oh… so you are in here…" Prince's voice sighed. "I thought for a moment I saw you escape. Unff… Well, at least I suppose we got the shelter we needed from the ghosts…"

_I guess there is that,_ Char thought to himself, rolling his eyes.

"What do we do now?" Char asked him. "Just wait here?"

"Just wait here," Prince repeated, "and hope the others find a suitable hiding place in time… and think to use a Rollcall Orb to bring us there. Are… you alright, Char? You're not hurt, are you?"

"I'm… getting pretty cramped…" Char admitted, "but it's really nothing compared to losing my arm. I think I'll be alright. I just hope the others will be okay. I'm tired of getting separated…"

"I hope so, as well," Prince sighed.

Char was quiet for a moment. He felt how the rocks pressed down upon him, blocked his motions and pushed his limbs in odd directions, but remained powerless to crush any part of his body. He was merely imprisoned. Groaning, he tried to wriggle his way forward and nudge some of the rocks away from his face, but it wasn't possible. He was thankful that air was still getting in.

"So… is now a good time to tell me why we can't be hurt by rocks?" Char inquired.

"Perhaps. But it is something I wanted to show you," Prince replied, "and I'm not in the position to show you right at this moment… but… I have an item, one that I try to keep on my person at all times when adventuring. It renders myself and all fire-types within a certain distance from me immune to damage from rock-type attacks. In fact, it was the primary reason I insisted on coming with you. I knew you and I would both be made stronger without having to worry about one of our greatest weaknesses harming us."

"I'm glad you brought it, then," Char replied. "It's saved my life a few times already, at least…"

_Can I get out of this?_ Char wondered. _If I could move… maybe…_

Trying not to panic, Char systematically tried to force each muscle in his body to extend; surely one of them could find a weakness in the rock pile and help to unbury him.

"I'm… sorry, Char," Prince said unexpectedly. "I didn't… mean to be this useless. Scythe was right, in a way… Just look at what kind of asset I've been to the team. I've done very little to help but falling into traps and burying you in avalanches. I suppose I must confess… I haven't set foot in a dungeon in over eight years myself, and even then, none of my experiences in dungeons could have prepared me for this one. Still, I… I thought I could be more dependable than this… And I am sorry."

"It's not your fault," Char replied, trying very hard to force his neck straight. "The dungeon wants to hold us back and it's doing a good job of it. And I guess I'm sorry… for acting like such a brat just now. When my arm was missing, I mean. The world… really seems different when a piece of you is missing."

As Char tried to stretch and gasp for a good breath of air, he felt a rock – one that sharply poked him in the muzzle – very slightly give way. He tried to nod his head and depress it farther, hoping it would cause a rockslide and relieve some of the pressure that kept him from moving.

"No matter," Prince responded, as Char continued to curiously poke at the rock in front of his face. "Fire-types have their pride… though you might find that it gets us out of just as many situations as it gets us into. Me, I'm getting you to the top of this tower if it kills me… and I'm not dead yet."

_Clink._ Char heard a rock shift above his head somewhere as he toyed with the pile.

"What was that?" Prince asked. "Are you trying to get out? There's no need to; we're safe from the ghosts in here."

"I don't care," Char declared. "I'm getting out of here."

"Why?"

"Well, for one thing… _ugh…_" Char tried with all his might to nudge that one stone, protruding like a lever in front of him. "I might just be going crazy… there might not be Watchers here at all. I guess I just jumped to that conclusion."

"I… suppose, there is that, yes…" Prince replied.

"For another thing… if there are ghosts…" Char said, momentarily giving up on his struggle. "I'm going to let one of them touch me."

"_What_ did you say?"

"I'm going to go talk with the Watchers. Because… I think they know something about me. I think… that ghost was telling me the truth. And I want to know what my name is."

_CHOMP._ Char bit down on the closest rock to his face, trying to thrash it back and forth.

"Char… do not let yourself be blinded by the ghosts…" Prince warned. "They only want to destroy your sanity, and they will tell you whatever you want to hear. They should not be trusted. I say this as an advisor to you… don't be foolish. Not at this point in time."

Prince waited for some acknowledgement of his words, but none came.

"Please… don't listen to them. You will learn your past when we reach the top of the tower," Prince pleaded further. "They are _tempting_ you. Trying to take you away from us… Char, this isn't an intelligent decision…"

"…Char…?"

"…Are you still there…?"

"Char? Please tell me you haven't suffocated…"

_Ssssss…._

_Ssssssss…_

It took nearly a whole minute underneath the pressure of his fiery fangs until Char felt the rock becoming malleable. He spewed a mouthful of glowing, putty-like magma.

"I'm sorry, but I've made up my mind," Char told him, watching the puddle of magma as it oozed around the other rocks. "This is a Mystery Dungeon… if anything happens to me, we have Reviver Seeds. I'm going to find out what the Watchers know. I'm going to do this while I have nothing to lose."

"That's _beside the point,_ Char," Prince yelled in frustration. "You're not understanding me. What if those ghosts tell you lies? Can I trust you to not believe them? Can you even trust yourself? Char, _listen to me_. They might not even be the Watchers. They might be some clever indigenous species of ghost Pokémon trying to play tricks on passersby. If they feed you lies that you believe… the Reviver Seed is not going to heal that."

"No…" Char responded, watching the quickly-cooling magma he'd created. "No, it's… more than that. They're watching me. I saw them when the Reviver Seed was used."

"Saw _what_, Char?"

"I… don't know… there were… these eyes, I saw them just before I was revived… and I can't get them out of my head."

"What are you saying? The Watchers appeared to you when you were revived?"

"No, no… I… _grrrrr…._"

Char pushed the rock pile with his forehead as hard as he could, hoping the molten rock had caused some slight instability in its structure. Sure enough, he heard a small cascade taking place somewhere up above. The surface of the rock pile was closer than he had imagined.

Knowing there was no risk of a concussion, Char _bashed_ his head against the rocks, once, twice, forcing his claws deep into the crusty dirt underneath for strength. Bellowing and roaring like a frustrated beast, Char gave his all and dragged his body forward, inch by tiny inch, feeling the pile shifting upon his back as he made slow progress…

"I… don't… _know_ what I saw…" Char growled. "But… _they _do… EHHHAAAH!"

Giving one more mighty push, Char felt the rocks give way and part, revealing a clear view of the late evening sky.

"Prince… Please trust me with this," Char said, taking a rest and laying his head down for a moment. "If I come back believing something that's not true… Saura will talk me out of it."

"How do you presume that?" Prince returned.

"Because…" Char said, infusing his words with a bit of irony. "I believe most of the things that Saura says. You could say… we have a way of communicating that's… a little bit deeper than most could understand. I… can't really ignore him."

Char waited for Prince to respond. He eyed a cloudy, moonlit sky, noting the lack of any visible Watchers so far. He realized he did not have to worry much about the others, just as long as they weren't attacked by ferocious Pokémon; if the Watchers were not out yet, he trusted their ability to find suitable shelter.

"Alright… then go," Prince responded. "After all, I am little more than a servant to you, human… so, go, do what you will. I wish you good luck in finding the answer you're looking for. I would stop you, but the rock that sits on me is there by my own doing, so I suppose I have no right."

At that, Char clawed his way to freedom, stretched out his severely cramped muscles, and wandered off into the night.

_… … …_

_Where are you going?_

Char held his tail as far in front of him as it would stretch. Its flame was weakening.

_Why are you alone, Char? Pokémon are supposed to have companions. Where are you going, all alone?_

Ignoring his doubt, the Charmander marched across the shadowy mountain trail in search of Watchers. He kept his eyes to the dark clouds, wondering when the swarm might descend upon him… or if he had been mistaken in expecting them to appear.

Large, billowing clouds covered the stars today; he could not stand still and appreciate the sky this time. He kept a sharp watch out for danger, while staying as far from the drop-off as he could manage.

There was nothing to accompany him as he hurried along; no crickets, no owls, nothing but a barely-perceptible breeze to remind him he was out in the wild…

_Do your companions mean nothing to you, Char?_ _Why have you left them behind? Aren't you tired of being separated from them?_

"My name is not Char," he told himself. "I want to know what it is."

_I thought you were happy being a Charmander. I thought you never wanted to go back to your human life. Where has this sudden resolution come from?_

Some leaves rustled. Char dropped to all fours and froze in place, waiting for some unseen foe to make the first move. He just as quickly looked over his shoulder to make sure nothing was stalking him.

"I have to know who's watching me," Char whispered to the voice in his head. "Someone's watching me. They've been watching me this whole time! Ever since I came to Ambera! I need to know what's going on… I can't get it out of my head now."

_And what about your companions, Char? Why can't they help you?_

"Because… nobody was watching them," Char mouthed, carefully creeping past the tree that had startled him. "It was me. Always me. I appeared in Ambera alone… I will find my own answers… alone!"

He ran for it, leaving the mysterious tree in his dust.

_Were you?_

_Or did you come to Ambera _because_ you were alone?_

_Did you come to Ambera…_

_To hide?_

_Because you needed to run from something?_

"_YAHH!_"

Lost in his thoughts, a steep, powder-covered incline in the terrain took Char by surprise, nearly sending him flying down into a dark gap in the rocks. Panicking, he anchored all his claws into the dirt and climbed back up.

_What if you don't want to find the truth?_

_What if the truth… will doom you?_

_What if… nothing lies at the top of this tower…_

_But your doom?_

Char blinked.

"This mountain… it must be sending out psychic signals," he told himself. "It's making me go crazy. No, no, it's… mountaintop… lack of oxygen. Fire-types… need more oxygen than other creatures… to burn their fire. I'm… There's no reason for me to… be overthinking this. I can't… I have nothing to lose. Come now, no panicking. Just get this done. Nothing to lose…"

The night grew darker, the clouds shifting over the moon and stars in turn. The mountainside was nothing but a dark curtain to Char's eyes. He scanned for some platform, some lookout point he might perch upon to watch for the ghosts, but the shadows were shapeless except for the silhouette of the mountain's peak against the sky.

But then…

There appeared a small speck of light in Char's field of vision, like a star that had fallen onto the land. He could not tell how far away it was, only that it floated somewhere over the dark lands in front of the mountain…

_Is that…?_

It drifted, a greyish-yellow orb of light, flickering like a firefly, a barely-noticeable candle flame. Char watched in fascination, taking tiptoed steps in its direction… until another, similar light appeared many feet in the air above the first.

Char felt a chill in his chest.

_Here they are… the Watchers…_

_I've never seen them appear… like this…_

Char turned his head, gazing upon the dark landscape and bearing witness to the all-too-familiar lights which began to speckle it…

_"Aaahh!"_

A yelp escaped his throat as he found that a disembodied aura of light had formed mere inches from his nose. He jumped back in fright, where he waited, stunned and horrified, for the Watcher to assume its worldly appearance.

The light glowed for a moment – such a small, insignificant light, like a Luminous Orb which had come out as a dud. Within the center of the light, a dark, ominous sphere took shape… a sphere which appeared to be aflame, but producing no light itself…

And just like that, the light vanished from sight, except from two tiny pinholes upon the sphere, where it remained, glowing… eerily glowing…

Recognition clicked in. It was a Gastly. A Gastly-type Watcher, to be exact.

The Watcher's blank stare fell upon the Charmander, as though targeting him.

Char tried not to panic. He rooted his feet to the ground and held his breath, staring down the Watcher.

"Here I am," Char whispered. "Touch me."

The Watcher didn't reply. It only stared at him, emotionless…

"You want victims?" Char asked it. "You want to take over me? Corrupt my mind? Well, here I am! I give myself freely! Consume me! Destroy me! Do whatever you want!"

Char thought the Watcher started to look confused at his demands… until he noticed that two more Watchers had drifted up behind him; a Duskull, and some sort of Pokémon he swore that he had never seen in all his life.

Gasping, he quickly turned, and saw two more that had been staring at the back of his head. The Watchers were forming a loose circle around him, and… merely watching.

That's when Char thought to look over the cliff—and felt his throat tighten as over one hundred of the ghastly lights filled the cloudy sky, like driftwood coming in from the ocean…

"Well?" Char demanded, getting ahold of himself and talking directly to a nearby Misdreavus. "Which one of you is going to touch me? Which one of you gets the privilege? Power sustains your greed, for only the one you need. Right? And _I'm the one you need_! ? I'm the human-turned-Pokémon you've been looking for! Or… you already knew that, didn't you? You know who I am already, don't you? Heh… so… go ahead! Take me! Take me and be done with it!"

It was the strangest thing… as Char looked into the eyes of the Watchers, the Watchers which were now beginning to completely encircle him… he could have sworn they were acknowledging his words. They all appeared… confused, as though their unchanging blank stare represented surprise. Char thought their movement patters were subtly affected by his demands.

He began to notice their sounds. They did not shriek like the night Saura had activated the Call, but they made quiet little hums and sighs that could only be heard from up close. Char had been mistaking their sounds for the nocturnal insects… only to remember that there had been none.

_"Hisss…"_

The sound, like a cloud of steam escaping from a kettle, came from behind. Char turned, and found himself staring at a Dusclops – a very large, frightening type of Watcher he had wished never to encounter.

"Is it you?" Char asked it, trying to give himself confidence. "Are you the one they chose? Go ahead, take me. C'mon. I'm not going to move… I have nowhere to go! You have me surrounded! So just take me, already!"

To Char's horror, the Dusclops loomed closer and closer to him, showing no signs of stopping.

_This is it,_ Char realized. _I'm… I'm about to be corrupted. Get ready. _

_Arceus, what have I gotten myself into…?_

Just as the horrible, discolored mockery of a Ghost-type Pokémon was close enough to breathe upon, Char whispered:

"I only have one final request… you have to tell me who I am."

For a moment, the Dusclops locked gazes with the Charmander, staring at him with its glimmering, demonic eye… before it cupped both of its large hands around his head.

_… … …_

_Pain…_

_Pain… in… tail…_

_Tail… hurts…_

_Nnnnnhhh… what happened?_

Char awoke from a nap. A long, uncomfortable nap. Something was crushing his tail, and it felt bad. Tails were sensitive things. But it was his first time having a tail, so he didn't know that.

_Where am I?_

_Why is it so dark?_

Something brushed up against him. Something large, something _alive_.

"Aahhh! _Ahhh!_"

Char snapped his eyes open and sprung awake, terrified, only to smack his head against something. A rock of some sort. It hurt a lot. He had no idea it was there in the first place. He let himself fall back to the floor and clutched the bump on his head, waiting for the ache to subside.

That's when he noticed what stood in front of him.

It looked exactly like Saura. Uncannily like Saura. Same size, same complexion, same lack of markings that most other Bulbasaur had. Only… something was wrong with its eyes. Its eyes resembled those of a Watcher's. They were blank, and glowing. Unnaturally glowing.

The Bulbasaur-like creature did not respond. It simply took a few steps back… and _stared_.

"You're not Saura…" Char said to it. "W—who are you? What are you?"

"_I am the one you have chosen to trust. Why should it matter who I am?"_

Something about the Bulbasaur-creature's voice shook Char to the core. Rattled his stomach, his mind. Spoke into his body, rather than just his ears.

"You're a hallucination," Char determined, sitting upright. "I'm dreaming. I don't remember how I got here… No, this is… this is the Gravelerock Tunnel. The place I first woke up as a Charmander. This has to be a dream."

"_Whether I am real, or a figment of your imagination, is a truth I will not tell. You will choose for yourself."_

Char could not tear his eyes from the horrific clone of Saura. That face – that friendly, inviting face he knew so well – it was… murdered by the presence of some darker, destructive force that now resided behind it. Yet, it was still unmistakably Saura, his best friend. Char felt so confused at the mixture, it made him feel nauseous.

_"Ask questions. I will answer. Know that my answers might not match your questions if I so choose. But they may be trusted."_

"Answers?" Char repeated. "Answers…"

Yes. He did want answers. He could remember that much. But… where _was_ he? If this was a dream, where had he fallen asleep? He just couldn't remember. He dug his claws into his head, trying to jog his memory…

_Watcher._

Saura's eyes. They belonged to a Watcher.

The Watchers had captured him.

Where? When?

_Why?_

Why had the Watchers captured him? What mistake had he made? How had he been so foolish to have been captured by a Watcher?

_For answers_.

_What answers?_

He stared into the darkened Saura's eyes… the unmoving, unblinking eyes...

Sluggishly moving his tongue, Char managed to formulate some words…

"You… you're a Watcher. Why… do the Watchers exist? Do they have a purpose?"

The demonic Bulbasaur bowed its head.

_"You do not know how time works."_

Char tilted his head. He did not understand.

_"Time does not work the way you think it works. Mortals have not the capacity to understand time. Past and present are lies. They are different than what you were taught. They do not exist the way you believe them to. All which exists… is fate."_

Fate? Something about that word rung clear in Char's subconscious.

"Can fate be changed?" Char inquired.

_"Fate is changed with actions. Every action changes the future. Only certain actions may change fate. Only certain souls may change fate."_

The Bulbasaur looked back into his eyes.

_"Fate may be destroyed… with one action. One anomaly."_

The Bulbasaur's body glowed with dark power. From its twisted seed, there sprouted several vines. No, not vines… tentacles. They waved around in the air before Char's eyes.

"What is your purpose, Watcher?" he asked again, shaking with fear.

_"To remove the anomaly."_

Char panicked, standing up straight and slamming his head back onto the protruding slab. He slumped back down again with tears in his eyes.

"Get _away_ from me, demon!" He screeched, trying to shove the Bulbasaur back. He scrambled onto all fours and tried to get away, knowing the thing only wanted to destroy him.

The Bulbasaur protruded his tentacles and wrapped his trashing limbs, gently placing him back where he had started. Char got the picture that he wasn't quite done yet.

"So… is that it?" Char demanded. "Is that it? Am I the anomaly? And you Watchers are all here to destroy me? I… I expected something… something more, I guess."

_"You are not the anomaly. The anomaly is an action. The anomaly exists only in the future. For the anomaly to be removed, fate must be changed."_

"How far in the future?" Char asked it.

_"What meaning does it have to you? Whether soon, or far… in the flow of time, it means nothing. The anomaly requires but one moment to manifest, or one moment to overturn."_

"What good does that tell me?" Char cried at it. "I'm a Charmander. I am a creature who lives in the bounds of time. Lengths of time are important to me! You can't just say that everything's over in the blink of an eye because you're some kind of immortal drifting spirit who –"

Char stopped short. A more important question had returned to his memory.

"What…is my role in all of this, then?" he asked carefully. "Who…am I? What… what is my name?"

The dark Bulbasaur frowned.

"You know my name… don't you?" Char accused it. "You've known my real name all along."

_"I know your real name."_

"I know!" Char clamored, his voice squeaking in exasperation. "One of the other Watchers told me that. On a gravestone. So… what _is it?_ What is my real name?"

_"It is meaningless to tell you. It is merely a word. It affects nothing."_

"Too bad!" Char shouted, standing up on both feet and staring down the abomination. "I want to know it! If you don't tell me what my name is… I'm _never_ going to believe you're anything more than a dream!"

_"It is your choice, to believe… what you will…"_

Char was about to say something else, but a jolt of power shook his body. He found himself powerless to move, powerless to cry out… He could only watch the demon Bulbasaur as it became engulfed in light, its piercing gaze burned into his vision…

The light came for him. It was warm, welcoming, strengthening…

… … …

When the light faded, Char found himself facedown upon a dampened stone. He lifted his head to find that he had been reunited with his team members in a dimly lit cave. Saura, Ray, and Lily all seemed to be intently staring at the cave walls. Only Scythe seemed to acknowledge him, standing over the Charmander with a dark, resentful gaze.


	61. Chapter 44, Part 4

**Chapter 44**

**Part 4**

_How clearly I remember…  
The conception of time, space, and the universe…_

_From the light of the Original One's golden hooves,  
I was conceived…  
Given forme, shape…  
Made to resemble him…_

_I came into being, given a purpose,  
It was decided, by Alpha:  
our creations were to perceive existence  
differently than we, the architects, do…_

_Unlike the Hall of Origin in which we stood,  
Stagnant, existing, eternal…  
Creatures would experience changing, passing…  
Growing, living, and dying…_

_They would live, always swept within a force…  
A force called "time"…  
A force which flowed from my very soul._

_Imbued with this force, I came to be…_

_Realizing this, I turned to Alpha…  
I asked,_  
"_Great Originator and Father…  
My soul holds this grave power  
Which you have bestowed upon me…  
How shall I use it to serve you?  
What would you have your servant do?"_

_The Originator replied…_  
"_I have no orders which to give.  
Time is to run by your own design;  
Govern it as you will.  
Create, destroy, meddle, intercede…  
All upon your own whim.  
For you are creature, not machine,  
Your commands come not from me,  
But from the core of your being.  
May your life and your purpose  
never be separate."_

_The Original One turned his back to me,  
Leaving me to stare into the empty void of creation._

* * *

Char scraped a claw across the dampened rock and raised it to his eyes. It glowed in the dim, yet familiar, light of his own fire.

When he saw the bloodstains upon his skin, he understood.

"What… happened to me?" he wheezed, humbled by the sight of his own blood blotched across his claws.

Scythe did not answer. He only glared at the Charmander for a moment while scraping together his blades in an attempt to clean them.

With a sharp breath, Char shifted his weight and tumbled from the flattened rock, landing on all fours upon the cave floor. The cave was unpleasantly salty, wet, and cramped, yet the entrance could be seen only several dozen paces back. Char's gaze fell upon that hole, that window to the bizarre outside world, wondering if he could spot any more of the accursed Watchers floating in the night sky.

_For the anomaly to be removed… fate must be changed._

The corrupted visage of Saura still lingered in his mind… The disturbing sound of the demon's words, replaying continuously beneath the ringing of his ears, remained just as clear as it had within the dream.

_Mortals have not the capacity to understand time._

_Past and present are lies._

Char gnashed his teeth, trying to understand… had he found that which had been watching him? Had he found those eyes which had disturbed his soul so deeply, those eyes which he felt watching him even from underneath the fabric of reality, even so long after the Reviver Seed was used?

Or… was it just a dream?

_All which exists… is fate._

"What have you seen?"

The sound of Scythe's words snapped the confused Charmander back to attention.

"When we activated the orb to bring you back into the group, there were impalement wounds on the sides of your head, yet you remained alive," Scythe said matter-of-factly. "Your eyes were opened, but you would not respond to anyone. That is when Prince informed me that you intended to ask the ghosts for answers."

Instinctively, Char reached a finger to feel the side of his head above his ear, the place where the Dusclops had seized him. He cringed at his own touch.

"Though I am not happy with the risk that you have made, I will not hold it against you. As long as you _tell me what you have seen._"

Char noticed how his friends, who had since been staring at the walls, now turned to silently witness the discussion he found himself having with the angered Scyther. Char locked eyes with Saura for a moment as if to draw strength from him, but the way the cave's shadows fell upon the Bulbasaur's face made him appear too similar to the demon from his nightmare, and he was forced to quickly look away.

"The W-watcher told me, he…" Char tried, the conversation still so very clear in his mind. "He- or it- needs to change fate. I said, 'What is your purpose?' and it said, 'To remove the anomaly.' So I asked it if I was the anomaly it needed to remove. It said 'You are not the anomaly. The anomaly is an action. The anomaly… exists in the future. For the anomaly to be removed… fate must be changed'."

Scythe looked away, mulling over the words.

"It said more…" Char continued. "It said something about—"

"Tell me everything," Scythe insisted. "Start from the beginning, and tell me everything you remember."

And Char did.

The group remained somber as Char's story sank in. Saura rubbed his head on the ground, his headache flaring up.

"It does not make sense to me," Scythe replied, gazing out to the night beyond the cave. "A Watcher has never communicated with a victim… And we still cannot be certain it was a true Watcher, or one of the dungeon's tricks. It contradicts everything I've ever known about them."

"It… could have been a dream," Saura offered sadly. "Ever since the Watcher hit me, I've had dreams about other Pokémon… and sometimes they talk to me."

"Hmm… as have I," Scythe said. "In my case, my hallucinations have often pieced together things that I already knew, but have yet to realize. This particular hallucination might be telling you something…"

"…That you can't trust me anymore?" Saura cut in. "That I'm… some kind of a demon now that my head is infected?"

Char's mouth hung open. Saura returned a forlorn stare.

"N-no! That's not it," Char insisted, approaching him. "I don't think that at all! The ghost just… it was messing with me! I think it picked a form that I would trust, so that I would trust it…"

"But maybe it wasn't the ghost putting that in your mind," Saura replied. "Whether you like it or not, it might have been your own mind making that up. Just like how it was for me, when I saw my family…"

"Saura, do really think my mind would have tried to give itself a lecture about how fate and time works?"

Saura shrugged. "Maybe because Temporal Tower is shifting the past and future around, I dunno?"

A vine flicked Saura's nose. Saura jumped back, nearly falling on his side. Lily stood over him, frowning hard.

"Look," Lily said flatly. "First. You're going to stop trusting Char just because he had a nightmare? _Really_? What kind of a friend do you call yourself, again? Second, can't you save this for later? Like, when we're back home? We just saved Char _twice_, you know. The last thing we need is to start bickering in the middle of a dungeon exploration. The Watchers that attacked you two just wanted to mess up your life. You're both making them really proud right now, I bet. I know… I was attacked by one, too."

"Whoa? You, too?" Saura cried, looking up at her. "When did it happen?"

"It happened… back before I joined the resistance," she said, closing her eyes. "Back when I had first come to Ambera. My Call got triggered one night, and I… Well, the effect was… it stunned me. Literally, stunned me. I couldn't move for hours. I was just… in complete panic. So yeah, I know how they can mess with you. But you can't let them affect you. Otherwise you're just giving them what they want."

"So, wait a minute…" Ray said. "Lily, if you were hit by a Watcher… that means… everyone in this room got attacked by one?"

There was a pause.

"Yes… that would be correct," Scythe said. "Everyone here… except…"

A dimly-glowing blanket of orange swept over the five as a new light source approached from the back of the cave. The sound of footsteps followed.

Prince.

"Just as I thought," the Infernape called. "The staircase is back in here. It will take us to the next level of the tower. It isn't very far. We should go if we're ready."

* * *

**Temporal Tower 5F**

The next floor seemed like an extension of the same mountain cave: dank, rocky, and utterly lightless. To make things even worse, the path through the dungeon floor was nowhere to be seen. Using the resident fire-type Pokémon to light the way, the team determined they were surrounded by impenetrable rocks on all sides.

As they discussed whether to use a One-Room Orb, a Mobile Scarf, or something else… Lily happened to notice the way forward in the most unexpected direction: up. Using a careful combination of vines, wings, and strong limbs, the group began their slow, cautious grapple up the seemingly never-ending vertical shaft, utilizing every little bump and ledge they could find in the uneven rock face.

"Ugh!" Saura grunted as his vines stretched to their limits, holding Ray's weight and letting him climb to the next ledge. "Couldn't we have just—used one of those warping orbs? You know? The ones that warp us to random places? _Anything_ would have been better than… than _this!_"

"You mean, such as the top of the abyss, rather than the bottom of it?" Prince joked, tied up in Lily's vines. "Do you think you could have survived the fall?"

Scythe found a foothold and clung to the wall for a moment, resting his wings. "It is true… this is a terribly high shaft. If anyone comes up with a failsafe plan to bypass this, please speak."

Char clung to Scythe's chest, making sure the team's pack of precious valuables did not spill or slip off the Scyther's limbs. "Could we at least use one of those light orbs to see how much farther we have to climb?" he offered.

"Perhaps," Scythe replied. "But then you could look _down_."

"_AHH! WATCHOUT!_"

Lily cried out as her second vine failed to attach to the wall, instead dislodging the balance of a very large bolder. It teetered in place for half a second before falling, tumbling straight down toward Prince's head…

Prince swung on the vine, took two ninja-like steps up the wall, and leaped to meet the falling rock head-on. It shattered into many pebbles upon his fiery crown.

Lily gulped hard as Prince descended again, grasping her vine and anchoring himself back into place upon the vertical wall. The broken rock shards made tiny crackling noises as they hit the sides of the abyss on the way down.

"S-sorry," Lily sighed, searching for a different place to anchor her next vine. "I put too much faith in that one. It won't happen again."

"Actually… what is that?" Prince asked, peering into the shadows above. "The shadows didn't fall quite right. There's something up there."

"A Pokémon?" Ray wondered.

"No… a structure," Prince replied. "Scythe… could you confirm this? Fly up by about twelve body-heights, you should run into something. I cannot tell what it was from what I've seen."

"Fine," Scythe replied. "Char, hold on. You'll need to light my way."

Char's limbs were already growing tired from clinging to the insect Pokémon's torso for so long, but he breathed deeply to renew his strength and held on tighter. As he felt the vibration of the Scyther's wings, Char focused on his inner Ember and flared his tail to provide more light.

As he was not used to flying for such extended periods, especially not in the vertical direction, Scythe took frequent breaks in his ascent up the shaft. It felt to Char like he was jumping, using his power of flight to leap from wall to wall, foothold to foothold. With each of the forceful motions, Char felt the tug of gravity upon his body, threatening to disconnect him from the Scyther and plunge him back to the bottom of the abyss… and while he knew he could hold on for a bit longer, he felt his strength weakening.

"Hm…" Scythe grunted, clinging to the subtle cracks and ledges upon the side of the wall. "There is, indeed, something unusual here… Some type of obstruction."

Char craned his head, trying to see. "If it blocks our way, we might have to smash the rock ourselves," he commented.

"It might not even be a rock," Scythe muttered. "Hold on, Char. Give me just a minute more."

With a few more of Scythe's leaps, Char began to make out the shape for himself. It was a wad of grooved, lightly-colored material which, at first, from his angle, appeared to hang in midair with no support from the abyss walls. After a minute of consideration, Char realized it was indeed attached to both of the walls… as though it were an extension of them, perhaps a sideways stalactite of some kind.

"It's a pillar," Scythe concluded. "A fallen one. It seems to have collapsed to its side, and became petrified into the walls over the centuries."

Wasting no time, Scythe flew above the pillar and landed atop it. Char let out a relieved sigh, letting go of his carrier and giving his arms a rest, setting his feet down upon the surface of the irregular rock formation.

It was a large piece of work, larger than the size of Scythe in diameter, but it didn't stop Char from feeling self-conscious about slipping off the rounded surface of the object. He rooted his claws into the grooves and focused on balance.

"Let's get the others up here," Scythe decided, rubbing a blade against the pillar. "We may take a rest."

Char studied the cracked and worn relic, tracing his claws over it. "Are you sure?" he asked. "This thing could break if we put too much weight on it."

"Seems sturdy enough," Scythe decided. "Doesn't seem to cut easily; seems reinforced with some strong minerals. We should be fine. However…"

Scythe turned his attention upward, squinting farther into the vertical tunnel.

"What?" Char wondered.

"Different… sound dynamics…" Scythe uttered. "And a subtle air current. This tunnel may open into something greater. Hnn… I'm going to get the others. Stay here, don't fall."

After a minute or two of holding in place, wisely choosing not to try peering over the edge, a vine whipped just in front of Char's face and around the pillar. Char stepped on it, using his weight to hold it securely in place. Saura soon appeared upon the end of the vinde, scrabbling his way up the side of the pillar. Char caught his paw and helped him up.

"Thanks," Saura breathed. "This… place is a real workout…"

A few more seconds passed, and Lily's vines came up from the abyss. Ray and Prince climbed them and made their way onto the solid surface.

Once everyone was on top, the group took a well-deserved breather.

"Tough…" Lily gasped, dizzied from the weight of so many Pokémon tugging on her vines. "I could go for an Elixir right now… Phew…"

"Indeed, yes," Prince replied, clinging to the round surface with all of his limbs. "I don't know what being or force of nature could design a passageway so cruel…"

"Hmm, maybe a bird?" Ray offered. "This place looks like part of Team Silverwing's rooms. Especially this perch we're standing on."

"Perhaps…" Scythe replied. "However… I'm not convinced we've seen the extent of this place. I think, if we were to continue this same pace for… roughly half the time we've been climbing, we'd emerge into a larger chamber."

"Why do you say that?" Prince asked.

"_KAAAIIIIIIAAAAAHHH!_"

Startling everyone half to death, and almost causing Char to leap right off of the pillar, Scythe let a menacing screech into the air.

As the team was collectively left speechless, the sound returned to them.

"_aaiii – aiii – aiii – aii…"_

Prince sent the Scyther a sneering glare, but then nodded thoughtfully. "Good acoustics," he said. "Yes, it sounds like an expansive space. Unfortunately, that doesn't bode well for us in this darkness. In a cramped cave, we can light the way and see any immediate dangers. In an open space… danger could come from any direction, and we'd never see it."

"Yes…" Scythe replied. "I suppose, then… it's time to use a luminous orb. Char, come and dig one out of this bag."

"No need!" Ray replied. "We have _two_ of them in ours! Here…"

Very carefully setting his bag upon the sloped surface of the sideways pillar, Ray began rustling through Team Ember's supplies and soon produced an orb.

"Like Scythe says, try not to look down, okay?" he warned before commanding the orb to activate.

A blinding blast of yellow light, bright as the morning sun, exploded from the glassy sphere. Magically, the sphere lifted itself from Ray's claws, hovering in air for a few moments while the light continued to increase in intensity. Char wanted to watch in fascination, but he found that his eyes would not let him look straight into it.

The brilliant orb shot into the air like a firework and seemed to explode, dispelling the shadows of the cave and flooding every little darkened corner with visibility. In no time, the dungeon looked much like the Gold Division base shining in the glory of all its ghost torches, except without any visible light source. Strangely, no rock or Pokémon seemed to cast a shadow anymore; everything was evenly lit with the gently pulsing yellow light.

After the orb activated, the team had no trouble keeping themselves from looking down…their awed eyes were drawn to what lay above.

A huge chamber, just about as large as the meeting hall in the Gold Division, opened from the tiny hallway. Though it was not completely visible from the angle he stood, the grandeur of the great cave was perfectly clear to Char. He could see some of the room's features – more pillars, some stone fixtures – but something about the great expanse of space did not sit well with him. Something was off. He tilted his head, careful not to lose his footing, and considered the image his eyes perceived.

"It's… sideways," he realized.

"Sideways?" Saura replied, craning his head similarly.

"Yeah… look. The pillars. They're running from wall to wall, just like this one we're standing on. It's a whole temple, or something… tilted on its side. The place we just climbed up must be an access hall… but it's also sideways. That's why we had to go up."

"Hmm… an impressive spatial anomaly," Prince remarked. "Now you're starting to see what happens when the fabric of space becomes sufficiently corrupted. The deeper-level Mystery Dungeons can become deeply disturbing places. Let us… investigate, shall we?"

After a few more minutes, the team managed to ascend to the lip of the great chamber, and its full beauty opened up to them. Twelve ornately-sculpted pillars ran from wall to wall in two rows, like monkey bars for a giant. Between the rows of pillars, there was some kind of middle procession lane, complete with the remnants of a long, bright-red carpet which appeared like a crumbling painting against the vertical floor. Char could only begin to guess at the building's origin and purpose as he walked with his team across the horizontal wall. Though the chamber was showing some wear, it looked like it was built recently; Char had certainly seen ruins and dungeons that showed many more signs of age.

"Anyone recognize this place yet?" Lily called. "I've never been in a place like this, sideways or not."

"Nor have I…" Prince replied, scrutinizing his surroundings. "At first, it reminded me of some architecture from the destroyed Emerald Division, but no… this is something else."

"This rock looks similar to that from the previous floor," Scythe noted. "This floor could be a continuation of the previous. We could be inside the mountain."

"Guys, look!" Saura cried. "Look up there! On the wall!"

At first, it was something hard to notice – it had been obscured from sight by all of the sideways pillars. But after the team had marched a good length of the room and the pillars were beginning to disperse from sight… the focal point of the room became obvious.

A dusty bronze statue of Groudon, the earthen Pokémon, hung from the wall above. With normal gravity, it would have sat upon the ground at the end of the chamber, but here it precariously hung sideways, secured by nothing but a massive metal dais which looked like a picture frame. It lingered above the team, as though it might suddenly detach from the wall and come crashing down upon the Pokémon.

"The Temple of Groudon," Scythe uttered. "It exists far to the east. I've never been there, but some members of my team have been… At least, I am only assuming this is the same temple."

Char wandered a few steps forward, trying to get a better view of the sculpture through the gaps between the pillars.

"With our luck, the statue is going to come alive and we'll have to battle it," Lily said, rolling her eyes.

"Good thinking," Scythe replied, halfway sarcastically. "Groudon is a ground-type Pokémon. Leaf attacks would work best against it, so you and Saura would be our key fighters."

"_Or…_ we could use another item," Ray said. "No reason orbs can't work on legendary Pokémon. We'll petrify him or confuse him or something. Even if we have to use a few Reviver Seeds, we should be able to take him…"

"Not entirely true," Prince noted. "I've fought a few legendary Pokémon in my time. Some of them are able to disrupt the power of a wonder orb. I believe it is because a legendary's psychic presence trumps mine. If I ask the orb to activate, the legend will ask it to belay my order, and my command will be drowned out."

"Yeah, but you can still throw seeds at it," Lily added. "We found that out back when… wow, how long was that ago? We had to fight a Heatran in that one mineshaft dungeon. Rolla was there, and Iel too, I think…"

"…W-wait, hold on a minute," Ray stuttered. "If we're fighting a legendary Pokémon, our orbs might not work?"

"That's what we said, yes," Prince answered.

"Well, what about the Escape Orbs?"

"Those, too," Prince said. "Unfortunate, but true. If you want to get out with your life at the cost of your belongings, activate your rescue emblem. Otherwise… you can't back down from the fight."

The truth seemed to strike Ray as surprising, judging from his blank stare at the Groudon statue. "Wow, I did not know that," he replied. "Fighting a legendary is already really tough, but you can't run away from them? That's… that's scary."

_*Thump.*_

The ground briefly shook, rattling some pebbles from the floor. The team silenced their banter, shooting glances everywhere.

"It came from above," Scythe reported, a worried gleam in his eye. "From the statue, I believe."

_*Crackle.*_

More vibrations came. The sound of rock against rock reverberated through the expansive chamber.

Ray's body began shaking. "Um… I'm going to get our seeds ready!" he decided, static sparkling on his fur. "Hmm, can't we use that Speed Brace? Can _I_ use it? If Groudon is a grounded Pokémon, I won't be able to help very much… Wait, don't we have seeds that can turn us invisible?"

"Quiet," Scythe barked to him, his gaze intense and focused. "Let's first see what we're dealing with…"

_*Awwwwwwwr!*_

The deep, grumbling sigh of a beast came forth, its source unmistakably the looming statue. It sounded like a monster waking up, its quiet sleep disturbed by banter and bright light.

"…But a Speed Brace would help," Scythe decided, slipping the backpack from his limbs without lowering his gaze. "Take it out. Quickly."

_*Rumble-rattle…*_

_*SMACK!*_

In the blink of an eye, a large boulder plummeted from somewhere up above and struck the ground with a thunderous clamor, eliciting a collective gasp from the six Pokémon. Several rocks had fallen, actually, as though a chain-reaction avalanche had occurred near the base of the statue...

…As Char stared at those rocks, he noticed that they were, in fact, _connected_.

And they moved.

A pair of eyes opened upon them.

"Onix," Lily breathed. "It's just an Onix."

"So it is," Prince replied. "And to think we were all worried for a moment…"

The rock Pokémon twitched, uncoiling itself from the knot it had fallen into. Shaking its head and reorienting itself from the fall, it immediately noticed the intruders and reared up into a battle stance.

Though it looked rather intimidating, Char had taken down larger Onix by himself, not to mention a Steelix. He stood confidently, knowing it posed no real threat to the team.

"Saura," Scythe ordered. "Prepare to fire seeds. Lily, charge a sunbeam attack. We will—"

_*CRACKKKK-*_

A sudden, intense earthquake took the Scyther's breath away. Char looked downward, noticing a series of deep fissures forming in the chamber wall underneath, until…

*_Crick!*_

A large chunk of the stone, about double the size of a Graveler, rose straight from the floor and levitated in midair. Char balked at the sight, and backed away a few steps…

_*Crick!*_

_*Crick!*_

_*Crick!*_

More large slabs rose from the crumbling surface underfoot, leaving behind oddly-shaped gouges beneath them. Char watched as they rose far past his eye level, shifting apart…

…Until about six of the giant rocks encircled the team. The Onix emitted a grumbling, cocky laugh. The horn on its forehead shimmered with white power.

"_This._" Prince growled in disgust. "_This_ dirty trick…"

"W—Whats going on?" Saura cried, cowering away from all of the rocks. "What's it doing?"

"Do not approach the rocks," Prince warned. "If you try to approach them, they will fly at you and cause heavy damage. But if you stand still, they won't hurt you. Oh, by the gods… I _hate_ this technique. _Hate_ it. Brings back dreadful memories of dungeons where _every_ Pokémon used it…"

"Thankfully, he's immune to rock damage now," Lily mentioned to Char and Saura, rolling her eyes. "Doesn't have to worry about it anymore."

"Yes… but the sight of it still makes my heart run cold with revulsion," Prince growled. "Char… come with me, let us teach the Onix not to attack with stealth-rocks. The rest of you… stay as still as you can."

Char dropped to all fours. "Alright," he replied. "Just say when."

Char felt a tapping on his shoulder. He turned around to see Ray standing beside him, holding something which looked like a thick, awkward belt reinforced with a copper-colored metal band.

"Quick, put this on!" he offered. "It's a 'Speed Brace'. It'll help you battle."

Char stood up again, accepting the object. "Thanks…" he muttered, slipping the object over his head and wiggling it past his arms. He pulled a strap, fastening it snugly to his torso. Immediately, a sickening feeling came over him, as though all the blood in his body had become twice as saturated and thick.

Char shook his head, warding off a dizzy spell. It felt as though he'd been momentarily suffocated.

"R….. eeee… _aaaaaaad_y…." Prince called. "Ch_aaaaaa_rr?"

It took Char a minute to understand what was happening. He'd used Evasion Orbs before, which helped him to dodge enemy attacks… but he'd never used an item that boosted his _speed_. It made the rest of the world seem to slow down! Glancing around, it appeared as though his friends were limply adrift underwater. Sounds became difficult to tell apart; the world around him emitted what resembled the dull roar of a furnace. It was as surreal as a dream.

_I don't like the way this makes my stomach feel,_ Char told himself, _but this could be a very useful item. Let's see what I can do to that Onix!_

Nodding in Prince's direction, making an effort to do so slowly so Prince would perceive the message correctly, Char dropped to the ground and dashed between the floating rocks. As fast as he was, Char couldn't outrun them… they instantly moved to catch up with him, slamming together to crush Char from both sides. Char, of course, didn't feel a thing thanks to Prince's mysterious power of immunity, and the rocks soon parted to let him advance.

Char carefully approached the Onix, whose expression turned to a startled one. He almost chuckled to himself at the irony. Very slowly, the monster shifted its weight and uncoiled its tail. Char saw the attack coming with ease, and merely stepped back a bit to watch as strand of rocks sailed harmlessly past his face.

_Gotcha,_ Char thought to himself as he sprinted toward the beast, who had yet to recover from the recoil of its own attack. The Charmander's claws began to glow, remembering the technique he had learned just for a situation like this one. Taking aim, he swiped at the beast's face with metal-infused claws.

The Onix jerked away with unexpected speed, and the attack connected with one of its body segments. A series of impressive gouges was left behind, but the beast's rock-hard skin hadn't been pierced.

_Hmm,_ Char realized, focusing energy in his claws and rearing up to strike again. _I guess I can't overestimate my own speed. Enemies can still move pretty quickly when they need to… _

Taking aim a little more carefully this time, and anticipating the creature's dodge, Char pounced with gleaming claws… or, at least he tried to, but his feet seemed frozen to the floor.

Looking down, Char found that his body was wrapped in the coils of the Onix, and he hadn't even felt it.

_Ugh… no!_ Char scolded himself, slamming his metal claws against the thick, rock hide of the Onix. _Why did I not watch its tail? Why did I think I was too fast for it?_

He wiggled, wormed, and lashed at the rock beast with tooth and claw, but the bind did not budge.

_*Booooom…*_

The dull roar of thunder erupted, the sound of an explosion slow to reach Char's ears. Char glanced up to see Prince's skillful attack, leaping and slamming a flattened hand against the beast's face. While the karate-chop did not shatter the Onix's head, it caused the monster to falter and fall. Char felt the stony coils weakening around his body, and leaped to freedom as soon as it was possible.

_Well… I know one thing that works,_ Char told himself. _Maybe this will work just as well as it did against the Steelix!_

While the Onix's head was still dipping down from the blow Prince delivered, Char pounced, grasping tightly onto its horn. After a few seconds slowly passed, the Onix tried to recover, rearing back into the air and taking Char with him. Char carefully balanced himself with the snake's movements and kept himself secure.

As he wondered if the Onix even knew he was there, Char took a moment to consider his next move. He knew his fiery fangs weren't going to melt the beast's shell this time, but wondered if perhaps something else would work. He wondered if trying to break off the beast's horn was a good idea.

Then, he heard his name called.

Char didn't really know how he heard it; the voices spoke so slowly that he had no idea who was speaking. It seemed more like someone had called his name long ago, and he had just now realized it. Regardless, Char turned his attention to his other teammates who were still cowering in the middle of the treacherous floating rocks.

Ray. He was trying to get Char's attention. He was pointing to the bag.

He had found something. An item. He was holding it.

Still carefully clutching the horn and shifting his weight with the Onix's motions, Char took the time to squint and ask himself what Ray held. It was small, metallic. Like a metallic spike.

An Iron Thorn! _Yes!_ He remembered slaying rock beasts with those. He had become adept at using them as daggers. They easily cut through the hides of rock Pokémon if he could connect with his attacks. He nodded to Ray, signaling to toss the object over, and Ray obliged.

It took Char a moment to realize that Ray had not exactly followed his command. No… Ray had _hurled_ the spike, pointy-end-forward, straight at him. It was coming pretty fast, fast enough that Char wondered if he could catch it out of midair…

But then he had a better idea. Still holding on tight, Char flung his body from the side of the Onix's head. Feeling the body of the Onix vibrating as it roared in rage, he weighed the monster down to the side, causing it to lean... right into the exact trajectory of the thrown dart.

The thorn sank into the Onix's left eye.

Char tried to reach up, to retrieve the weapon and use it for himself, but the beast thrashed powerfully and Char decided to let go. He tumbled onto the ground and backed away as fast as he could crawl, the Onix now squirming wildly in pain. He watched as Prince jumped to launch a second attack upon the incapacitated monster, wrangling it to the ground and giving it several great blows to the head. After twitching a couple of times, the monster lay motionless; it was out cold.

_*RUUUUUUMMMMMMMMBLE…*_

In slow motion, the floating rocks all rattled to the ground and became harmless. Char felt the shockwaves of pressure they caused, and soon, everything was still.

Char felt something on his shoulder. Ray was there. He looked concerned. _Very _concerned.

"What?" Char replied. "I'm fine!"

Ray indicated the object which Char was wearing. The Speed Brace.

"Hey, I think I like this," Char said, grasping it possessively. "Can't I keep it on for a while?"

Ray sternly shook his head. He extended his paws to help Char remove the accessory.

"Fine, fine…" Char grumbled, fumbling with the strap and trying to get it to loosen. "I can do it myself. Here…"

_*Slump*_

The moment he loosened the belt and deactivated its effect, all of the feeling in Char's body disappeared. He fell limply to the floor, the brace still looped around his torso.

"Char, you can't wear a Speed Brace for more than a few minutes!" Ray admonished him, slipping the powerful item over the Charmander's arms and head. "It makes you sick!"

"SSick…" Char muttered with his numb mouth, feeling all of his limbs begin to tingle. He did feel slightly nauseous, but it didn't feel like motion sickness to him. It felt like the world was simply moving too fast for him to handle.

Scythe's blade slid into the brace, lifting it from Ray's clutches. "Mentally sick," the Scyther said. "More precisely, it's addicting. A Pokémon who wears one for too long will forget how to properly survive the normal flow of time. You become too used to the world running at a fourth of the speed it's supposed to… it becomes a great hindrance to your reflexes and your basic motor skills. Speed Braces are only to be used sparingly, and only when other Pokémon are around to separate them from you by force if necessary."

With a weak grunt, Char found the strength to climb back to his feet. Still feeling very out of place, he settled for standing on all fours. His heart pounded so fast, it felt as though his body was going to burst. He felt his ember burning dimly.

"Wow," he finally breathed, managing to stand again. "It was intense…"

The team picked themselves up from the scene of the battle and continued to explore the grand, sideways temple. For a few minutes, Char felt a vaguely familiar clumsiness about him, like the feel of being trapped in a body that was not his own. At first he had a little trouble walking, even on four legs, but he shortly regained his rhythm shortly.

"I once knew a Pokémon who decided he wanted to wear a Speed Brace permanently," Scythe spoke in a dark tone, handing the item to Prince. "He had trouble speaking, but he proved an asset to my force, and so at first I supported his decision. However, before the end of the second month, he came to me and told me that he wanted to visit a place where time did not flow at all. The next day, I found that he had taken his own life."

Char cringed at the thought, imagining the scenario vividly in his mind.

Prince slung the powerful belt around his arm, holding it safely for the time being. "That was back when you worked for the Master, wasn't it?" he said inquisitively. "I remember you were telling me that story long ago, back when I still worked at the Gold Division…"

"Indeed…" Scythe sighed. "I told you the story when Alakazam had offered to let us use one on the Cane mission. It might have been the same one you're now holding, since he placed that one in the bag himself. But yes… I fear those things. The power of the gods is not something to be taken lightly by mortals."

"Heh… Power of the gods, huh?" Lily laughed. "That's what you call it? It's that bad?"

Scythe glared at her for a moment. "It is not a joke. A Speed Brace is crafted with a shard of Dialga's true power. Each one contains the grain of a fallen scale from the dragon's body itself, coated heavily with spells to draw out its power."

"It is said of the Pokémon who invented the device, that she did not understand how it worked," Prince added. "She merely discovered that by casting an awakening spell upon a relic of Dialga, her perception of time became blurred whenever she would hold it. Even though she could not comprehend the effect, she built an instrument to utilize its power anyway."

"So… it actually lets you _control time_," Char spoke, still feeling like his body wasn't moving correctly. "That's why it felt so unnatural…"

"Because you are not Dialga, you can't comprehend what you were doing with the power," Scythe told him. "Because it was not meant for you. That is a hard lesson for anyone who seeks power without understanding its nature. The Speed Brace is not even a power most Pokémon require. In pulses, I can already fly faster than most eyes can see. I don't need a soul-consuming device to make me faster."

"Wow. Pretty deep," Lily replied, laughing nervously. "Well! I think that's killed any chance of me ever trying one on for myself. I already have one godlike power to my name, I don't need another one, thank you very much."

"Th—" Saura gasped.

Char stopped walking. He turned to Saura, and found his best friend trailing a few steps back. Tears were building at the sides of his eyes.

"That—," he tried to say. He shut his eyes tightly, rubbing his forehead against the ground. Char knew his headache was acting up.

"Saura… what is it?" Char asked him, afraid to give him a hug. "Are you okay?"

"That's what you said, isn't it?" Saura replied, blinking the tears away and trying to fight the headache. "Or, that's what your vision of me said… in the dream. Mortals can't understand time…"

"Y…yes…" Char said, frozen with a momentary sense of shock. "That… that's right."

Char didn't quite know what else to say. Saura looked upset at him, or upset at himself. Either way, it looked like he was struggling with pain. A quiet moment of tension settled over them, as Char tried to ask himself what it meant.

"Heh… I guess maybe the vision was trying to tell you something after all," Saura said, shrugging. "I'm sorry if I doubted you. Let's keep going."

"Saura… are you going to be okay?"

"Don't worry about me," Saura replied flatly. "I just… don't like this place. Let's just keep going, okay?"

Char opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came to him. Saura walked past him.

… … …

"Check everything again!" Scythe ordered. "I'll fly and explore the opposite end of the room. Check all the walls again. Temples such as this usually have a hidden passageway."

About half an hour had passed. The team found themselves walking circles around the same temple hall, combing the room for any clues or secret openings. The Onix never did wake up again, but Char thought he saw it squirming sometimes, and the stairs were nowhere to be seen. He realized how much more challenging the battle would have been, not to mention the rest of the room, without the Luminous Orb having been used.

Save for the wreckage around the Onix, the scenery itself was bland and featureless; the true floor of the room, which was attached to the wall like a giant tapestry, was much more interesting with its royal red rug and the miniature statues of ground-type Pokémon worshiping the legend.

"Isn't that a door up there?" Saura noted. "Since the room is sideways, wouldn't the exit be on the ceiling, since we came from the floor?"

"That is not a door," Scythe grumbled. "It's an alcove where a statue should be. But if there is a door up there, I will find one. Stay here, and don't do anything stupid. I'll be right back."

"Hey, wait…" Ray said, touching his chin.

Scythe had opened his wings already, but he hadn't taken off. "What is it?" he demanded.

"Um… how about we just use a Stairs Orb?"

"Alakazam packed none of those," Scythe told him. "Are you telling me that you have one in your bag?"

"Yes!" Ray exclaimed. "I packed one of those too. It helped us through Pinpoint Valley once when we were going in circles like this. Since we had a leftover one, I packed it."

Scythe looked relieved. "By all means, Ray. Use the orb."

"Hmm… I'm impressed with you, little Raichu…" Prince said as Ray dug into the bag. "You've seemed to come very prepared. Are you the designated items specialist on Char's team?"

"Not… really…" Ray muttered, feeling around inside of the sack. "Since I'm the strongest Pokémon, I've always had to hold the item bag on missions, so I got used to using a lot of items… Hmm, that's funny. The Luminous Orb lit the inside of the bag, too. Okay, _here_!"

Ray yanked the shiny sphere from the sack. Char thought it looked larger than most other orbs he'd seen, but figured it was probably just a trick of the light. Ray clutched it with both hands and began speaking telepathically to it.

The orb shot out of his paws, blasting off like a cannonball.

_*Ching!*_

It crashed directly into the head of the Groudon statue, shattering apart. The shards sounded musical as they fell to the floor.

"…The statue." Scythe said, rubbing his forehead on his blade. "I should have known. There's a secret passage _under_ the statue. Or _behind_ it, from this point of view."

"Now just don't step on the broken glass this time, Char," Ray said. "Last time we used one, Char got a shard stuck in his foot…"

"Question," Lily said. "Apart from bringing the statue to life, and trying to battle it… how are we going to move it?"

"Good question," Prince replied. "Does anyone know how to perform a Hyper Beam?"

"I… used to," Scythe said. "I have not used that technique since Team Remorse was founded. I have since forgotten…"

"Break the wall," Char suggested. "Prince, try to smash the wall like you did the mountainside. Maybe it'll trigger another avalanche and bring the statue down."

"I'd rather not," Prince answered. "Even if I wore the Speed Brace, I don't think I'd be able to get out of the way before it falls on me. And that thing's not made of stone… it's made of metal. It would be another Reviver Seed gone. Ray? Can you suggest any more items that might help us?"

"Maybe…" Ray started. "If we—"

There was a faint sound.

It resembled a windstorm. A tornado. It overtook the entire chamber for just a few seconds, as though a sudden breeze whooshed through a faraway corridor.

Every Pokémon in the room froze at the sound, and then it ended, just as quickly.

"Um… what was that?" Char wondered, breaking the awkward silence.

Char glanced at his teammates. Saura, Ray, and Lily all appeared just as confused as he.

Prince and Scythe, on the other hand… appeared to be breaking into a cold sweat. Panic could be seen in their eyes.

Somehow… Char instantly began to dread that sound.

"Oh… oh gods," Scythe breathed. "No, no, no. No…"

"What? What?" Char stammered.

"You… don't want to know what that was," Prince uttered. "I'm being honest. You do _not_ want to know."

"Wait… _how_ do you know what that is?" Lily asked, looking over her shoulder as though trying to find the source of the sound. "You've never been in this dungeon before, have you?"

"It's… a sound which every dungeon explorer hears eventually," Prince said. "Something's _stirring_. We have to get to that staircase _now_. Scythe? Any ideas?"

"Yes," Scythe said. "I wear a Mobile Scarf and fly through the statue. I then use a Rollcall Orb and bring the rest of you behind the statue with me. We proceed from there."

"That will be our last Rollcall Orb, you know," Prince warned him. "We cannot abuse that strategy any longer. If we run out of those… we must stay together as a team from now on. If just one of us gets trapped, they would run out all of our Reviver Seeds before we could rescue them."

"If we wait around here any longer, our Reviver Seeds will be useless!" Scythe shouted. "We have no choice. Ray, Char, or someone. Find our last Rollcall Orb and place it on the very top, so I may be able to activate it. Someone else, tie a Mobile Scarf on me. We must _move!_"

Scythe's plan worked without a hitch, and soon, Char and his friends were teleported into the ridiculously cramped chamber behind the bronze statue. The staircase to the next floor was in full view, with no tricks or traps standing in their way.

Char could only begin to wonder what Scythe and Prince were so scared of. He wondered what kind of danger was chasing them _this_ time.

* * *

**Temporal Tower 6F**

A minute after ascending the stairs, the team overlooked a long, brutal cliff into dark nothingness. The walls were lined with broken ladders and bent support beams all the way down – like an abandoned mineshaft, it seemed. Some of the rocks in the walls were luminescent, emitting a soft blue glow. Scythe heaved a huge sigh, commenting that his wings were growing tired, and he began brainstorming for ways to descend the pit.

And then Char pointed out that the stairs to the next floor were right behind them.

"Yes, it happens sometimes," Prince said, joining everyone in a nervous, yet relieved chuckle. "Even in places like this, it happens sometimes."

Instead of continuing to the next floor, the team unanimously decided a short breather would be good. Prince punched the rocks in the hallway that led to the abyss, causing a minor avalanche which closed them in a cozy little room so that no Pokémon would bother them. The blue glow-rocks upon the walls mixed with the orange and red light of the fire Pokémon, setting an atmosphere not unlike a seaside sunset.

"Okay, so tell us," Char insisted as Prince poked around in the bag for elixirs. "What was that windy noise? Why were we running away from it?"

"To be perfectly honest," Prince grunted, "Nobody knows. Nobody has been able to see it. Ah, there are five Max Elixirs in here. Alakazam did pack well. Also, if anyone's hungry, we can cut into the last apple…"

"See _what?_" Saura pressed, just as interested as Char. "What does it _do?_ Does it _kill you?_"

"It is a force," Scythe explained, sitting against a wall. "An invisible force. If it touches you… you pass out instantly. The Reviver Seeds cannot counteract it. They are powerless to save you. That… is all we know about it."

"It tends to come when you spend extended periods of time on a single floor of a Mystery Dungeon," Prince continued, uncapping a jar of Elixir and eying its contents. "But you can always hear it coming. Sometimes, it sounds like a whirlwind. Other times, it sounds like an earthquake."

"Hmm… I've heard _about_ it, but that's the first time I've ever heard it myself," Lily said. "Which is weird. I've spent long times in dungeons before, and I've never heard… well, whatever it is."

"Remember what it sounds like, and always run for the stairs when you hear it," Prince told her, offering her a drink. "If you can't make it to the stairs, use an Escape Orb. It's that simple."

"I've heard an interesting theory about the mysterious force," Scythe said, staring at the ceiling. "According to some, the wind, and the quake… are the sounds of the Mystery Dungeon changing shapes. The dungeons are different every time you enter them… they change shape when nobody is looking. If you happen to be caught inside a floor when it changes shape… the dungeon brutally rejects you."

"That is a theory _I_ personally reject, but Pokémon are allowed to hold it," Prince said. "I've had my men go into dungeons at almost the same time and have experienced different floor layouts. I highly doubt the mysterious force is the cause of the dungeons changing. It's simply something we can't yet understand with our knowledge of the Mystery Dungeon curse."

"_My_ teammates have claimed to have witnessed spatial distortions before their eyes," Scythe retorted. "We were once trapped in a dungeon when we felt the earthquake coming. Since we had no way to escape, I told my teammates to watch and try to perceive what happens. Although I myself saw nothing, both Markov and Brock claimed to see the dungeon walls shifting and growing before blacking out."

"But you cannot be sure what they witnessed was not a dream, once they had lost consciousness," Prince insisted. "No offense to your team, but you're one of the most perceptive Pokémon I know. If you saw nothing, that's good enough evidence against their case."

Scythe gave an indifferent shrug to the comment. Prince continued to sift through the bag's contents, and he soon lifted the final remaining Golden Apple, which he set upon the sand-covered floor. Char's eyes fell upon it instantly. He was starting to get hungry. Though he convinced himself to hold out for a few more floors, the twinge of hunger had certainly flickered to life down in his belly.

"Oh, Char…," Prince said. "Before I forget, I had something I wanted to show you."

Char reluctantly tore his eyes from the shining apple to find that Prince was untying something. He was opening the small brown pouch which hung from his belt.

_That!_ Char thought to himself, suddenly very interested. _He's been hiding something in there since we left Rayquaza's Clutch! _

Prince's fingers struggled a bit to unloop the tiny knots in the twine. Char knew that this pouch was something Prince rarely opened. He realized it must be something of grave importance, great power, to constantly keep it hidden from sight as such…

At last, Prince yanked open the small, sagging pouch… He hesitated for a moment, lending an affectionate gaze to what lie within, before lifting it up for the world to see.

Prince held in his palms a sphere-shaped object, made of unblemished, lustrous glass. Within the sphere, suspended at its very center, there existed… a streak of light. It emitted a soft, hypnotizing, icy-blue radiance, as if a perpetual bolt of lightning had been captured and petrified within the glass.

No… not lighting.

_Fire_.

It was _fire_, Char realized. A beautiful, ethereal tongue of white-blue fire stood within the center of the orb. Although it produced light, the flame did not burn, flicker, or dance… it simply _existed,_ perfectly still, eternally frozen in the shape of a baby ice-phoenix yearning for rebirth.

The light was warm and welcoming to Char's eyes, somehow. Its glow was like the mark left on the eye after staring into the sun for too long.

It was an item of such simple, eloquent beauty, Char could not help but revere it. He turned to Saura, and noticed both he and Ray were just as captivated by the object as he was, a silvery sheen sparkling in their eyes as they beheld it.

"This… is the 'frozen flame'," Prince announced, "or so I like to call it. This is what grants me, and Char by extension, invincibility from rocks."

"It's pretty…" Saura admitted. "What _is_ it?"

"It's… an object I found in a dungeon long, long ago, a dungeon known as the 'Destiny Abyss'," Prince explained, turning the orb in his hand and admiring it. "It is a 'Fiery Globe', a legendarily rare object which has been previously documented to exist, though only about three of them have ever been found… so I was stricken with the most humbling sense of awe when I stumbled upon it just sitting in the corner of a Mystery Dungeon. However… something is different about this one. Fiery Globes are known to be red in color, and have the property of protecting fire-type Pokémon within a certain radius from being harmed by water. If you had one, Char, you could easily go swimming in the sea, as your flame would continue to burn even underneath the water.

"But this one… I can only imagine that it was altered by the severe spatial anomalies of the Abyss, for it does not protect against water. It does, however, protect against damage from rocks. I suppose I cannot complain…"

Char smiled, his eyes glimmering in the frozen firelight. The sight of this simple orb brought warmth and comfort to his heart.

"Is it fragile?" Saura asked. "That glass looks so thin. Will the fire disappear if you break it?"

"I don't know," Prince admitted. "And no, it does not break easily. Even though the glass looks like a water-bubble, and it's not that heavy, it seems to be very solid. I've dropped it on the floor a few times and it has yet to even gain a dent, although I have not tried to destroy it on purpose. Here, Char. Want to hold it?"

Char accepted the sphere into his claws carefully as he would handle a newborn hatchling. He stared intently into the ghostly, motionless streak of light. He guided his claws over its nearly-transparent surface, and felt nothing. The surface was so frictionless, its touch was like a gentle gust of wind across his hands…

"That's probably the most awesome item I've ever seen…" Ray said solemnly. "You're very lucky to have found it."

"As far as the rare, magical items out there, there are better," Prince said. "I'd have preferred to get my hands on a _real_ Fiery Globe, personally. But yes… I am lucky, especially since a number of Fire-types served on my team back in the day and were able to utilize the globe's effect… Ahh, and it did bring me such strength and confidence to wield. In fact, it was soon after I returned from the Destiny Abyss with this item, that I founded the Silver Division… which I, admittedly, named after the color of this globe."

Scythe scoffed.

"You've never told me _that_ before," he said with a coughing laugh. "Your Silver Division was named after _that_?"

"Seemed appropriate enough, at the time," Prince returned. "It still does, in fact. A tiny tongue of fire which refuses to die, despite being encased in glass and infused with the color of ice, bringing strength and hope to those who fight…"

"Fair enough, I suppose," Scythe sighed. "It has gotten us _this_ far, after all…"

Even after Prince had dropped the Frozen Flame back into his pouch and secured the tiny knots again, Char could still see a silvery fire when he closed his eyes.


	62. Chapter 44, Part 5

**Chapter 44**

**Part 5**

_I peered into the future of creation  
A future with no definition  
A future without existence  
A future I was tasked to construct  
for every life, and any possibility…_

_And I pondered, for many eternities,  
how it would work.  
How the force called "time" should behave._

_I asked my heart what it wanted,  
and in judging its responses,  
I crafted my vision…_

_And at my consent,  
with a bow of my head,  
_"_time" was molded to my will._

_I designed the system  
with creatures in mind.  
As they would swim in its currents,  
they should not feel confused, or afraid  
unable to comprehend how their actions  
would affect their existence.  
Their lives needed to be consistent,  
and I wished for them to feel comfortable.  
Secure._

_Yet, I wished not for time to constrain.  
It should allow freedom.  
It should be bent, broken, defied…  
under the proper conditions._

_And so…  
By my decision, "time" was tied  
into my brother's gravity wells,  
the great forces of cohesion he had created  
to bind particles together in space.  
Thus, for creatures living  
upon the surface of the spherical planets,  
Time would move slowly and comprehensibly…  
whilst up above, in the vast voids of space  
eons would pass  
as the stars and planets would circle._

_And for the mortals,  
time became easy to perceive  
simple to swallow, digest, and remember:  
An action in the present changes the future  
And the past lives in memory._

_And so, as time flowed in many directions  
with all its continuities and intricacies  
incomprehensible to all but one,  
To mortals, it could be seen  
as a line, a straightforward chain  
of cause and effect._

_And for the gods,  
the brothers whom I looked in the eye,  
time remained contained,  
trivial to meddle with,  
to enter and leave,  
to modify, and to manage  
unbeknownst to the mortals._

_When I had finished  
I appraised my work.  
I saw how the hearts of creatures  
both mortal and eternal  
were pleased…_

_And so, too, became mine._

* * *

Another floor had passed, but recent memories seemed as distant as fading dreams. The void between floors, with its every-colored collage of light, distorted any remaining perception of time's passing and made the staircase climb feel like a months-long journey up a mountain's trail.

Though healed and well-rested enough from their recent rest stop, Char had long since grown mentally weary. As far as he was concerned, he'd spent a year or two in the confines of this brutal, treacherous tower; any longer, and he felt the dungeon might would become the only reality he would know. To keep the insanity held off, he allowed his mind to reach backward through his memories and cycle through all those past experiences he held dear… all those times, mere weeks before, when things felt so much simpler, and he was just happy to be a Charmander and to be alive. Though they burned as faintly as a candle in a snowstorm, he could still feel all those happy memories somewhere back there: times when his only enemy was a nameless, faceless menace he would never meet in person, times when he was surrounded by his friends and allies in the thousands who would quell all his insecurities and aid him through the difficulties of his new world… memories of his friendship with Saura, and his deep, almost instinctual pride of his good reputation and his many victories as a resistance team leader.

He wondered, for a moment: where had those days gone?

They were swallowed, he knew, by the threads of fate. Ambera could not remain content to leave a Charmander with a human soul to his own designs, especially one such Charmander with the power to brainwash and command armies with his mind. He knew, no matter how far he could run or wherever he might hide, the eternal power struggle and the battle for Ambera's freedom would find him and capture him. As it already had. This Scyther he trusted and followed, as well as his Infernape companion, would not take "no" for an answer. Their entire lives, their countless emotions and motives spanning down to the cores of their beings, hinged on his survival and the success of his mission. And there was nothing he could do to stop it, nothing but to comply with their demands. And even then, if all went well and Dialga answered his Call, he wondered if he would forever be a puppet of fate, a source of power to be coveted and used against his will.

To answer the question, he had to look no farther than at Lily, the previous soul unfortunate enough to be cursed with his terrible power. She had never found respite from her tragedies; even with the memory of the Emerald Division's destruction haunting her so, a disaster which she was partially responsible for, fate still found a way to call legions of corrupted ghost Pokémon upon her head and to inspire Lucario into evicting her from her home. She had never recovered from the past, and would likely never get the chance, if fate kept having its way.

But Scythe and Prince were not the only Pokémon at fault for taking his youth from him so quickly; Char knew, deep down, that the ultimate blame could be pinned onto nobody but himself. As he learned from experience, being a Charmander with a human's soul, especially one which spontaneously popped into existence in an unknown land with nothing but hazy memories of having met the gods of time and space, deeply disconcerted him. It _itched_, as one of those aggravating itches beneath the skin which cannot be scratched, not to know about his origin, or even his name. Though he greatly, deeply enjoyed being a Charmander and all of the power, freedom, and friends it afforded him, there was a tiny, nagging part of his heart which remained human and refused to give into a life of blissful ignorance. Even just knowing his own name, he felt, would bring him comfort he could barely fathom.

And then… there was the third Pokémon who tragically shared the destructive power of the Call. A third Pokémon who would never find peace and freedom… a Pokémon who would have to grow up too quickly, for his life would always be tainted with danger, disaster, and a broken heart… Saura.

Saura was not well. This much, Char knew. As the floors passed, Saura had grown distant, bitter, and perhaps most disturbingly, quiet. He was not taking the Watcher's curse well. Or he was not taking it well that he had the Call. Or both. Whatever medicine or spell that Gardevoir had given him to keep him bubbly and optimistic had proven to be very temporary, wearing off sometime soon after the Temporal Tower had been spotted on the horizon. For most of the dungeon floors, Char found himself walking and fighting beside a Bulbasaur he did not know, a Bulbasaur who probably despised him for ruining his life and dragging him away from his beloved family to the frozen ends of the earth.

What could he say to Saura? Char didn't know. Nothing seemed appropriate. "What's wrong?" seemed too presumptuous. "Are you feeling well?" seemed downright ignorant. Silence seemed best, even if it remained the awkward type of silence that made him feel empty and lonely, as he was still bursting with questions to ask and ideas to convey to the Pokémon who was once undoubtedly his best friend in the world. But if Saura wanted silence, then silence is what he would get; if it was the only way he could help, then so be it.

Even through this resignation, Char felt he had learned some grave, heartbreaking lesson about friendship. He remembered that fateful yet happy night in Zerferia when Saura had told his deepest secrets, his possession of the Call and his refusal to have his memories erased. It was one of the last nights he and Saura had shared in good terms. The funny thing was, he was so certain that the "real" Saura was back to stay that night, the Saura he was so able to freely share thoughts and feelings with. Saura had somehow convinced him that he'd overcome the worst of the Watcher's curse and was ready to be the same faithful, endearing friend he had always been, standing with him until the tower's last steps, until the last ember would fade. But within days, the "real" Saura had vanished again, leaving their friendship broken and forgotten…

_The heart wants good things to stay the same_, Char realized, _yet the universe never stops changing. Time brings change, and change is the nature of the universe…_

_"Time does not work the way you think it works," _the words repeated in his mind. "_Mortals have not the capacity to understand time. Past and present are lies…"_

Lily was the one to break the solemn silence, speaking the words Char couldn't bring himself to say.

"Are you going to be alright?" she offered to Saura, genuinely sorry for him.

Saura pawed at the stair-step and kept climbing. "I'll be alright when this tower is over with."

The Bulbasaur took a strained step up each stair, as though the seed planted upon his back had come to weigh as much as a Venusaur's tree. Yet he kept marching forward, his face stoic as a martyr on the way to his execution…

"How high is this tower, again?" Saura grumbled, staring into the opaque white light which encased the stairwell.

"Twenty-four floors, or at least that is what Legend told me, which he read in a book somewhere," Prince replied, the thrill of the adventure long since gone from his voice. "You might remember it as the number of hours in a day. Well, at least you two would, Char and Lily… It slips my mind sometimes that the units of 'hours' and 'minutes' are not as popular among Pokémon as they are with humans…"

Prince trailed off, and a collective sigh rose from the team at the reminder that they were not even halfway to finding their answers.

"Oh, yes. Another thing," Prince spoke suddenly. "If it's any consolation, Legend suggested there might be a Kangaskhan statue on floor thirteen,"

Lily rolled her eyes. "So, a possible rest stop in, what, seven floors? What good will _that_ do for us? Didn't we just stop to eat? _Also_, how the heck did a Kangaskhan statue make it in _here_, of all places?"

"Remember, we're not the first exploration team to scale Temporal Tower," Prince replied, his voice echoing oddly against the swirling curtains of light. "I wouldn't rule it out. Most likely some other team teleported the statue in here long ago. Besides… if there is indeed a Kangaskhan stone in here, it will temporarily dispel the Mystery Dungeon, and we will finally be able to witness what this tower is _supposed_ to look like on the inside. That's enough to fascinate me."

"Alright, but still," Lily said. "I'm still not sure why this dungeon is here in the first place. I looked up to Dialga all my life; you'd think he'd take better care of his house."

After climbing a few more steps, Char noticed a subtle fading in the twinkle of the divine light.

"_Now_," Scythe barked, raising his blades to stop the Pokémon behind him. "We are approaching the next floor. Starting now, we will stay vigilant, tread carefully, battle efficiently, and there will be _no_ separations, _no _mistakes. Above all, be ready for anything. It is already very clear to me that this tower is not to be trusted."

"Yes. _Tell_ this tower who's boss," Prince mock-cheered. "_Make_ it stop dealing us the difficult floors."

Scythe glared at him for a moment before disregarding his words. "This is the most important dungeon exploration of _our lives_, possibly of the history of Ambera as well; we are going to start _acting like it_ and dealing with the challenges as professionals. Prince, you lead. Char, Saura, stay behind him. _Closely_. Lily, you watch Saura's back, and Ray, you follow Char. I will bring up the rear."

"As you wish," Prince replied with a subtle smile, not a hint of sarcasm in his voice this time. "In all honesty, you're right, Scythe. We have _six_ Pokémon at our disposal and this dungeon has yet to give us a challenge greater than I've seen in the Destiny Abyss. Now, fall in line, and we will make floor seven wish it had never stood between us and Dialga."

With a few more steps up the stairs, the ethereal white glow of nothingness faded into something more tangible.

* * *

**Temporal Tower 7F**

When the team emerged onto the next floor, it was sadly dark again. Without a Luminous orb, the team was back to relying on Char and Prince for light. Scythe made a passing remark that he had forgotten how difficult dungeon exploration could be once his Charizard had left the team.

Aside from being dark, this floor smelled _bad_. The air was stuffy, moldy, and rotten, bringing back memories of Lucario's hideout beneath the Emerald Division. The ground was Pokémon-made, consisting of damp, slippery cobblestones. Water could be heard dripping from a ceiling somewhere into sizable puddles. Char held out his tail in front of his eyes, making dead sure not to trip and fall into one of them.

The path spanned a long, narrow corridor, one which happened to be perfectly square in shape. The ceiling was very low, and Odd racks hung from the wall – Char figured they were supposed to hold torches.

"It's a dungeon," Prince said, pressing a hand upon the wall and feeling the texture of the rocks. "As though to state the obvious, yes, this is a Mystery Dungeon. But this particular floor mimics that of a true dungeon, the namesake of the word. Dungeons are typically built underneath castles and fortresses, and they are built to hold prisoners of war for ransom… or torture. In the more civil times, the worst of society's criminals could be locked up in places like these, left to starve to death. Sadly… I have seen it happen with my own eyes. I remember… King Davious, my father's human master, would take many prisoners in times of war… and my father taught me how to negotiate with them. It is… ironic, how Lucario dwells within a place just like this. For the sake of _security._"

"That's not the true irony here," Scythe spoke, his deep voice bouncing down the walls. "I believe I… may… recognize this place."

"Really, now. Do you think?" Prince said with something like a smirk. "Is this a part of the Master's great stronghold?"

"I'm not sure, yet…" Scythe muttered. "It's bringing back memories, but…"

The team turned a corner, and a larger room opened before their eyes.

A grid of rusted iron prison cages ran through the room, forming several large cells. Each were strewn with piles of junk; broken braces, chains, shackles, some which were still pinned to the wall… Char peered through the maze of bars, looking at the way his fire cast thin, parallel shadows upon the walls, shadows which combined and danced with those coming from Prince's fire.

"So, this is a real dungeon," Char said, trying not to breathe heavily the sewer-like scents of the chamber.

"In some ways it looks like the Pokémon Prison in Iron Town," Saura noted. "It's the same design. But they used thick solid walls instead of bars in the prison house. Fire-types can melt right through bars if they're strong enough. This place would be useless."

"I'd go so far as to say that… this dungeon was not built to contain Pokémon… but _humans_," Prince considered. "Look at the size of the cell doors. Many Pokémon can't even fit through them. And the containment devices. The shackles. Those are for human-sized limbs. If this prison house exists within Ambera… it's simply a joke."

_*Clank.*_

Scythe's forehead collided with the cell bars. His mouth was stretched wide into an involuntary smile.

He was laughing.

"I do… recognize this place," Scythe confirmed. "_Hnn _hnn…! And, hnn… I can tell you… it _does_ exist in Ambera, and yes… it _was_ primarily built to contain Pokémon. It… held me just fine. I was not recognizing it… it's been left in such disarray since I was last here."

"_You…_ were held hostage here?" Ray gaped. "In _this_ dungeon? B—how? How'd you get caught?"

"This dungeon… lies underneath a castle. The castle lies in a city far to the east of the Emerald Division were Pokémon live by human culture… or as much as they can manage. I have always found the city laughable and out-of-place in Ambera. They have built the city, houses, streets, and the castle, and this dungeon… strictly modeled after human architecture. It was a place I knew well, because of the dealings I had made with the city's lord, under the service of the Master."

"But… why were you locked up in a dungeon, Scythe?" Ray asked. "Did you break the law?"

"…Yes, but on purpose," Scythe explained. "It was to play a trick on Cepheus, The one who ruled the city. Cepheus was a clever creature, but his sense of self-worth often got in the way of his perceptions. So, I let him throw me in this prison to let him underestimate me, and overestimate himself."

"Well? Did you trick him?" Ray asked eagerly. "Did your plan work?"

Scythe sighed. "Please do not make me tell stories about what I did before I joined the Resistance. I prefer not to associate with myself, as I once was."

Ray shut his mouth tightly.

"But if you really must know… yes, I succeeded in recruiting Cepheus as a servant to the Master," Scythe added, disregarding his own words. "Little did I know that I would be gone from the Master's service in a mere few years, and leave him behind as a thorn in my side for the whole of my service with the Resistance…"

Ray blinked. He shot a worried glance at Char.

"But that is indeed a story for another day, and hopefully not one I will get to tell you. Now, help me search for the way out. Be sure to check inside of the cells. The stairs may be anywhere."

Ray shrugged. "Sorry I asked," he whispered back to Char, then disregarded the issue.

By the light of Prince's fire, the team systematically searched each cell and hallway of the dungeon. They met no opposition except for a single Raticate and two Zubat. They reached the staircase quickly, which happened to be in the cell which Scythe had once been chained within, and the floor passed uneventfully.

* * *

**Temporal Tower 8F**

The afternoon sun shined dimly through the clouds in an overcast sky. The air was saturated with the pressure of an approaching thunderstorm.

Floor eight took the appearance of a peaceful thicket of saplings and shrubs, none higher than Char's head. A simple dirt road paved the overgrowth, easily wide enough for Char's team to hold their formation and giving them more than enough time to react if something were to jump out from the tall grass. But Char was not willing to trust the serenity of the illusion; just like most of the floors before, he was willing to bet the dungeon secretly held some twisted danger in store for them.

Like many floors before, the environment was disturbingly serene, and would have passed for a comfortable countryside trail had it not been for the knowledge of the anarchistic forces of space and time which had generated it.

"Hmm," Prince said quietly, observing the area. "Judging by the appearance of this place, I'm expecting no stronger opposition than Rattata or the occasional Ekans. Perhaps some small grass-types. Though, those clouds bother me. We would do well to be rid of this place before the clouds open."

"I don't know, maybe a little rain would feel good," Lily teased.

Char felt a tap on his shoulder, and then a whisper in his ear. "_Don't worry,_" Ray told him. "If it rains, I have an Air-lock Orb. Remember those?"

"We're using a lot of items," Char whispered back. "We still have a long way to go. Are you sure it's a good idea? I can bear the rain a little bit, you know…"

Ray shrugged. "Better to use ours now and save all the stuff in Scythe's bag for the tough stuff," Ray commented. "Besides, the lighter the bag gets, the faster I can walk, you know?"

"I guess you're right," Char said with a nod, taking a deep breath and not worrying about the weather. "Thanks…"

_We really _haven't_ been using a lot of items in Alakazam's bag, have we?_ Char realized. _Just the apples, and those goggles, and… well, the Reviver Seeds of course. And…the Speed Brace. Alright, so we've used a little bit of those supplies. But none of the really powerful stuff… I guess it's safe to save all those orbs and bands for when we really need them, but… I can't believe the items we picked out with Ray are more useful to us than the ones Alakazam picked. Though at this rate, we're going to get to the top of the tower with a pretty full bag._

_RRRrr… rrumble…_

High above, the clouds emitted a purr as unseen lightning leaped between them. Prince seemed worried.

"It's not the rain I'm concerned about," he mentioned. "It's the fact that we're on a level plane in the middle of a thunderstorm… no trees, no shelter, nothing to channel the lightning away from us."

Ray chuckled. "When I was really young, my brother would take me to the prairies just like this to practice playing with lightning storms. Don't worry… if that storm drops a charge on us, I can draw it away."

"If you let yourself get struck by lightning, wouldn't that make the bag explode?" Lily said oddly.

"Not if I let go of it fast enough," Ray said. "Before lightning strikes, I can always feel a static charge. The electrical current is completed before the lightning ever strikes. Like… an invisible wire from the sky to the ground. Besides, this bag is fireproof and shock-proof. Otherwise I would probably have already destroyed our items just by me holding it for so long."

_Rrrrrumble…rumble…_

As Char listened to the oncoming storm building somewhere far behind them, the rumbling of the thunder sparked a very dismal feeling in his chest. dread clutched his heart and mixed with the thrill of the storm…

And Char found himself with what must have been the instinct of an Absol, for he knew, beyond any doubt, something horrible was about to befall them. It was not rational – he could not tell why – but he felt it, just as strong as his hatred for that invisible demon which still watched him from behind the curtains of space, that demon which had impersonated Saura and given him such vague advice.

"I think… we should use that orb right now," Char decided. "I don't like that storm. I don't know why exactly… it doesn't feel natural, almost. Ray, you should use that Air-lock orb!"

"Is that wise?" Scythe questioned. "Look at the sky… it neither rains nor shines, precisely the type of weather which an air-lock orb will induce. The storm has not yet reached us. Until it does, the orb might be useless. Do you possess any other kinds of weather orbs, those which produce hailstorms or sandstorms, perhaps?"

"Um… no?" Ray replied oddly. "I have one that makes rain, but something tells me it's going to rain anyway. Otherwise… I never thought those kinds of orbs would ever do us any good…"

"I believe Alakazam had similar opinions on the matter, and packed none for us," Scythe said. "Keep up the pace," he directed to everyone else. "If it comes to outrunning this storm, I'd appreciate a head-start."

Char looked over his shoulder, past the watchful Scyther and to the far horizon. Deep black storm clouds roiled there, spilling across the sky like the top of a violent waterfall.

"That looks more like a cloud of smoke than a storm, if you ask me," Char noted. "Maybe we should move a little faster."

"No," Scythe replied, reaching out with a blade and prodding him to stay in line. "Not yet. If we flee in panic, I worry we will run headlong into something much worse, just as we have done each time before. Walk slowly; watch for traps and foes. I will not stand to be a plaything of this place any longer."

Char took a nervous breath and crawled on all fours, trying to relax and keep his eyes and senses focused on the immediate surroundings, rather than on the budding black hole in the sky. But it was difficult; even the ground grew darker as the gloomy shadow spread further across the land.

The road trailed on and on across the vacant wilderness with no destination in sight. Char was used to it by now; aimless wandering was usually the proper solution to searching for the exit to the dungeon floor. It could be anywhere at all, so as long as a path existed and did not wind in circles, there was no reason not to follow it. But there were times, like the present, where he wished the stairs were right around the next corner so he could be freed from the present perils and leave them behind.

After a few dozen more minutes of walking, a warm yet violent wind nearly took Char's breath away, sending a discomforting tingle through the nerves of his tail. He stood and walked upright, pulling his tail close to his belly and shielding it from the breeze. Prince ducked his head, wincing as the warm front of air slammed into his back. Lily emitted a yelp as she nearly fell over.

Char glanced to the side, checking to see if Saura was alright… but the Bulbasaur's head was turned, keeping a steady watch into the weeds for danger. Though he was going to ask Saura to hold his hand, he instead followed suit and kept an eye into the overgrowth.

"Tropical storm," Prince said. "With such superheated air, we must be south and close to the ocean.."

Another burst of hot air pummeled the team, and this time Char topped like a leaf, barely catching himself on his front claws. Prince held his forehead to shield the fire on his crown, turning around to check on the Pokémon who followed him.

Char saw him hesitate, stopping in mid-stride. His gaze rose higher.

"Hmm… that's not good," he uttered, staring at something.

"What?" Lily demanded, rooting herself to the ground with her vines and trying not to get blown away. "Let me guess, there's a tornado after us."

"No…" Prince said, his eyes blank and filled with awe. "There is brimstone raining from the sky."

_*Zip!*_

_*Thunk.*_

A small chunk of red-hot coal shot through the air above Prince's head, hitting the soft dirt of the road and sinking deeply into it. Flames rose from the tiny crater it created.

Together, Char turned with the rest of his companions to see.

The mighty squall of clouds billowed toward them like a poisonous liquid shadow consuming the sky. Beneath it, at least one hundred gleaming red lights of all sizes streaked through the air with comet-tails. It instantly reminded Char of the Watchers who had filled the sky just a few floors before, and it almost brought him just as much terror to see.

"Oh, my…" Lily breathed.

The storm roared with its eerie thunder, red flashes of lightning illuminating the monstrosity from the inside. Char's instincts had been true; this was not a storm. This was a _spell_. Or some kind of vengeful spirit intent on destroying the world.

Char laughed nervously. "You were right, Lily," he said with a smirk, watching her leaf flail like a flag in the wind. "I guess a little shower wouldn't be so bad after all."

She returned a disgusted glare.

Looking at the sky, Char saw that the storm had certainly made fast progress, halving the distance to the party in just the half hour-or-so they'd been exploring the floor. But, just as suddenly as he was terrified to see such a beautifully dangerous phenomenon, he didn't feel so bad.

_What are those… fiery rocks?_ Char wondered. _I should be fine. The Frozen Flame will take care of the rock part, and my skin should take care of the fire part, right? So I have nothing to worry about. Everyone else, though…_

He thought to look at Saura.

Saura said nothing. Not even a gasp of amazement had escaped his throat. He stood perfectly still, his paws curled into the dirt path, his gaze unbroken from the sky. Char wondered if he was holding his breath.

"Uh… maybe we should run?" Ray suggested urgently.

"I second that," Lily yelled over the wind, her voice almost wailing in hopelessness.

"_NO."_

The angry, roared reply had come from Scythe. The Scyther turned to face the rest of the team, his eyes burning with fear, his gaze focusing on the dirt below.

"No, we will not run," he called over the wind. "Not this time."

"Scythe… what do you mean, we're not running?" Lily yelled back, bucking her paws anxiously against the dirt. "Do you even _see_ that? We have to _GO!_"

"_NO!"_ Scythe roared back. "STAY in formation. Just… give me a moment to think."

Char looked up to the Scyther, whose expression as frozen in thought. Above him, the sky was alive with long streaks of slanted light, several of which looked as though they were quickly descending upon the point which they stood.

_FWOOM!_ A large, mighty comet slammed into the grassland mere hundreds of feet away, causing the crushed shrubs to burst into flames.

"…Scythe?" Lily cried.

Still, Scythe kept his head bowed in silence. His eyes darted from side to side in deep thought.

…_Uh-oh…_ Char suddenly realized. _What if…_

_What if Saura is using the Call on Scythe right now? What if Saura's terror is distracting him?_

_If Scythe doesn't speak soon… I might have to attack Saura. I need to make him snap out of it!_

_Or maybe it's Lily who's causing the disturbance? I don't know…_

_I don't want to have to do anything drastic… not right now…_

So he waited, holding his breath and praying to Arceus that he wouldn't have to forcefully break the Call, as Scythe silently let the seconds draw out, one after another…

"Scythe… what are you thinking?" Prince calmly replied.

Scythe nodded to himself, finally finding something to say. "This 'storm' might not be raining brimstone," he replied. "If this is indeed an arcane show of divine wrath, we should consider ourselves lucky; two of you are immune to its effects, thanks to that silver orb and your alignment with fire. However, it might also be a Draco Meteor attack, in which case you both will be just as susceptible as the rest."

Another large, fiery rock landed very close by, spraying a sparkling wave of embers as it slammed into the grassy ground. Another brushfire sprang up.

"Ray, you said you had a rain-maker orb?" Scythe asked.

"Yeah?"

"Prepare it," he ordered. "But do not use it. Take it out of the bag. Prince… dig into my bag and find the Pierce Band. Also, find the satchel of Heal Seeds and Sitrus Berries. Keep them at your side."

"Very well, then…" Prince replied, matching Scythe's patient demeanor amidst the catastrophe.

Two more flaming meteors smashed down nearby as Prince delved into Scythe's backpack. The blaze rapidly spread through the wild overgrowth at the roadside, threatening to trap the group of Pokémon in a hallway of fire.

Lily shrieked. "_People_, we have to _do something!_", she pleaded, trembling before the growing wildfire. "We can't just keep standing here…! Can't we dig? Let's dig a hole right here! At _least_ that will keep Saura and I from combusting!"

"_Quiet!_" Scythe growled, eyeing the sky. "I _am_ doing something. Stop distracting me. The fireballs are dispersed enough that I can tell when one of them may hit us. This is not an emergency. And Prince, I told you to _find_ the Pierce Band, not to wear it. Take it off your arm."

With a confused scowl, Prince slid the gold-and-leathery brace from his arm, bunching it up in his hands.

_He's still struggling,_ Char knew. _Saura and Lily are both panicking and flooding him with thoughts. And if he doesn't think of something fast… we won't make it._

_**KRA-CHAW!**_A boulder-sized piece of the sky-stone struck the very edge of the road, clouding the air with ash and embers and sending them swirling in the strong wind.

"_YEEAAOOOWW!"_ Lily cried, a glowing fleck of matter landing upon her leaf and catching fire. She violently shook her head to put it out, but the wind and the motion only fanned the embers. She quickly reached up with a vine to suffocate the flame.

"There's no humidity here! The air is too dry," she gasped. "Scythe, if we stay here, I _will_ burst into flames…"

_And if _you_ keep whining, Scythe won't be able to think,_ Char mentally shot back, hoping to somehow utilize the Call to communicate his sentiment. _Scythe has this taken care of. We can activate the rain orb at any time. And the heal seeds will save us from burns._

_On the other hand, of course you wouldn't be worried,_ he argued back at himself. _I'd probably feel scared too if I were dangling over an ocean. _

He blinked.

Char was already well used to arguing with himself. But this time, it felt far too sudden and did not seem to fit with his own train of thought.

_Did I just think that?_ He wondered. _Really? Was that really me? Or… was that Lily? Or Saura? Did they just communicate with me? How long have they been doing that? _

Char bit his lip. It didn't seem right.

Right there, in the middle of the fiery field, Char closed his eyes and tried to examine his mind for a moment. Had he really been affected by the Call? If so, it scared him how deeply into the subconscious mind the Call planted its messages, its ideas… so deep, he feared he would be absolutely powerless to stop them, or worse, to even notice them affecting him.

Then again, it could have been his own thought, after all.

_If they're fighting Scythe with their minds, maybe I can fight back, using my own Call?_ Char wondered. _I should try. I wonder how it works. Maybe I just have to pick an idea and think about it really hard? No, no… that seems like the first thing every Pokémon before me would have tried. If the Call activated by thinking hard, I think it would have been found out by now._

_No… what was it that we were talking about at Zerferia's plains the other day?_

_The Call is all about empathy. I can use the humming to make other Pokémon feel the same way as me. I need feelings, not words._

_Lily and probably Saura want to get out of here as fast as possible. They are projecting feelings of terror and haste. Like a Rattata feels when a Pidgeotto is diving down to catch it. That's how they feel. I want to cancel that emotion. So…_

_Maybe I could project feelings of patience. Trust and security._

"_That_ one is going to hit us," Scythe announced suddenly. "Follow me quickly, but don't pass me."

Scythe turned around and lunged back down the path in the direction they came, against the fiery storm and the wind. Char followed him, digging his claws deeply into the dirt upon every step to fight against the headwind. Saura seemed to be fighting the wind very effectively, thanks to the weight upon his back, although he was clearly not enjoying the blasts of hot wind to his forehead.

Between steps, Char craned his neck and glanced at the sky. He saw the meteor which had threatened to drop upon their heads, hurling down at a sharp angle which made it difficult to estimate its landing trajectory. It seemed to remain stationary in the air no matter how many steps he took.

"Scythe, _wait up!_" Lily shouted. "Scythe, we can't go in the wrong direction! We've already been that way. Th—the stairs aren't over there!"

"Lily, you're panicking," Prince told her plainly. "Do not be a coward. Clear your mind and follow along."

_Thank you, _Char tried to say to Prince telepathically. _I was getting about ready to say that myself._

_FWOOM! _The boulder-sized meteor slammed into the ground far behind, causing a sharp tremor and spewing droplets of fire several dozen yards down the path.

"See?" Char said, pointing toward the area of impact. "If we had run in the other direction, it would have sprayed us."

Lily said nothing in reply; terror still burned in her eyes, but she kept her head down against the wind and focused on the path.

"Another one…" Scythe warned, gritting his teeth in frustration. "Quickly. Again. _Move._"

They dashed against the storm once more, the powerful wind now pelting them with thick ashen clouds and airborne debris. Scythe hurried ahead, weathering the storm with small bursts of speed between moments of rest. After a few yards, he stopped and indicated the group should go no further. Char looked in the sky to search for the meteor that was supposed to have hit them had they stayed at their previous position.

"Hey… hey, wait." Lily called, shaking grit from her face. "Wait. I recognize this. I think… I know the road we're on."

"You do?" Scythe replied, sounding disinterested as watched overhead for danger. "Pray tell, where are we?"

"This is northwestern Ambera. I've walked on this road before. When I first came to Ambera, I traveled this road to get to Great Crystal City. I didn't recognize it at first because we were going in the opposite direction…"

_THUM._ The rock crashed harmlessly behind the group, albeit bit farther down the road than Scythe had estimated. Char saw how most of the tall grass had almost all caught on fire thanks to the dry, dusty wind, leaving them standing on a perilous column of safe dirt amidst the burning plain.

"Wait, I have an idea," she proclaimed, suddenly looking frantic for escape. "If we run down this road, there's a place that's safe."

"We can't," Scythe returned. "We must stay here."

"Look, down the road, there's a giant sand pit," she said anyway. "Sand won't catch on fire like these grasslands do. And the cliff can protect us from being hit in the head. You have to trust me. I remember where it is…"

"We're fine here," Scythe grunted loudly. "Too much of a risk to run."

"Too much of a _risk?_" Lily spat out, incredulously. "Scythe, I can barely even _breathe_ here. And I'm about to burn up to death just by the temperature alone… please _listen_ to me!"

"I _am_ listening, Bayleef, and I find it a poor judgment," Scythe growled. "If we run, I cannot judge which meteors will strike us. If we stay still, I can make sure we remain unharmed until the storm passes. Besides, I don't understand how walking on superheated sand will help our cause…"

"The storm isn't _going_ to pass," Lily insisted. "Does it _look _like it's going to pass? Prince…? What do we do?"

"I trust Scythe's judgment with this one," Prince said. "Stay in formation. We will bear the storm."

"No! _No! No, no, no!_" Lily shrieked. "You guys aren't listening to me! I have to get out of here!"

_**CRUNCH**_**. **A meteor fell uncomfortably close to the side of the road. Char felt a pebble fly into the side of his head.

_Okay, now it's getting creepy,_ Char thought. _Why do we have to go, Lily? What's the rush? Where is there to go? What's so important that you have to run off and…_

…_oh._

"You guys can stay if you want… but I'm _out of here,_" Lily cried, her body trembling as she continually gazed into the fearsome sky. She took a hesitant step against the wind…

"Prince…" Scythe hissed. "Quickly. Hit her with a sleep seed. Make sure you're not wearing the piercing band. _Quickly!_"

"_WAIT!"_ Char shouted to her, his voice breaking through the fire and rain.

Without waiting for a response, Char lunged forward against the headwind. He hurled himself in Lily's direction, catching her hind leg just before she kicked up dirt and fled.

"Get _off_," she growled, kicking Char in the face. Char held on tightly, knowing that Lily was in no way harder to hold onto than a Steelix.

"Lily, listen to me," Char shouted over the wind. "You're making a mistake. You're being mind-controlled!"

Lily stopped her struggle immediately, turning to look Char in the eye with a hint of confusion upon her face.

"_What?_" She uttered. She looked like she was about to add something, but Char cut her off.

"You know the Call, right?" he spoke calmly, relieved that he had gotten her attention. He climbed to his feet. "Well, I think you're being affected by it, or something. But not by me, or anyone else. I think the dungeon is doing it."

Disgust and abhorrence appeared on the Bayleef's face, as if to say "_are you crazy?"_

"It must know that the only way to beat us is to keep us separated," Char continued. "That's why it's using mind control to pick us off one-by-one. I don't know if it's the same thing as the Call, or what. It's has to be something. But the same thing happened to me a few floors back. Remember when I ran off to get myself killed by the Watchers? You're doing the same thing to us right now. The dungeon is controlling our thoughts somehow. It's trying to lure you away into the trap."

"Excuse me for being afraid of _fire_," Lily shot back. "Excuse me for not wanting to _die_. You think not wanting to die is _mind control_?"

_Prince tried to talk me out of it when I was digging myself out of the rock pile to run away,_ Char remembered. _But I ignored him. The Watchers were just too interesting to me. I had to go and get answers from them. It was such a strong and irrational feeling. If I'm going to talk Lily out of it, I have to be a little more creative._

"But you're _not_ afraid of fire," Char said. "Prince is your best friend; you aren't afraid of him, are you? And you're not afraid of dungeons. You've been in worse situations than this, haven't you? The Watcher swarm was worse than this!"

Char saw that fury was building behind Lily's eyes, and he bit his tongue very hard. _No, I'm just floundering here!_ He told himself. _What am I going to say that will break the spell?_

"Lily, you're not going to die," Char assured her. "You might use a revive seed if it comes to that. But you're not going to die. This is a mystery dungeon. This isn't _reality_, Lily. This is just an illusion."

"Listen to him."

The voice came from Char's side. Char turned to find Saura standing beside him. He spoke to Lily in a voice of power and authority. It was a side of Saura that he'd never witnessed before.

"Listen to him. He's telling the truth," the Bulbasaur said. "Don't go, Lily. We need you here."

The core of the fire-storm passed overhead, raining chunks of white-hot hail in frightful numbers. The ground shook as meteors violently bore craters into it. The roar of the burning plain was deafening; the only sound greater was that of the occasional whistle of a meteor zipping through the air nearby…

Through it all, the two grass-type Pokémon before Char didn't move or speak. Their gazes were locked together, communicating wordless ideas, emotions, and pleads… Their bodies glowed in bright orange from the light of the fires, as though the fire had already caught them…

Char watched as the Bayleef's body sagged and fell to the ground, looking hopeless and defeated as she tried to ignore the deadly catastrophe which surrounded her. She bowed her head, then raised it again to send one last powerful glance directly into Saura's eyes.

"Alright," she replied, her voice full of resignation. "Alright… I hope you're right…"

…_Saura…_

…_Saura did it…_

_He did it. He stopped her. Lily was going to run off and get herself hurt, but…_

…_Saura convinced her to stay._

_Saura… does he know how to use the Call?_

_How did he do it?_

_How can __**I**__ do it?_

For just a moment, Char cleared his mind of Temporal Tower's hazards, of the mighty, roaring fire-storm surrounding him, and realized what had just happened.

The Call… was it really so simple to utilize? Did it just involve a few mental tricks to trigger?

Worlds of possibilities were beginning to open up to Char's imagination. What could he accomplish if he could utilize the power to speak directly to a Pokémon's heart?

Perhaps… when he would approach Dialga, would he be able to approach as a _master_, rather than a servant? Could he or Saura use their mental prowess to make the lord of time obey their wills?

"What was that human rule, Char?" Saura said, turning to his friend. "If a storm arrives quickly, it leaves quickly, right?"

"And if it arrives slowly, it leaves slowly, yes," Char replied. "Storms go out… exactly as fast as they come in."

_And this storm arrived very quickly…_ Char noted.

Another intense blast of wind struck Char directly in the face, forcing him to close his eyes. Even for his standards, it was quite hot, like the deserted plain at the top of the Great Plateau on the sunniest of days…

"Aiii!"

Char heard the yelp of Lily's voice, and forced himself to open his eyes against the wind. To his horror, he found that Lily was on fire.

Parts of her body had simply lit up, as though the wind had blown the flames from the infernos right onto her. When she realized it, she began to flail around in panic…

Saura, too, had been caught on fire, much to Char's dismay. His bulb had lit up like a candle, the flames licking from its undersides. Saura opened his mouth, but all that came out was a confused, helpless squeal…

Char didn't know what to do… He opened his mouth to cry out to them, put his claw forward to help them, but there was nothing... nothing that could be done…

_For every life, there must be a predator_, words echoed in Char's mind. _And so as the world fills with life and beauty and majesty, there must also be a cleansing force to destroy that life and tear down that beauty, so that the world might be held in the balance. That is why he created the Ember and all the Pokémon who carry it, so that we may spread it far and wide and turn the world into ash._

_SNAP!_

With a disgusting popping sound, almost as though bone had snapped, Both Lily and Saura had their fires put out. Char realized he had witnessed a small object, a projectile of some kind, flying directly _through_ them and coming out the other side of their bodies. Char thought he could still see the small hole in the Pokémon through which the object had passed, but it looked to be closing up quickly.

"_AUUUUGH_," Saura whined, shaking his head violently. "That… hurts… Please don't do that anymore…"

"Pierce-hurling… Ugh, _ugh…_" Lily replied, her body shuddering. "I think I would have preferred to stay on fire, personally."

Char turned to Prince, whose arm was adorned with the Pierce Band. He looked quite proud of his shot.

"Well, I was actually just trying to save Scythe from burning to death," he said. "He told me to throw the heal seed. You two were just collateral damage, I guess."

"Thank you," Scythe said to Prince. "And good throw. You always had good aim. Don't let your guard down; you may have to throw another one."

But it was not necessary; the storm soon blew over.

After the remaining fiery meteors crashed down onto the world's surface, the sky once more became clear and unthreatening. Only the scattered grass-fires which had spread throughout the dry grass upon the meadow seemed to pose any kind of threat…

"Ray," Scythe commanded. "Use the orb to make it rain."

Ray did, and the sky darkened with stormclouds. Ironically, Char felt quite comforted at seeing the sky filled with such a natural and recognizable phenomenon, even though he knew he would be unable to escape the awful pins and needles he would soon feel coming from the tip of his tail as the rain would hit it.

Char cringed to keep his composure as thick sheets of rain pounded the land. They hurt, but somehow it wasn't nearly as painful or unpleasant as losing an entire limb, so he easily found the strength to bear it. He did, however, hold his tail as close to his chest as he could pull it.

The roaring brushfires soon died out, emitting great billowing clouds into the sky to join with the thunderheads, and Char found himself standing upon a ravaged, soggy, steaming, miserable-looking land.

"Return to formations," Scythe commanded as if nothing had happened. "Prince… lead us that way."

"This way?" Prince echoed in surprise. "Off the path? Across the prairie?"

"Yes," Scythe answered. "I will be surprised if there remain any more wild Pokémon in the tall grass beyond charred carcasses. It should be safe to travel at this point in time."

Char held his flame close to his body to shield it from the rain

When the team had returned to their ranks, with Prince in the lead and Scythe keeping watch in the rear, Lily turned to Scythe and gave a sad nod.

"Alright, I guess it was a good idea to stay put," she admitted. "Actually, I don't really know what came over me. I wasn't thinking right, I swear…"

"Char's theory could very well be correct," Scythe replied. "The dungeon could have played a mind-trick on you, in which case, it was not your fault. Nor was it yours, Char, for running away and seeking solace with the Watchers. But I think, from this point onward, we should restrain one another a bit more forcedly if we suddenly get the urge to separate from the group and explore. Prince?"

"Right;" Prince said with an understanding nod. "Next time, you will not even need to ask me to throw the sleep seed. No one will escape from this group."

"That wasn't actually even that scary," Lily reaffirmed, rainwater trickling down her neck and dripping from her leaves. "I've seen worse things that you do _not_ want to know about. Now, if a storm like that happened _outside_ of a dungeon? Maybe that would be scary. I really don't know why I froze up like that. If I was being mind-controlled, I really don't think I noticed it happening."

"Mind-control isn't something you notice happening," Char said suddenly. "Because if something is controlling your mind, it's also controlling your ability to notice what's going on in your mind, right?"

"Yeah, I guess…" Lily said. "Yeah… you have a point. Alright, if I try to run away again, tie me down, because as flammable as I am, I am _not_ a coward."

_I believe you,_ Char wanted to tell her. _But… I still don't know what's going on._

_Is the tower using the Call on us?_

_Or are we using the Call on each other and not knowing it?_

_I just… don't get it…_

The team was very thankful to find the staircase next to a particularly large ash heap; Char especially, who was just starting to tear up in the eyes from the stinging raindrops upon his tail.

* * *

**Temporal Tower 9F**

_Clack-Clack. Clack-Clack._

Before he even had the chance to appreciate the new surroundings, Char noticed the peculiar sound made by Pokémon claws against the floor. Glancing down, he found the floor to be tiled with polished, copper-colored stones, so smooth a surface that he glimpsed himself staring back.

Looking around, he found the rest of the room even more hypnotizing; the walls were crafted in a gorgeous type of marble which was tinted to the color of a clear, afternoon sky. They stood tall, not obscuring the way forward with mazes or confusing illusions, but adorning a clear path to the next staircase as a temple isle would lead to the altar.

"Okay, now _this_ floor is pretty," Lily admitted.

Scythe snorted. "This is a tower which personally wishes to kill us. Do _not_ trust what you see," he warned again. "Now, concentrate…"

But then… it was gone.

In the blink of an eye, the pleasant, blue-and-brown architecture of the room was nowhere to be seen.

Char tried to understand what he was seeing. It was another outside environment. The ground was now a dull plane of dark-orange dirt, dotted as far as the eye could see with dead, scorched-black tree trunks missing most of their limbs. The sky was obscured, a hazy blanket of clouds making it impossible to tell whether it was dusk, dawn, or somewhere in between.

Char felt a tiny breeze against his skin, bringing with it the smell of charred wood. It was almost a comforting smell; but his mind was too confused to stop and appreciate it.

"Alright..." Lily shouted in a stupefied cry. "Somebody tell me, where _are_ we, again?"

"Temporal Tower," Prince replied, recovering from a momentary state of astonishment.

"I know, but..."

"No, you don't understand," Prince said. "That place we just saw… I think that _was_ Temporal Tower. The _real_ Temporal Tower."

_I knew it…_ Char thought to himself. _That was the same kind of architecture on the outside of the tower! For just a moment, it looked like the tower didn't know where to send us next…_

Bending down, the Infernape traced a hand across the ground, as though testing it to see if it were tangible. "So, what does this mean?" he wondered, rubbing his fingers together and feeling for dust. "The illusion of the Mystery Dungeon… it faded for a brief moment. We all witnessed it… could the curse be fading?"

"Whatever the case, let us not allow ourselves _again _to be distracted by the tower's tricks," Scythe insisted, his eyes darting around for signs of danger. "Space and time may do what they will; but do not forget our mission. Keep moving."

No sign of life, Pokémon or otherwise, showed itself as the team moved through the ashen forest; every last tree was completely hollowed with death, the empty logs of charred bark standing in place of what must have once been an impressive woodland. Each pillar of timber looked as unstable as an eggshell, ready to crumble to pieces at the influence of a moderately strong wind, yet they all somehow remained standing. The forest floor, too, was unnatural; no stray branches or fallen trees littered the way as Prince weaved the team through this destroyed, forsaken land.

_Time…_

As Char trailed behind Prince and kept an eye out for danger, he remained obsessed with the demon Bulbasaur he had seen and the message it had tried to deliver.

A thought had occurred to him, inspired by the flicker of Temporal Tower's illusion. It caused a cascade of other thoughts.

_I perceive time wrongly,_ he told himself.

_Like we perceive the tower wrongly, we also perceive time…_

_This must have some meaning._

_What's the proper way to perceive time, then? What am I missing?_

_Is there some message? _

_I get the feeling… the message was not in the demon Saura… _

_But in the tower itself. Or some spirit inside of it._

_The entire tower was speaking to me. It spoke to me through the dream._

_Just as it tried to speak to Lily, but we stopped it._

_Even now, it's watching me. Somehow._

_It's the tower._

_The tower itself._

_The illusion._

_Behind this illusion…_

_What's hidden behind the illusion?_

What _am I missing?_

"I have determined one thing for certain," Prince announced, pumping his fists in the air. "We are fleas upon the back of a colossal Umbreon! That is, if the tower grew a sense of humor lately. Otherwise, this is just a boring, predictable forest, probably laid to waste by a tempest of fiery meteors. Or maybe some angry fire-type whose mate had unexpectedly abandoned him."

"If a sideways temple and a Groudon statue that _didn't_ come to life isn't a sense of humor, I'd hate to see what is," Char commented.

"_Or_ killing yourself by choking on a Reviver Seed," Lily returned with a wry smile. "Except, I guess that wasn't really much of Temporal Tower's fault… but still pretty funny, you have to admit."

"_Quiet!_" Scythe hissed. "_Please._"

The banter stopped abruptly. After shaking his head in annoyance, the Scyther tapped a nearby tree with his blade. Pieces of ash crumbled away from the impact, floating off in the breeze. "Hnn... stay alert for vibrations in the ground, as well as other dangers," he commanded, giving the tree an uncertain glare. "Though there are no land or air enemies to be seen just yet, there may still be ground-burrowers…"

Char gave an understanding nod, dropping to all fours and paying keen attention to the sense of his claws dragged across the hardened, almost petrified forest floor. It felt as though the ash had solidified over the centuries, turning the soil into some kind of unnatural obsidian putty.

"I'd be surprised if burrowing Pokémon could even dig through this…" Char uttered, scraping his claws against the strange muck underfoot.

"Saura."

Lily's voice gasped the name.

Prince's voice followed.

"Saura? Where are you going? _Saura!_"

Char snapped to attention. His Bulbasaur companion had disappeared from his side with surprising haste. From the corner of his eye and between Prince's knees, he perceived a flash of green amongst the blackened trees up ahead.

Saura was running away.

Before Char had time to react, Scythe leaped over his head and landed at the front of the group. "Blast it to the gods, _No!"_ the Scyther growled fiercely. "Prince, you were supposed to pay attention for this! _Follow me. STAY TOGETHER! Do NOT lose sight of me._"

Almost faster than the eye could perceive, he opened his wings and zipped forward into the trees after the stray Bulbasaur.

"Saura, _what's WRONG!"_ Char finally belted out, joining in the race… "_SAURA!_"

Not allowing apprehension to take hold, Char unquestioningly chased after his teammates. He dashed through the forest like a skilled Arcanine, leaping around trees and keeping his traction on the awkward, rubbery ground.

The race did not last long; the adept Scyther caught up to the fugitive in a mere dozen seconds. But no force was necessary to stop the Bulbasaur; he had found what he had been looking for.

When Char caught up to his friend, he and Scythe were standing in a clearing.

The treeline stopped abruptly, leaving a barren radius of land in the middle of the disturbing forest. Had the forest been a real place, full of blossoming trees and silky grass, this would have been a charming little clearing, a miniature meadow where the sunlight would shine through the treetops so picturesquely. But here, there were no treetops, and the rays of sunlight were halted by the murky clouds. The plain looked like nothing more than an awkward scab of land where the headless tree trunks decided not to grow.

Standing at the far end of the featureless meadow, there stood a wild Pokémon. Something red.

Saura said nothing; his gaze was fixated on this creature, as though it sounded a siren's call to him… He took a wary step forward.

"Saura… if you need that thing slain, just ask," Scythe uttered to the Bulbasaur. "Do not face it alone, Saura. _Saura!_ That thing is a _fire_ Pokémon, it will _destroy_ you…"

But Saura seemed to hear none of it. He took another wide-eyed step toward the enemy creature. His face looked overwhelmed, disbelieving, but not panicking… as though an epiphany had just dawned on him, and he had to think it through.

"Char, go," Scythe commanded, nearly kicking the Charmander forward. "I promise, that Flareon will be in fourths if it so much as twitches in your direction. Go and get ahold of your friend. This confirms your theory… the Tower takes control of our minds."

"I… I don't think I can stop him, though…" Char warned, awkwardly stumbling forward…

Scythe ignored his reply, keeping a Starraptor's gaze upon the Pokémon…

_Flareon?_

He hurried forward to the Bulbasaur's side. Saura's gaze didn't falter, and Char wondered if the Bulbasaur even acknowledged his presence.

In silence, they stood together for a while.

Char waited for Saura to move, to make any indication that his spirit had not abandoned the body and flown away, as Saura continued his wordless and mysterious standoff with the wild Flareon. Char felt that Saura was not afraid of the thing, but he could sense other feelings in his best friend's eyes and in the patterns of his breathing. There was confusion and disdain, perhaps, but other feelings he could not quite tell.

When Saura finally opened his mouth, he spoke with such frankness and emotionlessness that Char felt hurt to hear his voice.

"There was a cluster of trees," Saura sighed, his voice limp and dry. "I always used to hide behind them when my sisters and I would play finders-seekers. I _recognized_ it… this place… is my home. The Tiny Meadow. And my family's den… is right over there. Right where the Flareon is."

"And the Flareon is the one who stole your freedom," Char remembered. "He summoned you to the Master."

"Yep," Saura said bluntly. "And to think… if I had let my memories get erased, this… wouldn't even mean anything to me right now. I wouldn't have recognized any of it. Char…"

"Yes?"

Saura finally turned his head to look his best friend in the eye. His expression was not sad or pained as it usually was… it was stronger. More calloused. More accepting.

It was as though his friend Saura had evolved, right then and there, but only on the inside. Something was different about him, something which perhaps would never be the same.

"It's fake," Saura spat. "This tower… is _mocking_ us."

Char blinked. "You really think… it _knows_ who we are?" he wondered.

Saura pawed the ground. "It _has _to, Char. This proves it. There's no way it could have randomly recreated my home and my forest down to the last tree."

"The tower is assimilating other Mystery Dungeons," Char noted. "Maybe, sometime in the far future, your forest could have been taken by the curse…"

Saura's voice cracked a little, and he dug his hoof-like paws harder into the mucky dirt-like substance which paved the forest floor. "If it were the _far future_, Char, the trees would have moved. Trees germinate and die and fall and grow back in other places. This dungeon recreated my home _as it is right now_… and I know for a fact that the meadow I grew up in is not cursed with a Mystery Dungeon."

Char blinked again. Saura had a point.

"This tower is using our _memories _and fears against us," Saura proclaimed. "It's not random chance. Not this time. It recreated something I knew personally because it thought it could make me cry or something. But I don't feel like crying right now. So I won't. Because… because I know this is fake now! The tower is scaring us like… a ghost Pokémon plays tricks on its victims. Like…

His breath caught in his throat.

"… like a _Watcher_ messes with the mind. Just like the visions and dreams in my head ever since… ever since it hurt my mind. Char… _that's_ what this tower is. This tower is infested by the _**spirits of the Watchers**_**!"**

Char found himself holding his breath, feeling his inner fire build up until he could barely contain it. His body started to viciously tremble as the idea sank in…

But once it did, there was really no denying it. It was the only thing that made total, complete sense.

The strange apparitions everywhere. The mind-controlling. The mysterious entity watching him from behind the curtain of the illusion.

He knew it was all true.

"We… we're their playthings," he gasped, clenching his claws.

"It makes sense," Scythe offered from just over his head, giving Char a start. "I found it odd how this tower had sent us into the particular environment where I had trained and grown as a child… but I ignored the idea. I figured the dungeon curse had grown so deep inside that particular plateau that it had become a likely source of inspiration for the special anomaly to draw from. But you are correct, Saura… this forest is far too suspicious."

"Wait, you _too?_" Saura cried, gaping at Scythe. "We visited your home, too?"

"In a manner of speaking; Scyther clans have no true home. But a few floors back, when we had gotten separated by the warp trap… the environment had been the place where I spent the greatest portion of my hatchling days, as well as the place where I participated in my clan's coming-of-age ceremonies. The memories it evoked were… distracting, to put it lightly. And the Scizor we fought was built too similarly to a Scizor I personally know. And then there was the dungeon we recently visited…"

"And the third floor, I am ashamed to admit… I recognized immediately," Prince mentioned. "The endless hallway of pillars was Kyurem's Plane, a dungeon whose location is kept secret. I was hesitant to say anything… I didn't want you, Scythe, to begin prying for information about it."

"And that first floor!" Ray chimed in. "That place you got your arm cut off, Char… that was the Wanderer's Meadow. That's where we found Otto! Guys… I don't think any of these places are _real_. I don't think they come from the past or the present. They're all _memories_. They're all corrupted versions of memories that the Watchers are putting in front of us…"

_GRRRRRAAAHHHHHHRRRR!_

Char released a feral roar that surprised even himself. He spewed flames into the air.

"No…!" Char cried as he stopped the flame, his voice wavering with his bitterness and hatred. "No! _No!_ So all this time… it was just… the Watchers? We've just been their playthings? Dancing for them? Going _insane _for them? For their amusement? You mean… The Watchers… The Watchers… _ARE THE DUNGEON?_"

The team fell silent.

_Everything we've seen…_

_Every Pokémon we fought… every challenge we've faced…_

_Every trap we set… every dungeon floor we've seen…_

_Just the Watchers?_

_Just the Watchers pulling things from our memories and tormenting us with them?_

The silence continued… nobody, it seemed, could accept it. It was simply too awful to contemplate… the idea that the Watchers had taken total control over their perception of reality…

Yet… the evidence was too clear.

Scythe stood perfectly still, his eyes flicking in many directions as his mind processed the idea.

Prince bowed his head, concealing his rage. His fists were curled tightly, and fire began to consume them.

Lily had her eyes shut, as though refusing to even so much as look at the false forest anymore. Char knew she abhorred the Watchers more than she could express in words.

Ray no longer smiled. He sat back upon the grimy forest floor, looking exhausted and defeated.

And Saura…

Saura still faced the Flareon, his eyes burning with contempt.

He took a step towards the Flareon.

He took another step.

Teeth clenched, face on the verge of a violent snarl, he took another step…

…until Saura and the Flareon were standing nose-to-nose, quite a distance away from the rest of the team. The Flareon didn't budge, it only seemed to breathe calmly and focus its attention on the Bulbasaur.

"You destroyed everything," Saura said. "You took everything away from me. You took away my family, my life… you took away my _mind_ too…"

"…And I just have one thing to say to you, Watcher. I…"

"…I'm not afraid of you anymore. I don't care what you do to me, I'm never going to stop fighting you ever again because I'm afraid. You… you can't control me like that anymore."

"Those are bold words," Scythe said, carefully approaching the place where the Bulbasaur and Flareon stood. "Fear is not a choice; fear is an instinctual reaction, just as hunger. You may not always proclaim that you do not fear something as a way of trying to convince yourself. However…"

Scythe turned his attention to the Flareon.

"_Courage_ is a choice. Watcher… I fear you because you have harmed me, and you have destroyed many things I have sworn to protect, and because I do not understand you. But despite my fear, I know that it is within my power to defeat you. You will find that taking hold of my mind a second time will not be easy."

The Flareon did not seem to react to Scythe's word, but Scythe did not back down again.

"You ruined Ambera, too," Lily spoke, coming to Saura's side. "Without you here, Ambera would be a nice place to live. It might even be a Pokémon utopia. You know what? When I learn how to use my Call power, I'm going to leave the Master to someone else. Me? I'm coming after _you_. I won't stop until I've killed each and every last one of you, and made Ambera what it should have been from the start. Mark my words, Watcher. I don't go back on my promises."

The Flareon did not so much as lift its eyes from Saura.

"You know we can destroy you in one hit, right?" Ray chimed in. "Besides, we got this far, didn't we? _Nine floors_. Soon to be _ten_. You did everything you could to stop us, but we got this far, and we're not stopping here. We're going to stop when we reach the top of the tower, and not a moment before. And between you and me, you're not doing a very good job of messing with our minds, since we figured it out this soon. Try harder next time. Not like it matters, though, because we'll still destroy you."

Char thought he saw the Flareon balk at the taunt.

"_We're not here for you!_" Char blasted, jumping to his friends' sides. "I don't know how you managed to get into Temporal Tower. I don't know how you stayed in here for so long escaping the wrath of the legendaries. And I don't know why you're trying to stop us from getting to the top. But we're here to see _Dialga_, and you're just standing in the way. _LEAVE US ALONE._"

It felt good to taunt the Watcher – or at least, what he thought was a Watcher – alongside his friends. Char wondered if Prince would have something to add…

…but he did not. Char guessed he might not; Prince was the only one among them without a personal vengeance against the Watchers, for he was the only one among them who had not gotten touched by them at one point.

Thus, five Pokémon faced off against a single, motionless Flareon.

"You have until the count of ten to disappear, eon," Scythe growled at it. "Or you will soon be nothing but food for the trees. Ten."

"Nine."

"Eight."

…Before Scythe reached seven, the Flareon was gone…

…And so was the rest of the disgusting, burned-down forest.

The six Pokémon stood upon a polished gemstone floor in a chamber of sparkling blue and bronze.


	63. Chapter 45: End of the Charade

**Chapter 45**

_I thought I had done well._

_Perfection was my goal,  
My methods absolute,  
My power without boundary,  
My plan unbreakable._

_Time stemmed from my soul  
precisely as I had intended it,  
Its fabric seamless,  
Its flow unending._

_To celebrate my power,  
To remind the mortal creatures  
of the one who had crafted the time stream…  
Of the one who managed and directed  
the great flow of causality  
through which all things came to be,  
I built a monument to myself._

_A mighty tower  
Visible from the realm of the mortals  
Yet unbound by time or space  
A mighty tower which pierced the sky  
breaking the membrane between the physical realm  
And the endless hall of origin…_

_And upon this tower, I perched,  
Watching the growth of creation  
Watching the cycle of generations  
The beautiful, elegant haven we had created,  
My brothers and I,  
For creatures who could not fathom  
The divine designs we had implemented…_

_I thought… I had done well._

_Little did I know  
my designs could be unraveled  
My cherished time stream  
could be infected, infested…  
Destroyed…  
And that even the designs of a god  
could be outsmarted._

_And here, as I watch you,  
So close, yet so far away…  
Powerless to aid you…  
Powerless to intervene…  
Powerless to use the talents  
which had been my birthright…_

_I know now what it is like_  
_to watch the work of a god_  
_come crashing down…_

* * *

The haunting beauty of Temporal Tower was unmasked, and the persevering group of Pokémon paused to behold it.

There was no doubt in anyone's heart that a god had crafted this tower; its fabric emanated a soul, contained a level of perfection and symmetry that no Pokémon of Ambera could have attained. Just one floor of the majestic monument appeared as a stories-high cathedral. Sculptures and structures made of glossy gemstones and precious metals surrounded the awestruck Pokémon as natural light streamed in from the lofty, arch-shaped windows.

To Char, it wasn't only a comforting feeling, but an enthralling one, knowing that he had left behind all of the dark, twisted dungeons which the Watchers had supposedly concocted for them. Now, he had entered the true jurisdiction of Dialga, the creator of time itself. Excitement and nervousness welled up within him, knowing that the glorious blue dragon stood waiting for them somewhere just above their heads.

The _clack-clacking_ of Pokémon claws once again sounded as the six treaded across the unblemished floor, their gazes turned ever upward at the spacious dome above.

"This is impressive, but don't let your guard down," Prince spoke out, his voice echoing through the stunning chamber. "This is still a Mystery Dungeon, do not forget…"

"…Doesn't look like one to me," Char replied absentmindedly. "Are you sure?"

"Temporal Tower has always been a Mystery Dungeon, and always will be, as far as I know," Prince answered. "That is, if the accounts of previous explorers are to be trusted. Here, I know how we can know for sure."

Prince reached into the bag upon Scythe's shoulder, Alakazam's bag, and felt around for the magical orbs.

"Indeed, the Escape Orbs still report that they are ready for use," he said, "and those rely on the spatial anomaly of the dungeon. There is your answer; we are still bound by a Mystery Dungeon, although it appears the distortion has become so weak that we can see the tower's true nature straight through it."

_Clang_. Scythe struck the ground with a blade, breaking everyone out of the dazed stupor.

"If that is the case, wild Pokémon may still lurk here," noted the vigilant Scyther. "Let us not stand still and wait for them to come. We are not tourists here; we are here for a purpose. Return to the formation and get to the staircase."

It was an easy feat; the staircase was in plain sight, and nothing stood in the way…

But just as Char was about to follow his friends up the staircase to Temporal Tower's tenth floor, he felt a sharp, sudden pull on his shoulder, accompanied by a hissing whisper that was spoken so quietly it could have been mistaken for a voice in his mind.

"Char. Hold on a sec."

He hesitated, silently regained his balance, and watched as Scythe passed him right by, abandoning his position as the rear guard of the formation and paying him no attention.

"Uh…" Char started, trying to swivel around to see what was going on. But the grip on his shoulder held him firmly, an unspoken order not to move.

"Quiet," the voice said again. "Just wait."

He watched as Prince, Saura, and Lily unknowingly left him behind on the ninth floor, disappearing up the staircase. He watched as Scythe followed them, not even taking a moment to give a passing glance.

"Okay," said the familiar voice. "I think we're good…"

As soon as the grip released him, Char spun around to see that Ray had been holding him captive.

"What's going on?" Char demanded, growing just a bit nervous. "We have to stay together on staircases. This is still a Mystery Dungeon, you know. If they get to the next floor soon, we might get completely separated from them!"

"That's why I have to make this quick," Ray said, glancing around for signs of danger or eavesdroppers. "Okay, here's the deal. Scythe wanted me to tell you something, but he doesn't want Prince or Lily to know I told you. It… has to do with what he's planning, apparently."

Char felt a sudden rush of adrenaline. He had completely forgotten about Scythe's "plan", whatever it was, during all the intense dungeon crawling they had endured. But upon remembering, his resolution had come back to him just as strongly: he trusted Scythe, and would help him carry out his plan, whatever it was. Anything less would risk projecting his insecurity into the Scyther's mind, which might just risk everyone else's lives.

Char nodded. He was ready. Even if it meant fighting his teammates, he would do it.

"Go on," he said.

"Scythe is going to give you an order soon," Ray told him. "I don't know what that order is going to be, he didn't tell me… but he says it's something that's going to surprise you and might even be hard to accept. But he says that you're only going to have a very small window of opportunity to do it, so you can't hesitate or question him. Got it?"

Char nodded, trying but failing to squelch the new inklings of worry he felt. "Got it… just do what he says, and don't ask questions. Um… how am I going to know? Is there going to be some kind of signal?"

"Uh… no, I don't think so," Ray replied oddly. "I think he's just going to tell it to you when the time is right. He says it has to be done before we meet Dialga."

_That's pretty soon,_ Char realized, _especially if the rest of the floors are going to be empty like this…_

Char clenched his fists. "Alright, I'll do it," he decided. "I'll prepare for the worst. I just hope it's not something _too_ drastic…"

"Well, it kinda, uh, sounded like it was drastic, to be honest," Ray said awkwardly, "But…"

The Raichu's tone changed.

"Hey," he said, holding a paw to his heart and offering a small bow. "I'm here to help, alright? Whatever side you take, I'm going to be fighting on that side, alright? I'd even knock out Scythe for you if I had to. You're not alone. That's a promise."

The Raichu offered his paw.

Char looked him in the eye.

"Thanks," Char replied earnestly, obliging the handshake. "It means a lot to me."

The two Pokémon shared a smile.

"Are you ready for this, Char?" Ray asked.

"For what?"

"For the top of the tower? Are you ready to meet Dialga? Ask him who you really are?"

"…No," Char admitted, scratching his head. "Actually, I think I'm terrified. With all of those dungeons we just got through, I completely forgot to start mentally preparing myself."

"Yeah, me too. But hey, we're probably running out of time," Ray noted, tearing away from the handshake and bounding up the stairs. "Let's go fast. Let's tell them you tripped on the stairs and I went back to help you."

Dropping to all fours, Char scurried after him. As he began ascending the curved flight of stairs, the thought crossed his mind that, among all five of his teammates, Ray was the only one he knew he could trust unconditionally. His relationships to each of the other four all hung in the balance of some type of turmoil. Ray's gesture of support, as small as it was, helped to console him far more than Ray would have guessed.

* * *

**Temporal Tower 10F**

The stairs leading to the next floor were very numerous, winding around the outer circumference of the tower. As Char bolted up the staircase with his friend, he resisted the urge to climb up the ridged walls and peer out of the tiny windows, to see if Zerferia still appeared somewhere down below.

At the end of the long, long staircase, Char found the team waiting for him at the beginning of the next floor. For a second time, Char was struck with the glorious beauty of the temple he trespassed upon. The architecture of the divine building demanded reverence and attention; it was very difficult to take his eyes from its splendor. However, to Char's surprise, the floor had a slightly different appearance than the previous one: the looping, spiraling designs on the dome-shaped ceiling portrayed a different design, one that looked like pedals of an electrified flower, and there were more pillars. Char wondered if every single floor had a different design.

"Oh, _there_ you are," Lily said with relief. "We were afraid you fell out of the tower or something."

"Char tripped on the stairs," Scythe lied. "I have little means of helping up a fallen Pokémon, so I sent Ray back to help him."

"I see," Prince said. "Char, don't try walking up stairs on two feet. Always climb stairs on all fours and you will not trip."

_I know that,_ Char thought annoyed, but understood that he was creating a ruse so he feigned humility and gave Prince an affirmative nod in reply.

"The stairs are still there," Ray noted suddenly, looking over his shoulder. "That doesn't usually happen in a Mystery Dungeon…"

"You're right; it does not," Prince considered. "That's… quite interesting. The spatial anomaly must be extremely weak here. I wonder if we could go back down the stairs to the previous floor if we needed."

"Formations. Now. Walk." Scythe ordered, prodding the team members with his blades and shooing everyone together. "Get moving."

"Scythe," Prince suddenly said. "Perhaps you should take the head of the line now."

Scythe squinted at the Infernape. "Why do you think that?"

"Well, Char obviously has trouble climbing staircases, and we have many more to climb. I would like it if a Pokémon with hands were there to keep an eye on him," Prince said in an almost threatening tone.

Char frowned. _Do you have any idea how many flights of stairs I had to climb every day in the Gold Division?_ he wanted to say. _I do not have trouble climbing staircases. Couldn't we have picked a better lie?_

"Let me walk behind him," Prince reasoned. "And since you're always so eager to move forward, we'll all follow you for a change. With the alternate realities gone, so the rear guard has less to watch out for."

Scythe seemed very displeased at the proposal, but Char knew he could not betray too much of his aggravation or Prince would begin to suspect something. Char wondered if Prince _already_ had begun to suspect something.

"Fine. Go," Scythe grunted, angrily swiping a blade through the air. "I'm nearing the end of my energy. I will not waste any more of it arguing with you..."

Char exchanged a worried glance with Ray as the two leaders switched places, and the team was on their way once more. The staircase was, again, in plain sight on the far side of the room, requiring nothing more than a linear march through the center of the grandiose chamber.

Char was loathe to walk past the wonders which filled Temporal Tower without properly stopping to appreciate them, but Scythe kept up a speedy, determined pace and he knew he couldn't hold the group back. As they passed by each pillar, he noticed a matrix of figures and unidentifiable runes engraved on their surfaces, and some protruded miniature golden statues of Pokémon he had never known existed. One in particular appeared as a Mew, but had two tentacles trailing from its form instead of a tail. Another appeared as a giant, dark snake-dragon which encircled a spherical object he assumed represented the world.

Scythe abruptly stopped walking, and Char, having paid most of his attention to the stone mosaic, hit his forehead on the Scyther's left leg.

"Vibrations…" he hissed. "Something might be coming."

"It felt as though it was coming from a floor above," Prince added. "Perhaps Dialga is impatiently pacing at the summit, waiting for us."

Scythe turned his gaze upward. "We can hope," he said. "There might also be wild Pokémon patrolling the floor above. We should be prepared for battle. I hope they are nothing more than the Salamence, Lunatone, and Metagross we had come prepared for in the first place."

Warily, Scythe stepped onto the first stair of the fight leading to the eleventh floor.

"Ray, do you have any cross-eye seeds in that bag of yours?" Prince inquired as he ushered the group on to the staircase.

"Um… I don't think so," Ray replied. "We have a few different kinds of seeds in ours, but not one of those. I think there are some in Scythe's bag, though."

"Could you fetch one for me, please? I would like to have one ready in case we battle. There are some particular circumstances where they are useful."

Ray shrugged. "Alright," he replied, stepping around Char and preparing to get Scythe's attention. Char exchanged a glance at him.

Before Char knew what was happening, he felt a strong hand grasp him by the tail and pull him backward. He gave a startled yelp…

… and suddenly, the rest of the group was gone. Simply gone. They had disappeared into thin air right before his eyes.

_Thump_. The hand dropped him headfirst onto Temporal Tower's cobbled floor.

From his upside-down perspective, he realized Prince was standing over him.

"Prince-!" cried Char, astonished. "What was that for?"

"I'm sorry," Prince replied, reaching down to help the Charmander to his feet. "I wanted a moment alone with you. When you tripped on that last staircase, it gave me an idea. I realized that none of us could hear you or see you until you rejoined us. It seems there are still powerful boundaries between floors. So I came up with the idea that if I could get the rest of the team beyond the boundary, while you and I stay on the previous floor, the others couldn't come back to get us and we could have some privacy."

"That's why you wanted to walk behind me," Char realized, growing a bit frustrated. "You realize you could separate the team like this? You're taking this risk?"

"Char, I've crawled hundreds of dungeons in my time," Prince returned, kneeling down to look the Charmander in the eye. "I have a firm grasp on the mechanics of dungeons. I understand how the boundaries between floors work. I wouldn't take a risk like this if I didn't understand what is involved. Trust me."

Despite the Infernape's humbled demeanor, Char scowled. "Alright, fine. Fine," he grumbled. "What do you want to say? What's so important that you can't let anyone else hear it?"

"Well, this is a bit difficult for me to say," Prince began, "but lately, I… fear for your safety. And it's not due to the hazards of this tower. It's…"

"Scythe?" Char guessed, feeling his throat clench again.

"Yes," he replied, his tone darkening. "I… I can see it in his eyes, and in the way he moves. He's preparing for something… something he's been keeping a secret since the day we set off from Fort Emerald. In reality, I fear for the safety of everyone in this tower, but my greatest responsibility is to you and Lily. Most of all to you."

Char bit his tongue. Hesitating, he opened his feelings to the Infernape.

"What… do you think he's going to do?"

"I have not a clue," Prince admitted. "Worst case, it could involve slaughtering you. Next worst case, the Master and his army might be positioned at the bottom of the tower when we disembark from this place, ready to snatch you up. I honestly cannot tell. The most painful part is that he refuses to even speak of his plan to anyone. He knows and trusts me, yet he refuses to let me in on the plan. This gives me the impression that it is something dangerous, foolish, or perhaps even evil. And I am worried to the core for you."

"You… really think he would do something like that?" Char replied, welling with nervousness. "Why? W-what makes you think that? What reason would Scythe have to betray us? Scythe isn't evil! Why would Scythe do something evil?"

"Do you know who Adron the Terrible is, Char?"

"Adron the Terrible?" Char echoed. "No…?"

"Adron the Terrible was a Scyther who once worked for the Master," Prince replied. "Was, in fact, one of the most notorious generals the Master had at his side. Slaughtered tens of thousands of innocent Amberans and never blinked an eye. Even today, the name is spoken with fear and reverence. Now… not a lot of people know this, especially not the members of the Gold Division, but Adron the Terrible died one day, and in his place, another Scyther was born. A Scyther who hated the Master and everything he stood for. Showed up at the gates of the Gold Division, desiring nothing more than to orchestrate the Master's fall. Or… so Scythe would have you think."

Char let it sink in for a minute.

"I know Scythe worked for the Master once," he replied. "He told us that…"

"He didn't just work for the Master, Char," Prince said gravely. "He was _one_ with the Master. His name was synonymous with the terror and destruction which flowed from the Master's ranks. He was the best of the worst, Char. And you may hear about many celebrities among the Master's ranks today, names that strike fear into your heart. Adiel, Enigma, Cepheus, Mirandalys… none of them held a candle-flame to Adron the Terrible during his reign. He tells nearly every Pokémon he works with that he once served the Master. He tells only his closest and most trusted friends that he and Adron the Terrible are one in the same."

Char swallowed hard.

"Now, I earnestly believe people can change," Prince continued. "Even knowing where he came from, I was his confidant and ally for over a decade, and I did not regret it for a minute. I trusted him as closely as a soul could trust another. Being at the Emerald Division, I dearly miss his help and his company. He did not have to convince me his heart had changed—he showed it in everything he did. According to him, he changed his heart years before he cut the strings and escaped from the servitude of the Master. Ever since, his passion and focus against the Master have been rivaled by few. Make no mistake, Scythe is a good and trustworthy Pokémon."

"Then… what reason… do we have to worry?" Char asked weakly.

"Because," Prince replied, "I have never seen him so destroyed, Char. Never in my life have I seen him so crushed and world-weary. We cannot… discount the possibility… that Scythe might be losing the fight. And if he falls… Adron the Terrible could rise again in his place. He might regress."

_No… _

_That can't happen._

"That's not going to happen!" Char almost yelled. "Scythe likes me! He knows I'm a human and he serves me like one! Everything he's doing, he's doing for me! He said so!"

"Believe what you like, Char, but you have known him for how long? About a month?" Prince replied. "I have known him for decades. I know the meaning behind how he acts and what he says in a way that you cannot fathom. Just like how I cannot fathom how you and Saura understand one another so well. I _know _him. And what I'm saying is, you need to trust me when I tell you that Scythe… might soon become a danger to you."

It was worse than Char feared.

Char did not have to question what Prince said. He knew it all to be true. It made too much sense. Even he, himself, had felt that inkling of distrust to his mentor for the entirety of the journey…

But no! _No!_ He could _not_ distrust Scythe! Not now! Not at the focal point of the journey! With the Call, he could _not_ stand to project such a powerful, almost perfect fear of the Scyther into his already-unstable mind. He knew he would _cause_ such a horrifying thing to happen if he did. It would be a self-fulfilling prophecy.

"I believe, Char, we have until we exit this tower to think of something," Prince said. "I have reason to believe that is when he will strike, or when he will put his plan into motion, whatever it is."

"Okay," Char said, breathing deeply and trying to keep his ember from boiling over. "What do we do?"

"I am formulating a plan," Prince said. "I think I know how I can get Scythe to at least tell us what he has in mind. After all, maybe I am blowing it out of proportion. There's no way to tell until we know what's going to happen. So, I figure that—"

The ground shook.

Instinctively, Prince snatched Char into his arms. He glanced around for a sign of danger. But what he saw was the very last thing he expected…

"Char…" Prince reported, "I… think I have some bad news."

"What is it?" Char demanded, unable to see much from his cramped position against the Infernape's chest.

"Temporal Tower… has… vanished again."

"Huh?"

"The… Mystery Dungeon has returned. Char… we're lost."

… … …

Char pressed against Prince's hold, and Prince did not deter him. Landing on all fours, he looked around and beheld yet another magnificently dangerous and deadly incarnation of the Mystery Dungeon curse, a curse he thought had been put behind him for good.

The two Pokémon stood amidst a burning city.

Towering skyscrapers surrounded them, all ablaze with a magnificent inferno. Flames licked the structures from top to bottom, some with brick walls mostly intact, others left teetering on nothing but steel support beams that flared like logs in a campfire. Underfoot, the ground was a disastrous heap of broken bricks, chunks of cement, and twisted metal, all lined with a heavy ashen blanket.

Char panicked.

"We're lost," Char said loudly, over the continual roar of the flames. "Prince! You got us separated from the group. We're on our own! Prince! How could you let this happen? We lost them! They're going to _die_ without our help! Or _we_ might die! I thought you said you understood the risk!"

"Calm yourself," Prince grunted. "Quiet. Let me think."

"You'd better think harder than you did when you decided to let us get separated _again_," Char growled.

"Char, _enough_," Prince growled back. "I'm not happy this has happened, either. But separated or not, if there is a relay point on floor thirteen as I suspected earlier, we will see them again soon. We are only two floors away."

"And what if there's no relay point?" Char cried. "What then, Prince? They have _all_ the items. We have no reviver seeds! No orbs! We have _nothing! _Prince, the dungeon did this to us! On purpose! It wanted to separate us just like Saura said, and it did. Now it can eat us alive! It tricked us by making us think these horrible worlds were all gone, and now it separated us! Prince…"

"Prince…?"

Prince did not seem to be listening to Char's worries. Instead, something had caught his attention. He seemed suddenly fascinated with one of the nearby buildings, perhaps involuntarily so.

"What do you see?" Char wondered.

Prince was silent for a moment. He did not move; he only fixated on a nearby brick building that was nestled snuggly between two of the burning towers. Within the inferno, it looked more like a smelting oven or a fireplace than a building of residence. It was the only building in sight that appeared to be fully intact, with no crumbling or missing walls.

"Hmm," Prince said, a bit absentmindedly, "Do you ever have the sensation that… you've suddenly recalled a forgotten memory, only… you're not sure whether it was a dream, or if it was real?"

"Quite a lot, actually," Char responded, climbing up a nearby junk heap to get a better view of the cityscape. "Why?"

Prince didn't reply this time. He started to take a step in the direction of the brick building, but stopped himself.

"I'm sorry, Char," Prince suddenly said, rubbing his eyes. "I'm letting the dungeon get into my mind. Let's try and find the staircase…"

… … …

The two wayward Pokémon began to navigate the burning city, carefully crawling across the rubble-strewn streets and collapsed alleyways. Char found this to be one of the more exciting floors to explore; he had no trouble breathing, although he couldn't quite understand why, as he could not imagine that a single speck of oxygen survived at the base of the inferno where they walked. The skyscrapers themselves seemed oddly stable; not one of them collapsed or even so much as dropped a piece of debris upon their heads. He hoped, however, that he would not suddenly feel that sickening _pop_ in his head and lose all feeling in his body, meaning that his skin could no longer withstand the heat and he was about to get burned.

"Interesting place," Prince said as he guided Char through what appeared to be the city's main street. "If I didn't know better, I'd say that the tower has forgotten how to torture us and instead wanted to send us to paradise for fire Pokémon. I would almost call this relaxing."

"Heh… almost," Char said with a nervous laugh, as he didn't completely agree. He didn't quite enjoy the sight of the sky above the rooftops, where the time of day was entirely irrelevant. Instead, all that could be seen was a thick, eternal cloud of pitch-black smoke, though in some places it reflected the orange glow of the city's firelight like a twisted, unnatural sunset.

"It's amazing we can actually breathe in here," he added.

"Not too amazing, considering that we are both fire Pokémon," Prince replied. "Fire Pokémon have a small sack attached to the back of the lungs which gathers and stores oxygen as you breathe, and compresses it so tightly that it becomes a tiny chunk of solid matter. Most of the time, it helps to feed your internal flame, but sometimes if you are trapped without air, such as in the midst of fire, it will give you oxygen to survive for quite a while, sometimes for months depending on what kind of Pokémon you are. It might seem as though you are inhaling as normal right now, but in reality your diaphragm is pumping the reserve supply of oxygen through your respiratory system."

"Does that mean fire Pokémon can breathe anywhere there is no air?" Char wondered, recalling very clearly times when he had felt short of breath.

"No, sadly," Prince answered, kicking a piece of rock out of his path. "For some reason, the body will only draw from its reserve supply under conditions of extreme heat. It is probably an evolutionary device to discourage fire Pokémon from trying to swim, or suffocating in deep caves, which will kill us for other reasons besides lack of air. That is, in contrast to most rock-type Pokémon who do not even breathe at all…"

"Hey, Prince," Char said offhandedly, climbing over a pile of bricks that was in his way. "Thanks for helping teach me how to be a fire Pokémon…"

"It is nothing," Prince returned, rubbing his head in shame. "Thank you for listening to the ramblings of a naïve old ape, and I'm sorry for getting you stuck in the dungeon again. And for triggering the avalanche that trapped us. And for falling into the warp trap. I'm sorry… it seems I just cannot stop making mistakes nowadays."

"Everyone makes mistakes", Char told him. "I'm just happy you came. If you would have let me go with Scythe, we would have been dead by now. I know you're just trying to watch out for us."

Prince grunted in reply, and said no more. He seemed distracted.

"Hey, Prince?" Char said again.

"What?"

"Do you really think Scythe isn't trustworthy?"

"I do not know for sure, Char," Prince said. "I only know that it is a possibility, and I err on the side of caution. Understand, if Scythe does something brash, there are not many Pokémon who can stand up to him. He is more of a deadly and destructive force than I ever was… I merely want to know what he is up to, so I can make my judgment then."

"But…" Char said, a bit hesitantly, "What if trying to find out what his plan is will ruin it?"

"That is precisely why I am worried," the Infernape returned, frustration growing in his voice. "Plans which rely on the element of surprise from close friends are usually plans of betrayal, or at least related to betrayal. I have every reason to believe his plan involves you in some way."

"It _does_ involve me."

Prince stopped in his tracks. He looked at Char with disbelief.

"You mean, you _know_ what he wants to do?" Prince demanded, holding back his shock.

"No, he didn't," Char said. "He never told me his plan. But he told me once that it involves me. He told me because I kinda demanded it at the time. But yeah. I don't know what he means by it."

Prince's mouth hung open for a moment.

He closed his eyes, looking pained. His hands closed into loose fists.

"Well, that is especially promising news, you know that?" he said with a defeated-sounding sigh.

He knelt down in front of Char, sharing his eye-level. He put a hand on Char's shoulder; a distinctively human gesture of fidelity.

"I will stop him," Prince said solemnly, resolutely. "If he intends to hurt you, Char, mark my words: I will stop him. By the blazes, Char, I have seen too much betrayal and senseless slaughter in my time; if I have one dying wish, it is to keep our last remaining hope against the Master safe from the misaimed actions one lunatic Scyther… I will _find_ him. I will _strangle_ his secret from his throat, and if he intends to harm you, I will fight until he is no longer a threat, or until I can no longer move. Let this be my last will and testament."

Char stared into his eyes, not really knowing what to say. The Infernape's flame burned brightly with his steadfast will, and the fire of the burning city reflected upon his eyes…

"Alright…" Char finally said in reply. "But, Prince… I still don't know about this. He might not mean any harm… Part of me still wants to trust him."

"It is possible he means no harm, but will cause it anyway," Prince replied. "Believe me, Scythe's judgment is not always flawless. On the contrary, he… has been known to make rash, illogical decisions that have no means to work. That's why he always has Daemon constantly at his side to beat some sense into him when he starts to disconnect from reality. That hellhound has a way of getting into his mind and making him see the truth of the matter, something I really could never do…"

_And Daemon isn't here,_ Char realized. _Scythe hasn't spoken with Daemon in a long time… if Scythe really is going to do something crazy, there's no one here to really help him!_

_What if… what if I shouldn't trust him after all?_

_What if Scythe really is the one who has to be stopped?_

_I just…_

_I don't know anymore._

_I just don't know…_

"But believe me, Char, when I say that I've seen far too much betrayal, too much senseless slaughter in my time, to stand for it," Prince growled with conviction, standing to his full height and motioning to Char to follow. "I've watched entire cities… burn…"

He glanced oddly at his surroundings, as if recognizing them from somewhere. He seemed to lose his train of thought after a few moments, and simply continued down the path. Char followed.

… … …

The two of them navigated the ruined city streets, crawling over and through the rubble wherever they could find a way forward. Thankfully, no wild Pokémon showed their faces. Char wondered if it was because any Pokémon would have been burned alive in the fire.

At one point, the piles of rubble seemed to end, leaving a clear path down the central city street, as well as a greater view of what lay beyond. The city looked intricate and advanced; Char recognized many structures along the sides of the road as shops, warehouses, and factories which closely resembled those in Iron Town. He wondered if it would be worth it to scour the half-destroyed buildings for loose items, but worried that the Watchers had set up traps or enemy Pokémon waiting for them.

"I wonder if this city was struck by the meteor shower from a few floors ago," Prince said.

"Actually, it reminds me of something else," Char returned. "It reminds me of… what you said about fire Pokémon earlier. You know, that their purpose in life is supposedly to burn down the world to make room for the future. This place looks like… a place where fire Pokémon have had their way."

Prince crouched down, brushing a finger lightly against the cement-paved road.

"But see, the thing is…" Prince said, almost trailing off. "This city… strikes a chord with me, in a way. There are many minor details – the shape of a doorway, the size of a house or a streetlamp – Nothing I can distinctly remember, you see, but I wonder…"

He stood up, brushing the dust from his hand and gazing intently down the road to the city's center.

"You've been here before?" Char finished his thought. "You think the Watchers pulled this city out of your memories?"

Prince did not respond. Silently, he stepped forward and gazed at a singular building which loomed above them.

They had arrived at the center of the forsaken city. At its heart, encircled in a grand avenue which branched off into many roads leading in each direction, there stood a plain rectangular building. Its walls were high and flat, built more for defense than decoration, and a simple flight of stairs led to the front entryway.

"Yes," Prince said simply. "Yes, I know this place."

Char followed Prince's gaze. Standing in the building's doorway, there stood a small, humanoid silhouette adorned by flames.

"Rayquaza's Clutch," Prince said. "Amidst the snow and perpetual winter of northern Ambera, it is a building I watched burn to the ground, along with its surrounding city… Though this city looks nothing like it did from my memories, this particular building is one I will never forget. This is… a place I once fought for… And failed to protect… Well, according to some. To others, I was a hero who saved half of the people who dwelled in this city…"

Char kept an eye fixated on the strange Pokémon in the doorway, wondering how it was not burning alive.

"Prince, you can't let the dungeon get to your head," Char reminded him. "Remember, the Watchers are doing this to us. That Pokémon up there is probably a Watcher too, just like that Flareon was last floor. You can't let your guard down."

Prince suddenly laughed. "The Watchers have failed to take into account the fact that I have put my past behind me," he said confidently. "Do I regret what I have lost? There is not a living Pokémon who does not. But it does not haunt me. Let's go, Char. These smoke and mirrors mean nothing to me. Let us look for the staircase within Rayquaza's Clutch."

"What about that thing?" Char said again, pointing nervously to the enemy Pokémon. "What is that?"

"That… is Sicarius, the Lucario responsible for dooming this place," Prince shrugged. "He also means nothing to me. Come, let us defeat him together."

Side-by-side, the Charmander and the Infernape climbed the stone stairs and approached the diminutive figure standing in the way. The figure did not appear to move or even take notice of their presence.

"He is out of his element, here," Prince spoke to Char. "I will engage him. Stay back and blast him with whatever projectile fire attacks you know how to create."

"Got it," Char said, preparing himself for battle and wondering whether or not the Lucario would pose any threat.

Prince stepped ahead, closing the distance between himself and the lone, still figure who filled the doorway of Rayquaza's Clutch…

Char tensed the muscles in his limbs and let a fireball swell in his throat as Prince stepped onto the third stair from the top… and then the second… and then the first…

The Lucario erupted in an aura of dark blue flame. Mysterious blades extended from its paws, and it assaulted Prince in a deft, unexpected motion. Prince blocked the attack and leapt away from another.

Char loosed a fireball at the assailant, not worrying about trying to miss Prince. The attack hit the Lucario in the Chest, but did not seem to faze him.

The Lucario was very swift and deadly, nearly matching Prince in prowess and being twice as hard to hit. Remaining silent, it lunged toward the Infernape as fast as a Scyther to impale him in the neck. Prince ducked and countered with a solid punch to the gut, but the enemy turned, swiping its strange glowing blades around its back and almost connecting with Prince's side.

_Fwoosh!_ Char let loose another fireball, a bigger one this time, and timed it more carefully. It hit the enemy in the face and fazed it for a split second.

Prince launched himself into the air, jumping out of range as the Lucario swiped its blades. The Infernape planted his feet onto the face of the fort's wall, then reflected his angle of attack at the place he guessed the Lucario would dodge.

The evil, dark-furred beast dodged right where he predicted, and would have dodged a second time if it hadn't been for a headbutt to the legs by the Charmander he had not viewed as a threat.

Prince's attack connected, and very powerfully. Sicarius was sent tumbling down the stairs and collapsed onto the cement below. Before he could twitch, Prince leapt down the entire flight of stairs, landing directly on top of him with a hand upon the Lucario's throat. He reared back a fiery fist…

"Heheh…"

To Char's surprise, the dark-furred Lucario, assumed to be nothing more than a Watcher, spoke…

"Heh… heheh… I… I do not remember…"

Char's heart was gripped with fear. It was the same voice that the corrupted visage of Saura had spoken with in his nightmare…

"I do not remember my past," the Lucario said to the angry Infernape. "…Do you remember yours?"

The Lucario burst out laughing for only a moment before Prince slammed his fist down, mutilating its face and ending its life. Char had to avert his gaze from the brutality of the attack.

In a few moments, Prince had returned to Char's side, and the two of them entered Rayquaza's Clutch.

"I've never heard a Watcher speak before," Prince admitted. "That was a bit unnerving."

"I have," Char told him. "They're just trying to confuse us. We have to get out of here before it starts to work."

"Yes," Prince said. "Come, I know these halls all too well… I know where the staircase would be if it were here…"

The Rayquaza's Clutch was like a broiler; the floor radiated such incredible heat that Char knew any Pokémon – that is, any Pokémon besides a Watcher pretending to be a Lucario – would have shriveled and died at a single contact. Even he was beginning to feel worried that his tolerance to heat was about to fail him as he and Prince rounded corners and rushed through the obscure doorways of the fortress.

Finally, the two emerged into the courtyard, and the stairs were neatly positioned in the middle. Char gazed in awe as he watched the upward waterfall of endless smoke flow over the lip of the roof and escape into the invisible sky. Then, he joined Prince on the staircase and didn't look back.

* * *

**Temporal Tower 11F**

The smell of heavy smoke, the blasting of heat and the continual roar of a wildfire did not disappear when Char stepped foot onto the eleventh floor.

The two fiery Pokémon stood in an outdoors environment once again, this time it was one not populated with looming buildings and rubble-strewn roads. In comparison, this place felt less constraining…

Before their eyes, there stood a humble Pokémon village. It was built using wood and dry straw, and contained many simple, one-room abodes. Most were compiled in ways that no human would think to design a house, typical of Pokémon architecture.

However, like the city on the previous floor, it was perpetually burning.

The combined flames from the rooftops created a much smaller flare than the city did, one that didn't nearly block out the sky. The night had fallen on this floor of the dungeon, and with the exception of the pillar of ash, the clear sky was dotted beautifully with stars. There did not seem to be any Watchers in sight, either.

"And to think the Watchers could have sent us to an ocean, or an icy abyss," Prince mused. "Someone should tell them that our kind enjoys a good wildfire every once in a while."

_Don't give them any ideas,_ Char thought quietly.

Prince stepped within the flimsy village walls and began to inspect the place. The structures were all made of materials that should have been shriveled to ash in mere seconds, yet the walls never collapsed and the fire never died. It was like an endless torch, a sacrificial flame to the gods above…

As suspected, the village was empty. The doors were shut tight, presumably trapping any inhabitants inside to be cooked to a char. The village square was devoid of life as well, with only one small water-well in the middle of the clearing to break up the monotony. Even that was on fire.

"Any place you recognize, Char?" Prince inquired. "I cannot say this is any village I've visited…"

Char tried to remember. He had seen a few places like this. Some of the buildings in Sitrus City looked similar, but this was far too small.

"No," Char responded, peering at the well and wondering if the staircase was somehow at the bottom of it. "Not unless this is a place in the past or the future. Hey, should we check down this well? It—"

"_Sssh._"

Char closed his mouth immediately and tensed, taking his attention from the burning well and glancing over at Prince. He waved to him, a signal to not move any closer.

It took Char a moment to realize Prince was at a standoff with another enemy. This one was a blue, hard-headed creature who stood on two legs. A Rampardos, he remembered. He had seen a few before, one as a member of the Gold Division, and another working with the Emerald Division. He did not recognize this particular one. Though they stood far apart on separate sides of the village square, their attentions were clearly upon one another.

"Prince!" Char hissed. "Prince, it can't hurt us. At least not much. Its body is made of rocks, and you still have the Frozen Flame."

"I know…" Prince responded dismissively, not taking his eyes from the creature.

"Prince? What's wrong?" Char asked, sensing the hesitance in the Infernape's motions.

"Who… _are_ you?" Prince wondered, speaking in the direction of the Rampardos but not calling out to it. "Char, I… Do you remember, on the last floor, when I began to have inklings that I recognized the city? I am… having the same feeling right now, only… it is stronger."

"Do you know that Pokémon?" Char asked.

"No…" Prince replied, taking a wary step in the creature's direction. "But if that's the case… why does it seem so… familiar?"

A minute passed, but neither Prince nor the dinosaur Pokémon made a move. Char started to get anxious. He did not understand what Prince was waiting for…

"Char," Prince said suddenly. "Wait here. I have something I need to do."

"Wait!" Char cried.

But it was too late; Prince had taken a single step in the dinosaur's direction, causing it to turn tail and flee between two of the fire-encased straw huts. Prince dropped to all fours and sprinted towards it.

Char followed as close behind as he could manage. He knew exactly what was going on; Prince was caught up in the Watchers' rapture, their lies; just as what had happened with everyone else on the team. And without anyone else to help, Char knew he was the only one who could break the spell before Prince did something foolish.

"Prince, _stop!_" Char called. "Prince! _Prince!_ Where are you going? You said you would protect _me_, remember? You promised!"

Thankfully, that did it. Just before Prince was about to turn a corner and disappear behind a house, he paused and turned around.

"Char… you don't understand," Prince told him. "Char, this… this _means_ something, and I have to… I have to know… what it is…"

"No, you don't," Char said firmly. "Prince, this place _isn't real_. WE are real. Whatever that Rampardos was, whoever it was, it doesn't matter. We need to get out of this place and meet with the others."

Prince looked distraught. Angrily, he forced a fist through the wall of fire and into the straw house which he stood beside. The straw collapsed easily and his arm went straight through.

"What if this is the only chance I have to know who that was?" Prince grunted in frustration.

"It's not," Char insisted. "I said the same thing when I went out to talk with the Watchers, and guess what? They didn't even tell me what my real name was. Snap out of it, Prince! Don't make another mistake…"

"Char, I… I'm sorry!" Prince yelled back. "I need to do this. This village means something to me, and I did not even know it. I… I'm sorry…"

_No! _Char cried to himself. _No, it's not working! I can't stop him. Just like I couldn't stop Lily on my own. Prince is much stronger than Lily; there's no way I can snap him out of it! I wish… I wish I was strong enough to give him a knock on the head!_

WHAM!

The straw wall collapsed under a mighty force, as the Rampardos charged straight through it, the forceful headbutt knocking the wind out of Prince and tossing him clear across the street.

Char ran to him as fast as he could, keeping an eye on the monster. It seemed to still be shaking ember-covered straw from its head, but he knew it would not be distracted for long.

"Prince! It _hit_ you!" Char cried, rushing to the Infernape's aid. "You have the Frozen Flame, how did it hit you?"

"Must be 'mold breaker'," Prince grunted in pain, shamefully climbing back to his feet.

"Huh?"

"I'll explain later, if there's time," Prince replied quickly. "Char, _duck_."

Without questioning, Char dropped to the beaten dirt ground and flattened his body against it. Wasting no time, Prince scooped his body into his arms and thrust him high into the air. Char's breath was taken away for a moment, and as he flew high above the village road, he witnessed the charging dinosaur returning to engage the Infernape in battle, delivering a brutal body slam. Prince parried the blow to the best of his ability, causing the enemy to stop in its tracks—right beneath Char, who quickly plummeted back down.

Char held his breath and snagged one of the creature's head-spikes, hanging on tight.

_Steelix,_ he thought to himself. _Except… made of rocks. Ahh, I will have to use something else!_

Charging white energy into his claws, Char pulled himself up just as the beast reared its head high into the air. He slammed his claw down into the beast's blunt cranium. Metal collided with rock, and the Rampardos roared in irritation.

_Pow._ Prince delivered a solid blow to the beast's chest. However, he soon retracted his fist, looking pained. Char had to wince in sympathy as he saw that the knuckles upon his fist had nearly shattered and were fresh with blood. Prince leaped out of the way as the beast swing its tail around.

Char tried to regain his hold on the beast, charging his energy for another deep scratch to its head. But the beast twisted its body and bucked suddenly, tossing Char back in to the air in a direction he could not comprehend…

_Thunk_. Char's vision jolted as he hit the side of a vertical stone wall, and panic filled him as he realized he was _still falling_, and that it was growing dark.

He was falling down the well.

Panicking, he reached out his glowing metallic claws and tried to dig a handhold in the wall, but his claws just slipped off the mossy surface…

Below him, there was water. He could see its reflection in his own firelight.

"_PRINNNCE!_" he yelled, his desperate voice echoing up the vertical tunnel…

He saw it coming… in a few seconds, he would be plunged deep into the well-water, tail-flame and all…

He bit down on his tongue so hard that it bled, and braced himself for unimaginable agony…

_… … …_

_Thump_.

Char landed on a solid floor.

His first thought was, _wow, being submerged doesn't feel as painful as I thought it would._

But when he opened his eyes, he saw that the deep, dark well was gone. So was the burning village and the Rampardos.

Instead, they were once replaced by the gloriously beautiful hallows of Temporal Tower. The Mystery Dungeon illusion had simply flickered out, just as it had done once before.

Breathing faster and harder than he thought he was capable of, Char turned to see Prince kneeling behind him, inspecting his own wounds. He licked his knuckles, which were still bleeding profusely.

"Well… that was something," Prince said dryly.

"Did you… remember who the Rampardos was?" Char asked, the only thing he could think of to say at the moment.

Prince coughed. "I do not even care about that anymore," he barked. "Let us get to the relay point before those accursed dungeons return!"

Prince didn't even wait for Char to reply. He snatched Char from the ground and carried him as fast as his legs would carry him to the stairs.

* * *

**Temporal Tower 13F**

Prince rushed Char up the stairs of the eleventh floor, through the empty and uneventful twelfth floor, and emerged triumphantly onto the thirteenth…

As if a blessing from the heavens, there stood a magnificent stone statue in the center of the room; a giant Kangaskhan stared warmly down upon the weary explorers. Though it paled in comparison to the divinely-designed décor Temporal Tower exhibited, this simple statue held a powerful and welcome meaning to the travelers: _safety_.

And there, under the watchful protection of the giant stone statue, a few Pokémon were sprawled out on the floor, the contents of bags spilled out upon cloths for sorting and consumption.

Ray was the first to notice them.

"They're _here!_" he exclaimed loudly. "They _made it!_"

A cheer filled the air, and did not die down anytime soon.

Prince put Char down just in time for the Raichu to tackle him, a joyed relief spread over his face. Saura soon joined him, pressing his forehead tenderly against the Charmander's cheek.

"Char, that was awful!" Ray exclaimed, refusing to let him go. "We got up here without you, and we had no idea if you were dead, or lost, or on your way, or if we should keep on going, or how long we should wait… it was just so awful, I don't even want to think about it anymore! Thank every legendary _ever_ that you're here!"

Char was out of breath and couldn't quite think of how to respond, so he settled with accepting the embrace of his friends and relaxing for once.

"What _took_ you so long?" Scythe's familiar voice barked angrily at Prince.

"Mystery Dungeon came back," Prince said as Lily wrapped him in vines. "Thankfully, the dungeons were relatively easy and we made it out. I believe I need some Sitrus berries, though, if you do not mind…"

"You kept him alive, yet again," Scythe said, looking Prince in the eye and giving a respectful nod. "You have done well."

"And you kept _her_ alive, and the rest;" Prince returned, indicating Lily. "You have my gratitude."

"It was not difficult," Scythe admitted. "We battled only once. There was a Metagross on the eleventh floor. We destroyed it. The rest of the floors were empty."

"Don't _do that_," Lily cried, squeezing Prince tighter. "You're the one who always told me, _always_ stick together on staircases in dungeons… _Please_ don't do that again."

"I promise, I will not," Prince assured her.

After the warm welcoming, the wayward fire-types sat beneath the shade of the Kangaskhan and feasted on some well-deserved berries to heal their wounds and fill their stomachs. When everyone had their fill, Scythe suggested that the party should sleep for the night before continuing forward.

"Even if the rest of the floors in this tower are empty, we should reach the summit at our best," Scythe proposed. "You should sleep. I will keep watch."

Not a single objection was raised. Even if the Watchers' curse had faded as the floors went by, the following day would involve trekking up at least one thousand stairs, and meeting the creator of time face-to-face. For Char, it would be the single most important day of his life as a Pokémon… at least, thus far.

So, under the vigilant eye of Scythe, and the blessed shelter of the relay point, the weary Pokémon settled down to rest within the safety of the relay point, their minds buzzing with possibilities of what might lay just a dozen floors above them…

… … …

"_Char._"

A hissed whisper. One that he knew too well.

A blade gently prodding his shoulder.

Char stirred. It took him a minute to remember he was trapped in perhaps the most hostile dungeon on earth, but he knew instantly that his sleep had not been nearly long enough. Rolling onto his back, he saw Scythe standing over him.

"_Char, get up," _the Scyther silently ordered, his voice no louder than a breath of air. "_I need you._ _Come here._"

It dawned on Char…

This was it.

This was the moment Ray had warned him about.

Slowly, silently, Char crawled on the pads of his claws to where Scythe had been keeping watch. There, sitting next to him, was the bag of valuable items which had been granted by Alakazam…

This was the moment. Scythe needed help to finally put his plan into motion.

Char's heart was racing. He knew his tail was flaring, and worried it would somehow raise attention from the sleeping Pokémon. What would Scythe ask of him? What did this plan of his actually entail?

Scythe indicated the bag.

"_Char… I need you to pull out the satchel of reviver seeds… and toss them down the stairs to the previous floor."_

_WHAT?_

"_DON'T—speak." _Scythe hissed. _"Prince _just _fell asleep, and I do not think he will remain unaware for long. You have mere seconds to do this. _Please, _Char."_

Char hesitated.

_Throw away—the reviver seeds?_

_Why…?_

_Does Scythe realize… what kind of danger that puts us in?_

_Is he… crazy?_

"_Char, please,"_ Scythe hissed again, this time with a humiliated, almost begging voice. _"If I never ask anything of you ever again… I need you to do this for me. Please, do not betray me…_"

"_Alright,"_ Char decided, crawling over to the bag and searching through it. "_Alright, I will do this for you."_

It did not take long to find the small, stuffed pouch of sacred seeds, seeds which had the divine power to cure the worst of ailments, even death itself…

Clenching it tight with shaking claws, he silently shuffled over to the long, long staircase which circled down and around to the twelfth floor…

He yanked the satchel open, and peered inside.

So many… beautiful, golden, indescribably valuable relics were laying there… each one, like a gleaming amber gemstone, full of benevolence and salvation…

And he needed to discard them all.

As he glared down at those precious seeds, Char hesitated one final time.

This was it.

This was the decision that might save him. Or it might destroy him.

It was in his hands.

Did he trust Scythe?

Did Scythe have a good reason to request this of him?

Or was he reduced to a raving lunatic who didn't know what was good for the team anymore?

_I can't…_

_I can't decide…_

He squeezed the bag, his sharpened claws almost boring holes into the thick fabric.

_No._

_No._

_Scythe…_

_I…_

_I trust you._

_But…_

_But sometimes, you need a little bit of help._

_And Daemon isn't here right now._

_So it has to be me._

_I have to help you!_

_Clink-clink-clink_… one seed rolled down the stairs.

_Clink-clink-clink_… and the next one.

_Clink-clink-clink_… their hard, metallic shells ringing like glass as they disappeared from sight, past the barrier between the relay point and the previous floor…

...They were lost forever, or at least until a future exploration team would be lucky enough to find them…

As he watched the seeds go, one-by-one, he managed to produce a strange seed which had lost its golden luster. He realized it was the seed he himself had inadvertently used, right after he had choked to death on a previous floor. The power had evaporated after it had revived him, and the seed had visibly changed…

He threw it out, too.

And he kept throwing them, one by one, until the bag was empty…

…all except for two remaining reviver seeds.

He removed them from the satchel, and tossed the empty satchel down the staircase. It flopped down a couple of stairs before remaining still.

Char held the remaining two reviver seeds, one in each claw…

As he returned to the sleeping team, Scythe eyed him questioningly. Char ignored him, and proceeded over to Saura.

"_Saura… wake up._"

Saura grumbled and stretched.

"Too… early…" he sighed. "A few more minutes, please?"

Char sighed.

"_The fire will never die…_"

Saura's eyes blinked open instantly.

"_Char? What is it?_"

"_Here,_" Char said, presenting him with one of the reviver seeds. "_Can you hide this? Maybe in your bulb?"_

"_W-why?"_

"_Trust me. Just do it…"_

"_You do it. Go ahead, there's room in there, I think…"_

Saura winced as Char stuffed the reviver seed down between the folds of his bulb, making sure it was fully hidden…

When he turned around to check on the sleeping Pokémon, he was just in time to witness Prince's eyes blink open. They stared right at him.

His breath caught. He clutched the reviver seed tightly.

"Char?" Prince said wearily. "Is that a reviver seed? What are you doing with that?"

"He's holding onto it," Scythe explained, stepping into the conversation. "Since he is the reason we are all here, I told him to get one of the seeds to hold for himself. Because, if you hold a reviver seed on your person, it will not activate for any of the other members of the group except for you."

"Ahh, yes," Prince said with a nod. "Good thinking… How long have we been asleep, do you think?"

"Perhaps two hours," Scythe replied, sending Char a glare that was nearly as deadly as his blades. "Go back to sleep. We still have time."

Char returned to the place he had been sleeping, and clutched the seed as tightly as if it had been a safety-blanket. But he knew he would not be able to sleep anymore. Not now, now that he might have doomed the group to failure, expulsion from the tower, or worse…

And he had a deep, dark, sinking feeling that he had made the wrong choice by trusting Scythe…

_… … …_

_Boom._

_Boom._

_Boom._

Tremors rocked Temporal Tower. The team jumped awake in unison.

"That sounds like…" Lily said groggily. "That could be…?"

"Dialga?" Char wondered. "Sounds like Dialga is pacing on the summit…"

"Alright, rise and shine, warriors of the Silver Resistance," Prince called, climbing to his feet. "We have an appointment with the god of time, and it sounds as though he is growing impatient. Shake off your sleepiness, we have rested for long enough! Let us be off!"

A vine wormed its way into Char's fist, which was still tightly clenching the reviver seed. He turned to see Saura standing next to him.

"Hey…" Saura said weakly. "Hold my hand?"

… … …

The team roused themselves, packed up, said their prayers to the legendaries, then set out to conquer the stairs of Temporal Spire.

There was no opposition; every floor was empty. But the stairs were so numerous and draining that it took nearly a half hour to climb between every floor.

Soon, they passed Temporal Spire's second floor…

Then the third…

Then the fourth…

And with every passing floor, the tremors increased in volume and intensity. _Something_ was above them, and it was something mighty, and powerful…

The fifth floor passed by…

And the sixth…

And the seventh…

_**GRRR-OOOOOO! **_A mighty, primal cry echoed down through the chambers… It sent a sickening chill of fear and excitement into each and every one of them…

When the Pokémon arrived onto the ninth floor, Scythe stopped them for a moment.

"_Prepare yourselves,_" he hissed. _"The legendary dragon may be on the next floor._"

"Here we go, Char…" Saura whispered. "This is _it_. Everything… rests on this…"

"I can't believe… we're actually here…" Lily stuttered. "I didn't think we'd really make it… it just doesn't seem like this is happening!"

"Remember, Char… and Saura, too," Ray whispered. "Whatever happens, we got this far, and that's all that matters. From here on out, we're just going to do our best, alright?"

"Alright…" Saura replied. "Thank you."

"The fire will _never die…_" Ray whispered.

"Until the last ember fades," Char and Saura responded, though with more fear than conviction in their hearts this time.

And thus, the team began the trek up the final staircase. Every single step felt dreadful, as though it were a step towards glory, or towards doom…

Before anyone could believe it, the stairs were no more.

* * *

**Temporal Spire 10F**

And there, standing in the middle of the perfect, dome-shaped room…

No, _filling _the room…

…stood a majestic blue dragon.

Its body was adorned with sparkling shards of steel, its eyes deep and eternal. Veins of diamond streaked across its glistening hide, and a magnificent gemstone sat planted in its divine chest. Upon its back, there were no wings – as it was powerful enough to fly without them – but instead, there rested a holy plate of metal at the base of its winding tail.

Char was reduced to a whimpering child at the visage of the time god. His claws fumbled and nearly dropped his reviver seed, but Saura's vine gripped hard and held it for him.

Char's only thought, oddly enough, was, _Wow, Dialga IS bigger than the statue!"_

The great blue dragon bowed its head to the puny mortals… and spoke.

_**I AM DIALGA, KEEPER OF THE TEMPORAL STREAM,**_ its voice boomed, shaking the room and the hearts of every Pokémon who stood within it. _**YOU HAVE TRAVELED FAR TO BE HERE. IF YOU WISH TO BESEECH MY INTERVENTION, PROVE YOURSELVES WORTHY. I CHALLENGE YOU TO BATTLE!**_

Upon hearing those words, Char nearly died right then and there from pure shock.

_Battle?_

_Against Dialga?_

_How… are we supposed to defeat the creator of time itself… in battle?_


	64. Chapter 46: Fateful Encounter

**Chapter 46**

The omnipotent lord of time stood tall and proud with a hint of malicious glee in its eyes. It swung its tail thunderously through the air, as a Luxray eagerly anticipating the taste of its prey.

_**IF YOU DESIRE TO CHALLENGE ME, MAKE THE FIRST MOVE**_, Dialga commanded, its mighty voice resounding through both the channels of telepathy and the ears at once. _**I WILL WAIT FOR YOU. IF YOU RECONSIDER YOUR CHALLENGE, YOU ARE FREE TO LEAVE. NOW, WHAT WILL IT BE, WEARY TRAVELERS?**_

At hearing the enraged voice of the temporal dragon, Char felt crushed. He had waited so long for this moment, hoping the lord of time would smile upon him and shed light on the mysteries he held. Instead, the mighty god stood above him condescendingly, snarling in disgust at his very presence.

_Why do you want us to fight you?_ Char tried calling to it telepathically, hoping it would hear. _Why, Dialga? What will this accomplish? We don't want to fight you! We have fought enough! Can't you take pity on us?_

"We can win."

The bold statement came from Scythe, whose gaze was so focused on the dragon it could have melted Dialga's steel.

"How do you figure?" Prince replied in a low tone, keeping his heart still amidst the presence of the god. "Scythe… realize, there have been many Pokémon throughout history who have fought and defeated the mortal legendaries. We might be the first Pokémon in recorded history to challenge one of the _gods_… Scythe…. Understand. It is _immortal_. It cannot die. It has existed since before time began, and you think it can fall in battle?"

"It is not immortal," Scythe breathed, certain of every word he spoke. "As a god, it is immortal and its power is without bound. But only in spirit. When it chose to become corporal, wear the shroud of flesh, it accepted limitations to its power. The dragon you see before you… it is mortal, just like any other Pokémon. It has strengths and weaknesses… and _it can fall_."

"Scythe… how can you be so sure?" Lily implored in a weak voice. "What do you know about the gods that we don't?"

"Some Pokémon… would call me intelligent," Scythe sighed, speaking solemnly. "But in reality, my only talent is to know when a battle can be won. And I tell you… this is a battle _we can win._ I… I have learned more, serving in the Master's ranks, than I care to speak of. It is the truth, that… we are not the first to challenge a god. And we will not be the first to defeat one."

"A-alright, Scythe…" Ray whimpered, trying to avert his eyes from the foe, "In that case… what do we do?"

"We will need to make a plan, quickly," Scythe said, slinging the bag of powerful items from his shoulder and dropping it to the ground, causing an orb to roll out and knock against Prince's foot. "Let us examine our assets and our strengths. Forget for a moment about Dialga's significance. Treat Dialga as you would any other enemy."

_I… can't,_ Char thought to himself, unable to speak. _Dialga… is the reason I'm here. Not just here in this tower, but here in Ambera. Dialga is the one I remember most vividly from my dreams…_

Char stared into the glowing red eyes of the deity, searching for some sign of love, kindness, tenderness – any emotion that could betray the dragon's true inner nature. But he saw none. The god's eyes were deep, powerful, and _cold_, as though they lacked any mortal feelings aside from wrath.

"_Char,_ pay attention," Scythe snapped, having already started the discussion huddle. "I need your help, too."

"I don't want to fight Dialga," Char insisted. "That's not why we came here! This wasn't part of the plan!"

"Well, Char, nobody promised us that Dialga would be agreeable," Prince said. "Turns out that Dialga wants a fight. We're lucky we've even got a chance to earn its favor. Now, Scythe… you were saying?"

"First, we need to determine Dialga's strengths and weaknesses," Scythe continued, looking over his shoulder to appraise the intimidating figure. "It is a dragon, that is for certain. We might expect it to have weaknesses typical of dragons. Notably, it would be weak to iced attacks, if only we could perform any. Does it appear to have a second elemental affinity?"

"It's Steel," Lily chimed in. "Steel. I heard that once, somewhere. Dialga is a dragon- and steel- type. Its body is covered in steel and diamond, two of the hardest solid substances known to anyone."

Scythe bowed his head, thinking. "Dragon… and Steel," he grunted. "There is a type combination I have never puzzled out before. What does that mean? What would the weaknesses be, then? Prince…?"

"Well, let's go down the list," Prince said, pointing at Char. "Fire. Fire might be a viable weakness. I can't think of any reason why it shouldn't be. What else?"

"Five things," Ray said. "Team Stripes beat the weakness web into us until we were numb. At least the basic weaknesses. I never memorized the combinations… But you can attack steel enemies with… fire, and water, and earth, and electricity… and martial arts. I think that's it."

"Electricity would not be very effective," Scythe puzzled out, looking at Ray for a moment. "The dragon is resilient to it, even if it is a weakness to the steelskin. And we have no means to perform a water attack, or a ground attack… that leaves us with…"

"Fighting?" Prince laughed oddly. "What are you saying, Scythe? You think our best strategy is to get me to run up and punch Dialga in the face?"

Char had a sudden, vivid memory of Prince trying to attack the Rampardos the previous day, and how his knuckles had shattered at the contact. Char imagined Prince trying the same tactic on the diamond-plated forehead of Dialga, only to leave his forearm in some kind of bloody stump.

The team stood still for a moment, each awkwardly trying not to anticipate the insanity of the battle they were about to attempt. He saw that both Saura and Lily were visibly terrified, even more so than himself. Ray's demeanor had changed; he now seemed too fascinated at the dragon's presence to fear it.

And Scythe… Scythe hung his head low, thinking and focusing. By his will, the team's supply of reviver seeds had been thrown away. He had hoped and gambled, betting everything on the assertion that there would be no battle of impossible odds. He had failed that bet. Now… he knew the fate of the team rested on his shoulders.

The Scyther closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, appearing to hold his breath for a prolonged moment. Char knew he was iterating through all of the odds in his head, trying to convince himself that there would be some strategy, any strategy, that would work.

His eyes snapped open. "Dragon and steel. Good. Fire and martial arts will penetrate the defenses. Good. Now, what kind of equipment do we have at our disposal that could help us?"

_**NOW! THE TIME IS NOW! **_Dialga suddenly cried, romping his front paws against the floor and causing quakes that nearly knocked Char over. _** I GROW IMPATIENT! MAKE YOUR MOVE!**_

"Be _silent, _dragon!" Scythe surprisingly shot back to the god of time, glaring at it over his shoulder. "How do you expect us to stand a chance against you if you do not give us time to prepare?"

_**I DO NOT EXPECT YOU TO STAND A CHANCE, MORTALS!**_ roared the great blue dragon. _**WHAT CHANCE DO YOU EXPECT TO HAVE AGAINST ME? YOU CANNOT OVERPOWER ME AND YOU CANNOT OUTSMART ME! WITH ONE LASH OF MY TAIL, I WILL KNOCK YOU ALL DOWN.**_ _**WITH BUT A BREATH FROM MY MAW, I WILL SEND YOU TO THE FAR CORNERS OF SPACE-TIME! GROOOOOOOOOARRRRR!**_

The dragon's mighty roar caused the chamber to shake.

_This can't be happening, _Char could not stop thinking, squeezing Saura's vine tightly for a fleeing sense of comfort. _This just isn't – isn't fair…_

But, to everyone's shock, Scythe did not back down. Instead, he turned to face the dragon.

"Your foes outnumber you, and you underestimate them?" the Scyther vehemently called to Dialga. "You are the creator of time. I would have expected a level of timeless wisdom from you. Instead, you make the commoner's mistake of underestimating your opponent? Or, are you perhaps _afraid_ to let us form a proper strategy against you?"

_**BOLD WORDS, INSECT! **_The dragon roared back down at him. _**DO YOU HAVE NO MANNERS BEFORE A DEITY? NO SENSE OF RESTRAINT? I ASSUME YOU ARE THIS GROUP'S LEADER; I WILL OBLITERATE YOU FIRST.**_

"No, he isn't the group's leader", Char decided to say, dropping Saura's vine and taking a shaky stand before the dragon. "_I_ am. My name is Char. I am a human trapped in the body of a Charmander! I'm – I'm the – the reason we're here. These are all my friends; they helped me come this far. We just—wanted – to ask you a few questions. We just… need… we need your help, Dialga. We don't want to fight you."

_**A MORPHED ONE, YOU SAY? **_Dialga hummed, lowering his voice a little in response to Char. _**INTRIGUING. BUT MY POWER IS NOT TO BE PASSED OUT AND USED AT WILL! I SHALL NOT STOOP TO THE LEVEL OF THE MORTALS. PROVE YOURSELF IN BATTLE, BRAVE CHARMANDER, AND PERHAPS I WILL BE WILLING TO HEAR YOUR INQUIRY. **_

"What do you mean?" Char stammered, in spite of his cowardice. "You aren't making sense. How can you say you can't stoop to the level of us mortals, but then offer to help us if we defeat you?"

_**AH, HAHAHAH, **_Dialga laughed evilly, almost demonically. _**YOU MUST MISUNDERSTAND. I AM NOT **_**WILLING**_** TO HELP YOU, PUNY ONE. IF YOU WISH TO UTILIZE MY POWER ONTO YOUR OWN ENDS… THEN YOU MUST **_**MAKE **_**ME. I DARE TO YOU, ALL OF YOU: MAKE ME BEG FOR MERCY AT THE TIPS OF YOUR FANGS, YOUR CLAWS, AND YOUR BLADES! FOR THE GIFTS I GIVE SHALL ONLY BE GIVEN IF I AM TO BARTER FOR THE CONVENIENCE OF MAKING YOU LEAVE!**_

Char clenched his fists. The words he was planning to say next did not escape his throat.

The temporal dragon lowered its head, its condescending eyes peering into Char's own. Char felt the dragon's pressure weighing down upon him, and a sickening jolt filled his stomach, but he did not back down.

"So, wait," Char said, his voice hardened. "You're telling me… that I came all this way, thinking I was some kind of… special combination of human and Pokémon, and that I had some kind of special past that had something to do with you… and that you'd listen to be because of it... and that it was all a lie? You mean all of this fighting we did to get here… All that my friends and I went through… it meant nothing? You're not even going to hear me out?"

_**HUMANS ARE TRANSFORMED INTO POKÉMON OFTEN, AND RARELY A POKÉMON WILL BECOME A HUMAN AS WELL. YOUR NATURE IS NOT AN UNUSUAL ONE. YOU HAVE NO GREATER RIGHT TO COMMAND MY POWER THAN A COMMON RODENT.**_

Dialga smirked evilly, lowering its gargantuan head until it was only a few feet from Char's own.

_**I HAVE WATCHED THE STARS IGNITE, CHARMANDER-HUMAN, **_Dialga said in a mock-whisper. _**THE FLAME UPON THE END OF YOUR TAIL MEANS NOTHING TO ME. IF I WERE YOU, I WOULD LEAVE THIS TOWER BEFORE YOU COMMIT TO A BATTLE YOU WILL REGRET…**_

Char felt different.

Dialga had betrayed him. The gods themselves did not care about him. They did not bother with him.

He was not special.

He had reached the top of the world, the summit of time itself. He had risen to the challenge and stood proud and strong in his Pokémon form, only to find…

… that everything he had hoped for… had been a lie.

Char's fire roiled. A deep disgust, a pure kind of _hatred_ sparked to life within his ember.

"Your taunts mean nothing to me either, _Dialga_," Char returned, his voice subdued but brimming with bitterness. "I have _nothing_ to live for. _Nothing_, Dialga. My human life is over. I don't even remember it. And I didn't even get to hatch from an egg here in this Pokémon world. I just appeared here. I didn't get to learn about this world firsthand. I didn't get to grow up with a Pokémon family and have a culture to call my own. I have no childhood memories to hold onto. I have no hopes or dreams. I'm _lost_ here in this world. I'm an outsider, and I have no home to go back to. You try to scare me with your legendary power and all, it doesn't work. What are you going to do? Kill me? I'm—I'm already dead. And that's why I'm not going to back down from your challenge. My friends and I placed all our hopes onto _you_. We have nowhere else to go, nothing else to do. We have no other options but to fight you…"

Char swallowed hard. He decided to place his trust in Scythe's conviction that the battle could be won.

"…mark my words, Dialga. We'll fight you. And we won't give up until you're lying on the floor and we're standing over you."

Dialga didn't respond. The dragon's eyes had widened slightly, as though it needed a moment to think. But Char did not give it that moment; he turned tail and returned to his group, his heart pounding so hard he could hear it.

"Char… you're _nuts_," Ray whispered. "You just talked down to _Dialga_."

Char knew what he had done. But he had snapped now. He no longer felt like a tiny, vulnerable little candle. He felt like a leader, and not just a leader over his puny Team Ember. He felt like a leader who would lead the fight against Dialga. For _revenge_.

"This is it," Char commanded to group. "We have to use _all_ our tricks. All our items. Everything we learned. And we have to work as a team."

"You heard him," Scythe said. "Our self-proclaimed leader has spoken. Heed his words. And Char… I don't know what latent human abilities you have left within you, but I know the key to this battle certainly does not lay within me. I think it lies in you. After all this time, it looks like is finally time for you to play the role of a Pokémon trainer."

"Maybe, but I think you can help," Char said. "Alright, so… engaging a colossal dragon in battle. What's your first thought, Scythe?"

"Generally speaking, large opponents have a distinct disadvantage over tiny opponents," Scythe noted. "Small targets tend to be difficult to hit. And if you're never hit, you can't be defeated. It does not assure a victory, but it at least assures a stalemate."

"Yes. As my father once put it, 'Stay unharmed, wait for your enemy to make the first mistake. That is how hand-to-hand battles are fought'," Prince said.

"I learned differently," Scythe replied. "You search your opponent for patterns, use their telling motions to anticipate their actions, and _cause_ them to make a mistake."

"Yes, and that is why I defeat you every time we battle," Prince shot. "You always tire out first, and you become easy to fool."

Scythe only hissed in reply.

"Alright, so not getting hit. We might be able to accomplish that," Char said, cutting the tension between them. "Ray and Prince, look in the bag. There must be some things in there that can help us."

With a curt nod, Prince descended down into Alakazam's bag and began to dig through it. "Probably can't use orbs," he said. "Dialga's pressure is too severe. It's interfering with the orbs. We would have to run down a floor if we wanted to use an escape orb."

"Can we use seeds?"

Saura had asked the simple question. He was surprised that everyone seemed to pause at the notion.

"What?" he stammered. "I was just asking, do you think seeds could work on Dialga? That's what our team would do whenever we met an enemy that was too strong for us. We'd throw a seed at it to make it fall asleep, or to stun it or something. That's… usually how we dealt with enemies we couldn't beat by ourselves."

"Saura… you're a _genius_!" Ray blurted in a whispered laugh. "Dialga has eyes! And if he has eyes, just smack a cross-eye seed right between them, and he won't be able to see. And if he can't see, he can't attack us! At least not accurately."

"We also have seeds to turn ourselves invisible," Scythe noted. "I believe there are only two, but they would also assist us in protecting us from harm."

"I don't know how long it will take for the battle to be over," Prince said. "We could be up here for weeks. Let's not squander our supply of seeds."

"We have plenty, trust me," Ray said. "We brought a few of our own. And then there are all the seeds in Alakazam's bag."

"Good," Char said. "At least we didn't have to use them all before we even got here. Good job. Now, what kind of items do we have to wear?"

"The X-ray goggles would be useless up here," Prince said, sorting them out onto the floor. "The speed brace, on the other hand, may help. So will the detect bands. Those will help us evade taking some hits. This looks like, hmm, a defense scarf? And a mobile scarf… Yes, I can see many of these coming in handy."

"Hey, do you think maybe Dialga's actually listening to us?" Lily uttered under her breath. "Dialga's been eyeing us down all this time…"

"I believe not," Prince replied, pretending to be fully focused on the items he was sorting. "I believe it could hear us if it wanted to, but its eyes have been glancing to the side every now and again. Dialga might be distracted."

"Distracted by what?" Lily asked, looking around the grand chamber. "There's nothing else in this room."

"Not by anything here, Lily," Prince said. "I believe Dialga is lost in thought. The temporal dragon appears contemplative. Maybe even confused."

"Not only confused, but… afraid," Scythe said thoughtfully. "Dialga fears us. It has been acting as such ever since you spoke just now, Char. Either it genuinely believes there is a chance it could lose the battle, or… something you said shook Dialga to the core. Or perhaps both."

Char looked into the dragon's eyes again. Though they were just as piercing and intimidating as ever, he searched them deeper this time, trying to tell if Scythe was right. It took him a minute to realize that the temporal dragon was no longer looking at him. It was gazing _past _him, possibly straight through him. It was true… something was unmistakably on its mind.

_Dialga… what are you thinking?_

"What else do we know about Dialga?" Char wondered, focusing back on the meeting. "How does he battle?"

"Dialga is said to possess a supernatural battle technique known to no other Pokémon, only known as 'Roar of Time'," Prince offered. "Unfortunately, no one knows exactly what the Roar of Time is. Every Pokémon who has ever experienced it has been unable to describe it using words. And none of them seem to remain alive today, so we cannot read their memories."

"Well, there's one thing we might know for sure about it, at least from what Legend says," Lily recounted. "They say that when Dialga performs the Roar of Time, it takes _all_ of its energy. Like, enough to knock it senseless for a minute or so. All the stories say that Dialga only uses its greatest power when it has no other options, because… if the attack isn't fatal, it leaves Dialga vulnerable."

Char thought about it for a moment.

"Alright, one more question," Char said, clenching his claws and grasping at the ghost of an idea in his mind. "If you want to cripple a quadruped, what do take out first: a front leg or a back leg?"

"You can incapacitate a quadruped by destroying any two adjacent legs," Scythe offered. "That would be optimal. But if you only had the opportunity to destroy one… that is a good question."

"Front leg, that would be my guess," Lily replied, demonstrating by lifting her left front paw from the floor. "Front legs are weaker, you need both of them for support. If you lose one, standing and walking gets really hard. And since most of the time you're not walking backwards, you're going forwards, it would be easier to get thrown off balance if you tried to run too fast. But… I haven't lost a leg before, so I don't really know. Char, you would know better than me, losing an arm and all."

"Yeah, but I can walk on two legs anyway," Char said. "I couldn't answer for a Pokémon who can't stand up on two legs. But I'll trust you. Front leg it is, then. Now… I think I might have an idea. Here's what I think we should do."

Wasting no time, Char explained the plan to his friends, making sure not to speak loud enough for the dragon to hear. When he was done, he waited for their replies.

"I, for one, have no objections," Prince said. "It seems like the best we can do, given the elements we have at our disposal. My only worry is that we might end up slaying the god of time if things go too well in our favor."

"You would only be slaying the god's corporal form," Scythe reassured him. "Dialga's spirit is eternal. If we were to kill its body, the spirit would be released. Perhaps that is precisely what we should aim to do."

"So… fight hard, have no mercy, and aim for the kill if we absolutely have to," Char said. "And maybe, if we're lucky, we can ask a favor of him when we're done. Like, destroying the Master."

A moment of silence ensued as Char reflected upon how crazy it all was. He tried not to remember that he had no reviver seeds left, either – except for the one he held in his paws, and the one Saura secretly had hidden in his bulb. There was nothing to stop a casualty if Dialga deemed one of them no longer had the right to live.

"Heh… you know, when you put it that way, it really does sound like a longshot, doesn't it?" Char nervously admitted. "I hope that coming up here wasn't just a big mistake."

The team solemnly nodded their agreement. The six Pokémon exchanged some sad glances, acknowledging that this meeting might be their very last as the team that had scaled the horrors of Temporal Tower and met the great and fabled Dialga face-to-face.

"Well, I guess we have nothing better to do," Char sighed. "I guess now's the time… Saura, Lily, let's go have a talk with Dialga."

* * *

Char's heart pounded hard as he accompanied the two grass-type Pokémon to the opposite end of the room where Dialga sat in wait for the battle. Though Temporal Tower's chamber was about as spacious as the Gold Division's meeting hall, the temporal dragon's majesty and stature was a sight which Char was finding difficult to swallow. Just gazing at the beast gave him a sense of vertigo, and the steely mass of its body seemed to grow larger the closer he approached.

And through it all, Char couldn't help but feel that the Dragon's appearance was… deeply beautiful, in a misleading, deceitful way. Its towering presence, glittering scales, steel so polished he could see his own reflection… it all combined to demand trust, to radiate a surreal sense of serenity. It was as though Dialga was a motherly figure, or perhaps a fatherly one, a god which he could find peace and comfort with…

"Come," Dialga told him, deep in his heart. "Lay at my side. I will protect you. You no longer have anything to fear, little one."

But fate would not have it. The Dialga which Char approached was a proud, ruthless, and hostile god. It perceived only issues as large as itself, and didn't care about the hopes or the well-being of the tiny earth-crawlers far down below, beyond the doors of the tower…

…Or so it seemed. It had come down to this final encounter. Char was giving the lord of time one last chance to be agreeable, to listen to the pleadings of a tiny little Charmander and the friends that stood by him. He figured it probably wouldn't work, and the confrontation would result in violence, but he was prepared to take that risk.

Because he wasn't scared of Dialga. Not anymore. Now, he was enraged.

Remembering for once that his tail flame would betray his true state of mind, Char tried to calm himself, at least superficially. He needed Dialga to think he was a humble Charmander for the moment. He needed to look vulnerable.

_The Charmander is not in control right now,_ Char repeated in his mind, remembering the discipline technique that Prince had taught him. _The human is in control. I am the human. The trainer. And I order the Pokémon to stand down…_

_You will get your chance…_

Dialga's eyes did not follow the three little Pokémon as they drew nearer. Its eyes were now subtly darting from side to side, as though watching something invisible fly past at high speeds.

_Probably watching the stars_, Char figured. _No concern for us, I guess. Alright..._

…_here goes nothing. And everything._

Char exchanged a glance with a quivering Saura on his left, and a steadfast Lily on his right. Finally, clutching tightly the reviver seed in his claws, his glance fell upon the dragon god…

"_Hey!" _Char shouted up to the massive beast.

Dialga's daze was broken. Its belly emitted a deep groan of frustration as its head swiveled to attention.

_**HAVE YOU MADE YOUR DECISION, TINY ONES?**_ It blasted in its voice that was both audible and telepathic at once.

"Yes, great one," Lily replied, humbly and reverently. "We have decided not to battle you."

There was a visible change in Dialga's demeanor. It looked almost like… relief.

_**A WISE AND UNDERSTANDABLE CHOICE,**_ Dialga roared. _**I COMMEND YOU. NOW, LEAVE MY PRESENCE, AND YOU WILL HAVE MY FORGIVENESS.**_

"…No," Saura shouted. "We're not leaving."

Dialga was visibly surprised. The dragon's head jerked forward.

"You misunderstand us, great one," Char told it in a powerful, authoritative tone. "We're not going to battle you. But we're not leaving. Since you won't listen to us, we're going to _mind-control_ you."

A snort of laughter thundered from Dialga's throat.

_**WHAT GIVES YOU THE NOTION YOU CAN DO THAT? WHAT DRIVES YOU TO BELIEVE YOU CAN CONJURE ENOUGH INFLUENCE OVER MY MIND TO MAKE ME BEND TO YOUR WILL? YOU ARE NOT EVEN PSYCHIC POKÉMON.**_

"Because we are the _Call-bearers_ of Ambera," Char proudly spoke up to the dragon, "Out of all the Pokémon in the continent of Ambera, we have been gifted with the power to move mountains with our minds. With one blast from my mind, I can control the actions of thousands of Pokémon. If the three of us combine our power, we can make even _you_ grovel at our feet."

Char held his breath, not because he feared Dialga's response, but because he hoped Scythe and Prince would not suspect the truth about Saura. When he had described the idea for his plan, he mentioned that he would "pretend" Saura had the Call to trick Dialga. He prayed to whatever benevolent gods remained that Scythe in particular would not immediately jump to the conclusion that his ruse was reality.

Dialga tilted its head. _**CALL-BEARERS, YOU CALL YOURSELVES? I HAVE BEEN ALIVE SINCE THE DAWN OF TIME, YET I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF SUCH A THING.**_

"Then you must not know very much about the world you helped to create," Char taunted. "I called to _you_, Dialga. My presence in Ambera is what summoned your tower to appear!"

Dialga snorted again, and he seemed to wince in discomfort. _**YOU ARE EITHER BLUFFING, OR YOU ARE DELUDED. I OBEY NO ONE BUT THE ALMIGHTY ORIGINAL ONE. HOW CAN YOU CLAIM TO HOLD POWER OVER ME OR MY TOWER OF RESIDENCE? HAVE YOU EVER STOPPED TO CONSIDER THAT PERHAPS REALITY DOES NOT HINGE UPON YOU, LITTLE CONCEITED CHARMANDER? HAS IT OCCURRED TO YOU THAT, PERHAPS, THERE ARE HIGHER COSMIC FORCES AT WORK?**_

_Why is he denying everything I say?_ Char wondered, absolutely puzzled at the responses the god of time gave him. _Is Dialga really this ignorant? I expected better of him._

"I would ask the same of you," Char shot back. "I _am_ a higher cosmic force than you. I am a _human!_ Isn't it true that the gods themselves gained their wisdom from the humans? Of course, I have always found that hard to believe myself, but every Pokémon in Ambera seems to believe it, so who am I to deny it? I am a human. A Pokémon trainer. And you are a Pokémon. If I had a Poké Ball, I could capture you and make you subservient to me. That makes you inferior to me. No matter how powerful you are. A human _baby_ is superior to you, Dialga!"

Lily and Saura both cringed. "Uh, Char… overdoing it, much?" Lily hissed.

Dialga seethed in rage, rearing back its massive head as though to slam it down upon the three tiny Pokémon far beneath.

_**TALL WORDS! VERY TALL WORDS! **_Dialga cried, roiling in anger. _**AND EVEN SO, BELIEVE WHAT YOU WANT ABOUT HUMANS AND WHAT THEY HAVE DONE TO POKÉMON… BUT, UNLESS I AM MISTAKEN, YOU ARE NO LONGER A HUMAN, ARE YOU? YOU WERE TRANSFORMED! SO YOU HAVE **_**LOST **_**THE RIGHT TO TAUNT ME AS A HUMAN, PATHETIC LITTLE CHARMANDER! GRRRRAAAWWWRRR!**_

Char, Saura, and Lily stood still, their expressions steadfast and stoic as Dialga's tantrum shook the chamber. Far behind them, at the opposite end of the room, Prince, Scythe, and Ray could only watch in nervous anticipation. Their minds were focused, their claws drawn, their muscles coiled to pounce. They knew the battle would start soon.

_**ENOUGH SPEAK, THEN!**_ Dialga roared. _**IF YOU ARE CONFIDENT IN YOUR ABILITIES, DEMONSTRATE YOUR "CALL-BEARER" POWERS TO ME. PROVE THAT YOUR WORDS HAVE WEIGHT.**_

"Very well, your majesty," Char replied. "We will."

Char took one final deep breath, to prepare his inner Ember for what was about to come. He turned to Saura.

"Alright… now's your chance," Char whispered to his best friend, quiet enough that he hoped Dialga could not hear. "If there was one time we needed to figure out how to activate the Call on our own… it's now. And between the three of us, I think you're the only one who's done it."

"Uh… I did?" Saura replied. "When did I do that?"

"During the meteor storm," Char told him. "I think you used the Call on Lily to get her not to run off. Didn't you?"

"Um… I don't remember."

"You're kidding," Char said flatly.

"Yeah… I'm sorry, but I really don't remember what I did," Saura admitted. "I just remember I was really scared. The thoughts that were coming from my headache were really powerful, with the Watchers speaking to me and… and I just kept remembering my brother and my sister, and… that's all I remember. I was just really scared."

"Well, uh… aren't you really scared right now?"

"Yeah?"

"Then can you at least _try_ to do it again?" Char pleaded. "Look, if this doesn't work… we have to _fight him_. As in, _battle_. Physical, claw-to-claw _battle_. And even though I think our plan is going to have a chance to work, I don't think it's going to be easy."

Saura pawed the ground. "I can't… I can't do it," Saura said. "I have no idea how the Call works. I can't use it on purpose. I… I'm sorry."

Char sighed.

"So that's it, then?" Char told him. "We can't use the Call on Dialga?"

"I guess not…" Saura replied. "I'm sorry, Char, I really am…"

"In that case… I guess this is it," Char said. "We have no other options left…"

Dialga watched the panicked little Pokémon with amusement.

"Alright…" Char said loudly, calming himself and closing his eyes. "Focus the power. Focus the power of the Call."

Char remembered all the times that it happened.

That first time in the Gold Division. That awful second time in the Emerald Division.

And that third time… when they learned that there was more to the Call than they thought. That it wasn't just an uncontrollable superweapon, but a means of communication. That it could be used to talk to the other Pokémon around him, or to hear them respond. And that it could be used against those sensitive Pokémon like Scythe to alter their internal feelings, as an enforced sense of empathy.

He reflected on the Call, on everything it had ever done for him, and everything he had ever felt…

_It is a shame that we can't actually mind-control Dialga_, he told himself. _I think if the Call were to activate again, especially if it's supposed to activate in response to peril, it would have done so by now. In the end, our powers proved to be worthless._

_I can't control the Call. I know that by now. It does what it will. _

_Like a wild animal. One that can't be controlled. One that can't be reasoned with, or tamed._

_We can only learn about it; we can't control it. At least not using what we know right now._

_It is a shame that this is the best we can do, pretending to try activating the Call, just to catch Dialga by surprise._

_It is a shame…_

Char's muscles tightened. He finally began to let his fire burn freely.

_If it is true, that past and present are lies…_

_If all that exists, truly is fate…_

_I suppose…_

_This is what fate wanted._

_It is…_

…_a real shame…_

Drawing one long, sharp breath, he spoke a tiny little word.

"_Now._"

That was the signal.

Char felt four vines swivel around his back, two from his left and two from his right. In a heartbeat, the two grass-type Pokémon combined their strength and slung Char high into the air.

And before the temporal dragon knew what hit him, the tiny Charmander had latched onto its elongated headplate.

_**YOU—**_

_I'm getting good at flying,_ Char realized, proud of his one-clawed landing, as the other claw still tightly clutched his dear reviver seed. _Now if only I could evolve already. I think I've got this Charizard thing nailed down._

Char swung around on Dialga's forehead to stabilize himself. He found that the steely ridges of Dialga's headplate made excellent footholds.

_**YOU TREACHEROUS, SLIMY—**_

Char didn't listen to the flabbergasted rambling of the dragon. Instead, he drew a great breath, restrained an exhale, and a stream of thick, tightly-compressed black smoke poured from his maw and his nostrils. He held that breath until he choked out the last bit of ashen cloud his throat could produce.

It was the best smoke screen he could possibly perform. Dialga deserved no less from him.

_**WHAT?**_

The cloud of smoke expanded quickly, leaving Dialga's head drowned in a void of no visibility. The dragon took a lurched step forward trying to escape the smoke screen, but it had expanded too rapidly, and Dialga could not seem to find the open air again.

_**I WILL PUMMEL YOU INTO THE GROUND!**_ The dragon roared, jerking its head up and down in an attempt to shake Char off. _**I WILL BREAK YOU! YOU WILL KNOW MY WRATH!**_

"Tall words, for one who is outnumbered," Char returned. "…and soon to be outsmarted. Go ahead. Smash the annoying rodents with your powers. I dare you!"

Dialga thrashed its head violently, barreling forward through the cloud of smoke at the place where it had last seen the bystanding Pokémon. Every crash of its paws against the chamber floor caused a magnificent earthquake that rattled the tower's infrastructure and felt as though it would shatter the floor.

But the cloud had expanded at a startling rate, and Dialga could not find the way out. The Pokémon he had once seen standing at the opposite end of the room were no longer there.

_**COWARDS! **_Dialga cried, a sickening distortion echoing in its rage-filled voice. _**YOU HIDE IN THE SHADOWS LIKE COWARDS! REVEAL YOURSELF! FACE ME!**_

"Actually, I'd say what we're doing is pretty courageous," Char said plaintively from his perch on Dialga's forehead.

The enraged dragon crashed its forehead into the wall of the tower in an attempt to smash the Charmander. But Char had leapt free of the dragon and scampered off into the darkness. The walls and pillars of the chamber trembled, and bits of debris fell from the ceiling.

After recovering from the failed attack, Dialga found itself standing lost and alone in a cloud of darkness.

_**GROOOOOAAAARRR!**_

It rampaged aimlessly, stamping its massive paws in an effort to flatten Pokémon that were never there. Its tail swished around unpredictably, a giant steely mace praying for a skull to bash.

There was an orange glow from nearby. Fire, probably from the Infernape's head. Dialga pounced toward it, but the attack missed and the target was nowhere to be found.

"Whiffer! You're just a whiffer!" a high-pitched voice called from nearby. "Try aiming next time!"

_**GRAAAHHH!**_

Dialga lunged in the direction of the voice, but once again hit nothing.

"The ironic thing is, I'm just a _common rodent_!" the voice taunted again. "Maybe next time you'll speak more highly of us common rodents!"

_CRASH! _In its rage, Dialga slammed face-first into one of the chamber's pillars. It cracked and collapsed against the might of the steel collision, falling harmlessly to the ground. On the other side, the smoke screen had been slightly fanned away, enough for Dialga to catch sight of a defiant little Raichu standing there.

"Oh… you found me," Ray gasped, static sparking across his fur. "Uh oh."

_**SLASH! SLASH!**_

With its front paws, each as thick as an oak tree's trunk, Dialga furiously slashed at the rodent… and the attack connected, knocking Ray onto his back.

But Ray wasted no time in righting himself, and stood on four coiled paws, prepared to dash away.

"What's wrong?" Ray said to the temporal dragon. "Thought that would hurt me more?"

Ray indicated an article of clothing around his neck.

"Defense Scarf," he said. "You're going to have to hit me a little harder of you want to do some damage."

_**OBLIGED.**_

Dialga paused. Its feet seemed frozen in place.

_**WHAT…? **_

The dragon gnashed its teeth, furious that its muscles would not seem to obey commands.

_**WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?**_

"Oh, you can't move?" Ray said to Dialga, humorously surprised. "Oh. You're probably paralyzed. That tends to happen if you touch me. I've got the power of several lightning bolts in my cheeks, you see. I'm not safe to touch if I get angry!"

Ray released a stream of static power which arced through the murky clouds and struck Dialga on the metallic forehead. Dialga snarled, and Ray dashed off into the dark clouds.

_**NO!**_ Dialga cried in a breaking voice, waiting impatiently for the paralysis to release his legs. _**YOU WILL NOT TOY WITH ME AS THOUGH I AM SOME INSECT! IF YOU DESIRE TO WITNESS MY TRUE WRATH, THEN YOU SHALL SEE IT!**_

Once free of the static's hold on its muscles, Dialga jumped forward and opened wide its maw. A spiral of energy formed in front of its face, which it launched as a glowing, electric ball of power blindly into the darkness.

_CRASH! CRUMBLE…_

They hyper-powered ball of light struck the far wall of the chamber, exploding shards of polished rock everywhere.

Char trembled on the floor, drawing panicked breaths. The unexpected attack had just barely missed him.

"I'd say he's getting angrier," Prince noted from Char's side.

"Yeah…" Char said, short of breath.

"Shall we see how far we can push him?" Prince said as he picked Char up into his arms and ran behind another pillar. "Perhaps soon we can begin to use the seeds."

"Not yet," Scythe hissed from his position overhead, planted on a small ridge upon the pillar. "Wait until the smoke dissipates first.

"Ah, Char, can't you just make some more smoke?" Ray wondered, catching up. "When this smoke goes away, I mean…"

_CRASH! CRUMBLE…_

"Probably not a good idea," Prince told him. "If Dialga keeps using projectile attacks like this, he'll-"

_**CRASH!**_ There was another impact very nearby. Char felt the rubble pelt his face.

"What I mean to say is, we'll need to be able to see _those_ attacks coming, too," Prince finished. "Smoke screens work both ways, you know…"

"Ahh, good point," Char said, trying to worm his way out of Prince's grasp and back onto the floor.

"_Here he comes!_" Scythe warned. "_DODGE!_"

_**CRASH! **_The pillar shattered as Dialga swung its mighty tail, having no regard for the condition of its own home in its blind rampage.

_Clang! Clash! Clang! Clang!_ Char heard a resounding metal clash as Scythe harassed the dragon, striking around its face with his blades. Prince reaffirmed his grip on the Charmander and dashed out of the way before the pillar could fully fall and crush them.

_**YOU CANNOT MATCH ME,**_Dialga's voice resounded. _**TASTE THE STEEL OF YOUR GOD!**_

_Slice!_

After a sickening sound of blades cutting through carapace, Scythe struck the ground next to Prince and Char. Three deep gouges appeared on his body under his arm.

"…Pain…" Scythe said, lying crumpled on the floor for a moment.

_CRASH! CRASH!_

Rocks began raining down from the air. They were the broken chunks of the pillars and other parts of the chamber interior. Dialga was somehow lifting them into the air telekinetically and launching them around.

"Char, _go,_" Prince commanded, tossing him to the ground and leaping above Scythe. "I'll get him a berry."

Char scampered away. Before running too far, he looked back in time to witness a large boulder-shard falling upon Prince's head and splitting into two, as he relied on the power of the Frozen Flame to shield the fallen Scyther.

Nearby, Saura danced around at Dialga's feet. He knew he had to distract the Dragon from his friends until Scythe could move again.

"Hey, Dialga!" He called. "Having trouble seeing? Want some sunlight? Here! I saved some for you!"

Saura blasted a solar beam from his bulb, striking the dragon on the flank.

Dialga groaned and tried to retaliate, but it once more found that its body wouldn't move. The intermittent paralysis still affected him.

_**ACCURSED ELECTRICITY, **_Dialga seethed. _**I SHALL RETURN TO THE MOMENT WHEN ELECTRICITY WAS CREATED, AND PREVENT IT FORM EXISTING…**_

Saura ran away as fast as he could before Dialga regained mobility.

It was a deadly game they played, taunting and harassing the deity before evading its wrath and running out of its reach. But it was the first stage in Char's idea, and they were able to keep it up for a few minutes while sustaining minimal damage and keeping themselves healed with their supplies.

The smoke cloud was starting to let up as Char found Ray, who had been hiding behind the room's third pillar with the lesser bag of supplies.

"Scythe got hit," he reported. "I think he'll be okay, though. I might need an Elixir soon…"

"Already?" Ray said, digging in the bag to find one. "I was starting to feel tired, too…"

"It's Dialga doing that to us," Lily said from nearby. "You fight a legendary, you get tired faster. They do something to the air around them that makes you get tired. It's called 'pressure'. "

"Here," Ray said, breaking open the elixir. "That's our last one. We'll have to share it. The rest are in Alakazam's bag."

_**I CAN SENSE YOU, INSECT,**_ Dialga called from across the room. _**HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THAT I CAN FOLLOW YOUR SCENT? DO YOU TRULY BELIEVE YOU CAN HIDE FROM ME?**_

_Crash-crumble…_

Char, Lily, and Ray trembled at the oppressive sound of the Dragon's voice as it apparently hunted down Scythe.

"If we're going to get tired faster, we may have to speed this up," Char realized. "He's not getting angry enough."

"He's almost ready to bring down the roof of Temporal Tower," Lily noted, wincing as a tremor rattled the ground beneath her. "I'd say he's pretty angry already…"

"No," Char said, shaking his head. "He's not using enough of his supernatural attacks. I don't think he's even considering using 'Roar of Time' just yet. He's holding back on us…"

Char was about to sip from the elixir bottle, but handed it to Lily.

"No," he said. "You and Saura are going to need this more than I do. Ray, I think we should start figuring out which seeds we should use."

"Ah-alright," Ray said, digging into the bag again. "Let's see. If we're going to make Dialga miserable, we have to use a few different kinds of seeds. Here's a stun seed. I'll take this one. Char, since you're holding that reviver seed already, you probably can't hold two, but here, you wear the mobile scarf. Your job is most dangerous, you can probably hide inside one of the boulders or something."

"Wait, let me try something," Char said, taking the mobile scarf.

He tied it tight around his belly, wedging the reviver seed against his back.

"There, now I have a free hand," Char said. "Give me something."

Ray tossed Char two metal spikes.

"Remember these?" Ray said with a sly grin. "You were good with them."

"Yeah, but I don't need them anymore," Char said. "Now that I learned how to turn my claws into metal."

"You can always throw them," Ray said. "If that doesn't work, you can always just use fire fang. You're good with that, too. Anyway… Prince has a detect band. He also has the speed brace, I think. He's going to give it to Scythe, but Scythe isn't wearing it yet…"

"If Dialga starts messing with the flow of time, that'll come in handy," Char noted. "I'm just wondering why he hasn't started doing that yet… you'd think that he'd be going back in time and undoing his mistakes by now… why isn't he?"

"Lily, you take this," Ray said, handing her a seed. "This is a hunger seed. I don't know why I brought it, but we had some extra room left in the bag and all we had left in storage were useless items. But I guess we're going to use it after all. Throw it at Dialga when we throw the seeds."

Saura came scurrying from nearby.

"THERE you are," the Bulbasaur sighed, almost out of breath. "I'm getting really tired for some reason. But I found you because… the smoke is going away."

"Saura, good. We're going to use the seeds a little earlier than planned," Ray told him. "Here. This is a vile seed. It will reduce Dialga's defenses. This one's from Alakazam's bag, it's _really _powerful, so don't miss, okay?"

"Uh… I can try," Saura said, twitching nervously and grasping the seed with the end of his vine.

_**I SEE YOU GROW WEAK! **_Dialga shouted at Prince or Scythe, far away from the huddled group of Pokémon. _**YOU CANNOT RESIST MY POWER FOREVER. SUBMIT TO MY AUTHORITY!**_

Ray took a few deep breaths and continued focusing on the plan. "I hope this works, guys," he said. "Three seeds. We have to hope they all hit, and they neutralize Dialga long enough to do damage. We have some more, but the longer this battle goes on, the harder it will get. I wish we would have known about the 'pressure' beforehand…"

"What if the seeds don't work?" Saura implored, his voice quivering at the thought. "W-what if he's too powerful?"

"Then our whole plan falls apart and we probably fail," Char sighed. "But it's worth a try."

_**WAAAARRRRRRRGHHHH!**_

The vengeful cry of the dragon god sounded from very close by, filling the Pokémon with terror.

Dialga galloped into sight, thrashing its head around. Char's heart sunk as he realized that Dialga was holding Prince in its maw.

Prince lit his body on fire, surprising the dragon and prompting it to fling the Infernape across the room.

It occurred to Char that he needed to run. He bounded to the nearest safe place he could find: the still-sanding pillar. He pounced and his body disappeared inside of it, harnessing the power of the mobile scarf he now wore.

Lily and Ray also got away, taking the bag of supplies with them.

But Saura wasn't so lucky. It was clear that Saura was exhausted. He hesitated for too long.

Char peered out from the safety of the pillar, and realized too late that Saura was in the dragon's line of attack.

Char held his breath in horror as he watched his best friend realize the fate which was about to befall him…

…but then released that same breath, a moment of utter relief, when he remembered the reviver seed tucked inside of Saura's bulb. Dialga could stomp the poor Bulbasaur to death, but he'd be revived.

So he watched, perhaps in bile fascination, for the roaring dragon to strike.

Dialga reared up on its hind legs like a rampaging horse, a fearful, awe-inspiring sight.

It eyed the Bulbasaur.

_**KA-CRAAASH!**_

Cracked craters formed in the floor as the fearsome god pounded the ground, one mighty leg crashing down on either side of the cowering Bulbasaur. With a flick of one of its clawed paws, the dragon punted the Bulbasaur to the side.

Char was speechless, not believing what he had just seen.

_He…_

_He… hesitated,_ Char realized. _He… Dialga…_

…_Dialga stopped himself from killing Saura._

…_Why?_

…_Dialga, what's holding you back? Why are you restraining yourself?_

_What is going through your mind?_

Char hid from the raging beast, confused. Something wasn't right.

_Maybe… maybe Dialga really is testing us after all._

_Maybe he's just toying with us. Deeming us worthy._

His stomach rumbled. The mobile scarf was taking its toll.

_Oh, no…_ Char realized. _No, no, no… I am NOT passing out from hunger. Not this time. _

Mustering his courage, Char stepped out from the pillar.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU FINISH HIM?" Char blasted at the dragon. "YOU COULD HAVE DEFEATED HIM! WHY DIDN'T YOU?"

_**BECAUSE I AM A GOD OF MY WORD, CHARMANDER,**_it replied. _**AND I PROMISED I WOULD DESTROY YOU FIRST! **_

Dialga's head whipped down, and before Char could react, he found the floor spinning around far beneath him. Dialga had captured him between his jaws.

_Uh oh…_

_**CRY OUT FOR ME, CHARMANDER,**_ Dialga commanded. _**YOUR STRENGTH CANNOT LAST FOREVER. LET ME HEAR HOW PAINED YOU ARE.**_

Char strugged, but teeth were bearing through his skin, holding him in place.

_Not good… not good…!_

He tried to use the power of the mobile scarf to phase out of the dragon's grasp, but it didn't work. The mobile scarf had not the power to allow Pokémon bodies to pass through one another…

_**YOU DESERVE A COLD, AGONIZING DEATH, FOR TRESPASSING UPON MY LAIR AND BRINGING HUMILIATION UPON ME. **_

Char flung his right hand, the hand that dangled out of Dialga's mouth. He released the spike it held.

It was a blind shot, made in complete desperation.

The spike sailed a few inches, then sunk into Dialga's eye.

_**WRYYYYYYYYYYY!**_

Dialga opened its jaws to roar in shock, dropping Char to the ground with a thump. Char felt blood trickling over his body from the teeth-wounds, but he resisted the pain and did not worry. He still had the reviver seed. Besides, his plan was working.

And now, it would come to fruition.

As soon as the torn, bloody Charmander thumped to the ground, and as soon as he shook off the dizziness of the pain, the hunger, and the exhaustion caused by Dialga's pressure, he tilted his head back and gazed up at the temporal dragon which loomed over him.

"_You want to see me cry out?" _Char shouted. _"Okay! Alright, Dialga! I will cry out! THROWWWWW!"_

Seconds later, a loud _pop_ could be heard, as though a firecracker had exploded. The stun seed struck Dialga's jaw.

The hunger seed followed, emitting a loud _snap _as it landed between Dialga's jaws and sank into its mouth.

The third seed followed, the powerful vile seed. It struck Dialga straight on the muzzle. From the collision, a sizzling kind of energy flowed forth, spreading over Dialga's face and tracing its way down its body.

And for just a moment, the chaos stopped. The shroud of ash had almost entirely faded away, and the lord of time was frozen in paralysis, unable to move a muscle, speak, or turn its head. Only its eyes, one of which was still gouged with the metallic thorn, glared down at the tiny little Pokémon with eternal disdain.

"This is it," Lily said, passing the remainder of the elixir to Saura. "Drink. Get your strength ready. You're going to need all of it."

"Scythe, this is your moment," Prince said, tossing the speed brace to the Scyther. "Remember. Aim for the right front knee. Do your best."

Not hesitating, Scythe slipped the speed brace down a blade and onto a shoulder. It would allow him perceive and exist in time twice as fast as every being around him.

Once it had taken effect, Scythe drew his steely blades, spread his wings, and zipped forward in a blur of green.

"_KIAAAAAHHH!_"

_**CLANG-g-g-g-g!**_

A pure, sharp, high-pitched ringing sound reverberated from the collision of Scythe's blade and the temporal dragon's knee.

Scythe paused once the deed had been done. His blade was wedged halfway into the dragon's limb. For a few moments, it remained stuck in place, and he could not yank it free, but after a few attempts he managed to withdraw it. The dragon's posture slouched.

Scythe's blade was broken. A large gouge of his steel had simply snapped off from the collision, leaving a jagged, crippled claw within the husk of the mantis's arm. Scythe looked at it disbelievingly for a moment, but then his attention turned to the wound it had caused.

Dialga was hurt, now. Thanks to the vile seed, Dialga's natural defenses had been weakened, allowing the Scyther's blade to cut a deep gash into the very core of the dragon's joint.

"The tendon is severed, and the joint is mangled," Scythe said, his voice sounding warped as he struggled to speak at half-speed so his allies could understand. "Dialga clearly needs to take more iron."

_**CLANG-g-g-g-g!**_

Scythe reared back and struck again, this time with his other blade, striking at the same wound. It cut even deeper, causing the dragon's stature to buckle, but it did not sever the leg completely. Scythe yanked the blade back out, and saw that this one had fared much better; only a small chip had formed in it.

Knowing that the dragon would soon gain control of its body again, Scythe withdrew his attack and returned to the floor.

"Scythe-!" Ray gasped, horrified at the sight of his destroyed blade.

"It is only a blade. Blades grow back," Scythe reassured him. "Now… _run_. I think we've angered him enough."

The six Pokémon bolted from the disabled legendary, hurrying around and across the rubble left behind by the fallen pillars and damaged walls. They assembled on the opposite end of the room, right near the staircase from where they had come, and stood in the same place they had when they first laid eyes on the majesty of the temporal god.

And they waited.

"By the way, in case this doesn't work…" Ray squeaked, "I—love you guys."

"_Don't die,_" Scythe grumbled powerfully.

Perhaps it was the distortion from the speed brace, but Scythe's voice sounded terrifying to Char. It seemed as though every layer of strength had finally been stripped from him, leaving him with only the raw core, which sounded like some kind of monster.

"_Don't… die…" _Scythe said again, speaking very slowly and deeply. "_Hold… your will to live… don't let the pain consume you… and… you will not die…"_

Dialga's head twitched. The seeds were wearing off.

"_Do not let the fear consume you…"_ Scythe said. _"Do not let the pain consume you… do not… lose sight of yourself… do not let your thoughts stop… hold… onto reality… FOCUS…_"

Scythe's words were chilling.

"_Do not… die… Survive… survive… survive…_"

Char vaguely wondered if Scythe was talking to himself.

Dialga bent its neck, swiveled his head around… and glared at the small group of gallant Pokémon with one eye.

The eye burned with deep, dark hatred.

One leg shifted, as Dialga carefully began to turn its body around to face them.

The temporal dragon staggered, hobbled, as it found that one of its legs would not fully support the weight of its gargantuan form. A wince crossed its face. Pain glowed in its eyes.

It said nothing. It didn't have to say a word. Char figured how humiliated it must have been, for a god, one of the creators of the realm of the real, to be abused so by a few insolent, seed-throwing _pests_.

Char knew that its rage transcended anything that a mere mortal could have comprehended.

"_Cry out for me, Dialga,_" Char whispered to himself. _"Let me hear how pained you are."_

Dialga bared its teeth.

Its chest expanded as it drew a thunderous breath.

"_Survive," _Scythe repeated one more time. It was an order.

_**You have left me with no choice,**_ it said, its voice weakened. _**Behold! The strength which has co-authored your world…**_

And Dialga released the Roar of Time.

* * *

…_Hey!_

…_Hey, wait!_

_I want to change something._

_May I change something? Will you let me?_

They were memories.

Many memories flooded his mind. So many at once, all in slow motion.

So many… both from his time as a Charmander, and of his time as a human, although they were far detached from reality and he couldn't recognize any of them…

Or perhaps, some of them were from the future.

He wondered if… if…

…if he had been sent back in time, to briefly witness those moments…

_There's no stopping him._

_You know that. That's how fate works._

_That's how Dialga designed it._

_Unless… we make our own fate._

_And that's complicated. _

_Because you can't see everything._

_Only the gods can do that…_

* * *

Char came back to himself.

_The pain. The pain. The pain…_

_I can't move…_

_I… I am nearly dead…_

His mind was so clouded, so deeply destroyed and distorted… he barely had the strength to twitch.

But once he found reality, he clung to it tightly, not wanting to get sucked back into the horrible, painful vortex of memories…

_Temporal Tower._

_I am in Temporal Tower._

_Facing Dialga._

_In battle._

_There was…_

_Something really important._

_Did I win? _

_Did I win the battle?_

_No…_

_No!_

_Not yet! _

_NOT YET!_

"NO!" Char grunted, stirring from his position on the floor. "NO! We… we have to get… up… We're not done yet…"

Suddenly, the pain went away. All the tiredness, the hunger, the bitterness, the confusion…

It was washed away by a sacred, cleansing fire, a fire he knew so well. And with that fire came his strength, his power, his clarity of mind. The strength to go above and beyond his full potential.

Char didn't have to look; he knew his tail had become a bonfire, with flames that might as well have been licking the ceiling.

He was blazing.

All of a sudden, Char felt himself lifted into the air. Prince had helped him up.

Char looked at the Infernape, and beheld a brother of the flame. Prince was blazing too; his flames had grown to engulf almost his whole body. He stood as a fire elemental, his eyes glowing with such a bright whiteness that his pupils could not be seen.

"Have you blazed before?" Prince spoke.

"Yeah…" Char answered. "You were there. Remember?"

"Ah… I am sorry," Prince said, setting Char onto his feet. "I seem to have lost the distinction between past and present… So, you know what to do now?"

"Yes," Char replied. "We fight."

Char looked at the others.

Saura and Lily stood nearby. Their bodies were overtaken by an incredible power as well, but a different kind than Char's, as they harbored a different elemental affinity in their hearts. Their eyes glowed with a bright yellow light, their leaves sprung to life and shed particles of pollen, and multiple tentacle-like vines sprouted from their bodies and waved around their heads…

And at his other side, Scythe… his teeth were gritted, his eyes became blank and emotionless. His body twitched with uncontrollable power. It was a reaction that Char had seen him have before when he reached his limit; it was his swarm reaction.

Char's plan had worked.

They had coaxed the temporal dragon into using the ultimate attack, knocking them onto the very edge of defeat. Now, in their one and only moment of opportunity, their second winds had all activated… and Dialga was helpless to stop them, as the dragon was frozen in an exhausted daze, panting and grinding its teeth.

Ray, the only Pokémon of the six who did not possess a biological second wind, still lay on the ground.

"Well… what are you waiting for, guys?" he grunted, trying to ignore the pain. "Go! I'll… watch from here. Good luck…"

The five other Pokémon nodded to one another… and then rushed toward the weakened dragon god.

_**No… **_

_**Leave me alone. Can't you see you have done enough?**_

"Not yet, we haven't!" Char said to himself, smiling gleefully. "But… almost…"

_Snap! Snap!_

Saura and Lily aligned themselves on the right side of Dialga's body. Using their body's accelerated growth, they each launched a dozen vines up and onto the dragon; Lily wrapped her vines around Dialga's neck, while Saura hooked them around the large steel plate on the dragon's back.

_**No!**_

_**You… cannot do this… to me…**_

But Char and his team were already dead-set in their plans. No amount of whining from the downed dragon would keep them from victory.

Saura and Lily sprouted a series of roots from their paws, roots which dug into the ground and anchored them in place. Once they were secure, they began to pull on their vines with all of their might.

Dialga buckled at the force. They were ever-so-slightly shifting the dragon's weight onto its broken leg…

_**No…**_

_**Stop this… Cease your attacks, this instant…**_

_**You have no right to defeat me…!**_

"PULL!" Lily ordered. "PULL…HARDER!"

The vines were taught and strong. Dialga, still winded from the great roar, was succumbing to their force.

_**I will… never… fall…**_

_**To you…**_

"Take him down," Char ordered. "Scythe, Prince… go."

Scythe gave a nod, and zipped forward to the prone dragon, striking at its weakened leg again with what was left of his blades. The dragon wavered in pain, but it still could not fight back…

And Prince, using the power of his blaze, performed a masterful running leap by somehow using his fiery aura to help him jump higher, leaping onto the wall of the chamber, then onto a pillar, and then straight for the dragon's head…

Seconds later, there was a bright white explosion as the full force of Prince's fist collided with the side of the dragon's face.

The last of the wind was knocked from the great beast's lungs. Its glowing-red eyes fluttered closed.

The powerful force of the vines caused the limp dragon's body to slump to the side, shifting nearly all of its forward weight onto a limb which could not hope to support it. And so, it continued to fall…

And by the mighty tug of the vines, the great god of time came crashing down onto its side. Its impact seemed to shake Temporal Tower to the foundation, and the spikes upon its body body dug feet-long craters into the once-beautiful floors.

The dust settled, and Dialga lay still on the floor, motionless. Defeated.


	65. Chapter 47: No Answer

**Chapter 47**

Char beheld the form of the fallen time god, its slumped head lying just before his blazing eyes.

For a few moments, he savored the flavor of euphoria a hunter feels when it has brought down an opposing hunter, triumphed in a battle of strength and wits. He still wasn't sure how he had done it, how the plan had come to him after all the clues clicked into place, but it was done. He had risen to Dialga's challenge, a challenge he suspected he was never meant to win, and he and his four teammates stood in a circle around the sleeping giant. Just as Char had predicted.

But when those few moments were over, the good feeling was replaced with a simple thought:

_What now?_

Before he had time to consider answers to the question, or speak it aloud to his friends, the fallen form of the diamond dragon vanished.

Dialga's body had merely popped out of existence, or become invisible, in a single instant. The Pokémon warriors were left alone in the wrecked temple chamber.

"_OH, GOODNESS!_"

There was a high-pitched voice, one which didn't belong to Dialga or any of Char's friends. It came from above, echoing through the chamber like the voice of a child calling into a canyon. It gave Char a horrible start; it was the last thing he expected to hear.

"Oh, _goodness gracious!"_ The voice called loudly. "What in the _world_ is going on down here?"

The five Pokémon tensed, prepared for another battle with an unknown Pokémon. Their last winds had not yet faded away, so they knew they still stood a chance.

"It's coming from the staircase!" Scythe hissed, still enraptured with his swarm reaction.

Char dropped to all fours and faced the stairs which led up to the very top of Temporal Tower. Indeed, the voice was coming from the stairwell, though he heard no footsteps or anything to indicate that a Pokémon was headed their way. He hoped that whoever it was, _whatever _it was, it did not want a fight, but he prepared for the worst with the last throbs of strength he had left.

What greeted him was a very small, green creature with large blue eyes. It flew on tiny, tireless wings which looked like they belonged to a fly.

Upon seeing the distressed Pokémon warriors and the crumbled room they stood within, the little creature gave a shrill shriek.

"_AIIIIIEEEEEEE! _What a _mess!"_ it cried, covering its mouth with a tiny hand. "And _visitors!_ We weren't supposed to have visitors _now_! What _happened?_ Oh, my! Oh, _dear!_ What is going _on_?"

"Who are you?" Saura asked it, speaking the question that was on everyone's mind.

The strange fly-like creature jerked in mid-air, giving a curt, humble bow before zipping around on its tiny wings to survey the damage. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I should have introduced myself first, but my, oh my, what have you _done_ to the place? This is going to take _ages_ to repair, even with Palkia's help…"

"We just defeated the creator of time itself in battle," Scythe told it. "And I second the notion; who _are_ you?"

The little creature stopped again, turning its full attention to Char and his team. "Oh. I'm Celebi. Rather, I'm _a_ Celebi, as there's more than one of my kind, but we're a very rare species, so I never needed to have a nickname I guess. Lord Dialga has given my kind a share in his power over the time stream. And of all the Celebi, I'm the one with the largest share in his power, because he has chosen _me_ to be his personal servant and stewardess of his home! On behalf of Lord Dialga, welcome to Temporal Tower!"

There was an awkward pause.

_It's a bit too late to welcome us,_ Char thought. _A few minutes ago, your master wanted us dead._

"Um… we just knocked out Lord Dialga," Lily told the fairy Pokémon. "It wasn't pretty. But Dialga wanted a fight…"

"Oh, don't be silly!" Celebi giggled nervously. "That was a fake."

There was a unified cry of astonishment.

"A… fake." Char stammered. "A fake Dialga. We just spent all of our energy, and nearly _died_, just to defeat a _fake Dialga?_"

"How is that even possible?" Lily demanded. "It looked pretty real to us. Its roar of time… _hurt_. A lot. And as soon as my overgrow ends, I think I'm going to pass out right here…"

"Well, uh," Celebi said, "You see, uh, it's like, a security system! See, sometimes Lord Dialga isn't here in the tower, so we made a big scary projection to scare away all the visitors. It's supposed to be impossible to defeat and just send you running, but _wow_! I think you're the first group of visitors to actually defeat it!"

There was another, _very_ awkward moment of silence. Celebi seemed overly cheerful, as though she didn't quite comprehend the gravity of the fight her visitors had just won.

"What are you saying?" Prince said after the prolonged moment. "Dialga isn't home?"

"He's home! He's certainly home," Celebi reassured him, eyeing the ceiling. "Lord Dialga and I were just taking a nap up on the pinnacle. The lord sleeps _very_ deeply, see, and I didn't wake up until I heard that great crash! We don't usually leave the projection active while we're home, but… I had no idea the tower was visible to earth! It wasn't supposed to be visible right now. I thought it was hidden! But, oh well. Mistakes are mistakes!"

Celebi zipped closer to the weary warriors, looking them over.

"Oh, dear. You _have_ gotten yourselves tattered up, haven't you? Let's get that fixed… I owe you at least that much."

Just as Char felt that his blaze was nearly out of fuel, Celebi flew close to him.

"Hold still!" Celebi told him gently. "Just relax…"

Char winced as the fairy Pokémon placed one of her tiny hands onto his forehead. Soon, he felt a heavenly wave of relief, pleasure, and strength come from that tiny touch. The wonderful feeling seeped into his bloodstream, filling his exhausted limbs and soothing his aches from the inside. Though it dowsed out the powerful drive of his blaze and made his inner fire subside, he didn't want it to end. It felt like he had just jammed thirty Sitrus berries down his throat and was basking in the drunken relief they brought.

He thought he faintly perceived the sound a soft bell chiming in his head as Celebi's power nursed him back to full health.

"_There!_" Celebi said about thirty seconds later, withdrawing her hand. "Good as new! How do you feel?"

"Perfect," Char replied, trying his claws and feeling his body for the wounds that were no longer there. "I feel perfect. Thank you…"

"My pleasure!" Celebi said with a huge grin. "Now! Who's next? Oh dear, you all look so beaten up… The projection can put up a real fight, can't it?"

One by one, the little green fairy Pokémon healed all five of Char's teammates to full strength. Her healing touch was even able to restore Scythe's broken blades. Scythe's speed brace was removed and put back in the bag.

When she had finished working her miracles, Char and his friends were in very high spirits. They congregated around the tiny legendary creature, eager to ask her all sorts of questions.

"Hey, um, sorry for breaking your tower," Ray said sheepishly. "It was really pretty, you know, before the battle."

"Ahh, don't worry about it!" Celebi said. "It just means you put up a good fight! Besides, the spatial distortion is just going to work its magic and put everything back together. It'll be done in no time! Well, no time for me, that is. Eons for you. It's… hard to explain the way time works here in this tower…"

"Wait, so this tower is _supposed_ to be a Mystery Dungeon?" Lily wondered. "I thought Mystery Dungeons were… curses."

"Well, yes and no," Celebi told her. "Mystery Dungeons exist wherever your reality brushes up against the outside of reality. Well, the outside of reality, we call the Hall of Origin. You might have heard of it. It's just this massive… um… _sky_, I guess you could say, where realities are born! Hard to explain… But if you poke a hole in the side of reality, it's like opening a window in a house during a blizzard. Some of the snow and the wind gets in, right? Well, dungeons are like that. Reality and the Hall of Origin swirl together and it makes a place where space and time aren't consistent. And see, in other places it happens by accident, but in here it's _supposed_ to happen! See, the top few floors of Temporal Tower actually go_ outside_ of the time stream completely!"

"…_Really?_" Saura gasped. "So we're…"

"You guessed it! You're in the Hall of Origin right now!" Celebi said cheerfully, enjoying the look of amazement upon the visitors' faces. "Just outside of those walls is the _sky_ where everything exists! And when we go to the top here in a moment, you'll be able to see it for yourself…"

"Dialga is… up there too, right?" Char asked eagerly. "Can we talk to him? He won't be like… like that projection, will he?"

"Oh… no, no, no!" Celebi told him, brimming with seemingly endless excitement and energy. "Lord Dialga will be _happy_ to talk to you! He loves visitors… Really, it's my fault that I didn't disable the projection since the last time we got home… But don't you worry, he's a very kind and agreeable dragon! I'll just have to go upstairs first and wake him up. Just wait until he hears how hard you fought to get here! You'll be guests of honor!"

Char released a long sigh. The revelation hit him so hard, it nearly took away all the energy that Celebi had just given him back. He felt so happy… their journey was complete. The battles were all over with. And Dialga… was agreeable? Would he hear out their pleas? Would he assist them in the war? And failing that, would he at least give them some kind of hope, or power to take with them, to help them in the eternal struggle against the Master?

Still standing upon all fours, he shut his eyes for a moment and let his nerves finally relax. His anger, his resentment against the projection of Dialga for insulting him and disregarding him, was fading fast.

"This is the happiest day of my life," Char uttered to no one in particular. "At least, the part of my life I can remember."

"_Aww!_" Celebi said, giving Char a pat on the head. "You know what? You look _very_ eager to see Lord Dialga, so I won't waste any time. Not that there's any time to waste here in the Hall of Origin anyway. But we mortal creatures still perceive time, even though there isn't any. Strange, isn't it? Why not follow me up the stairs? I can introduce you properly to the great lord!"

Following behind Celebi, the team began their very last procession up the final staircase of Temporal Tower… the one that would lead to the summit. The pinnacle. The platform upon which the real Dialga perched. The stairs were numerous, as they had been on every other floor, but the longsuffering Pokémon climbed them cheerfully, chatting with the fairy Pokémon along the way.

"So, you can travel through time?" Lily asked Celebi. "I think I've heard of your kind before."

"Yeah, we can!" she answered. "It's easy to do. Going back in time is like… flying in a different direction. We just turn around and fly backwards and we can see where things came from, or we fly forward and see where things are going to go. It's natural for us! Though… it's easy to travel time, but not so easy to _change_ time. In order to change things, you have to understand something called _fate_."

"Fate…" Char spoke, wondering about the word, the same word the demon in his dream had spoken. "Fate? Do you mean… things that you can't change? Things that are inevitable?"

"Not exactly," Celebi said. "Nothing's set in stone, dear. Fate isn't such a dark and foreboding thing as you're probably making it out to be. Fate is just a word we use to describe the general direction things are heading, and things that _probably_ will happen as a result. See… it's really hard to explain … fate is just like gravity. Almost _exactly_ like gravity. It's like time's version of gravity. If you push a big huge rock off of a cliff, gravity takes hold, and that rock's fate becomes hitting the ground. But it's not _impossible_ to stop that rock from hitting the ground! It's just very hard to do if the rock is so big and heavy. You'd need a huge dragon to catch it. See?"

"Um… I think so?" Char replied, trying to follow the logic.

"Couldn't you just go back in time and stop someone from pushing the rock?" Lily wondered. "Then you could change history."

"Well, again, see, that's harder than it sounds," Celebi said. "If that rock is sitting at the edge of a cliff, there are _lots_ of things that could push it off! Animals, the wind, and earthquake… you'd have to go back in time and prevent _all_ of those things from happening if you didn't want the rock to fall. Just because you prevented the _first_ cause doesn't mean you stopped all the other causes that could take its place."

"Um… why not just go back in time and _move the rock_ away from the cliff?" Saura offered. "That would stop it from falling, right?"

"Not if the rock is _very_ heavy!" Celebi answered. "Yeah, it would be easier than trying to catch it out of thin air, but still not very easy."

"What if the rock was small?" Ray offered, interested in the insights Celebi offered. "You could stop it from falling more easily, right? It would be a lot easier to change its fate."

"Well, of course! If you could just pick up the rock and throw it somewhere it wouldn't fall, yes! But then again, it wouldn't make such a powerful dent in the earth if it _did_ fall, now would it? Because it has less weight. You wouldn't fear a pebble falling the same way you fear a boulder, so why even go through all the trouble of trying to change it?

The little fairy Pokémon sighed whimsically. "Ahh, but the analogy is going a little too far… All of that is all just an example, anyway. Fate is just a word we use to mean that things are headed a certain way. Things happen when the circumstances allow them to happen, so if you want to prevent something from happening, or cause it to happen, you have to change the circumstances, rather than the event itself. And that's _hard!_ Because it's so, so, so complicated! For a little Pokémon like me to try to see all the circumstances surrounding an event, it is just too much for my tiny little mind! But that's why Lord Dialga is so powerful, because he sees _everything!_ All _at once!_ If you want to change fate, he's the Pokémon you will want to talk to… Which reminds me, why _are_ you here to see Lord Dialga, anyway?"

"We're here because of me," Char said, crawling up the stairs on all fours as he spoke. "…But actually, when I think about it, we're here because of _all_ of us, in some way. If it wasn't for all six of us, we wouldn't have ever gotten this far. We come from Ambera, where there's been a long war going on. Our land is under control of someone we call 'The Master', and he's really oppressive, but he's really strong so he can't be overthrown. But we have a big resistance movement going on, too, trying to defeat the Master and free the all the people. The Pokémon, rather. We were wondering if Dialga could help us."

"And failing that, if Dialga could enlighten us as to how the Call works, so we may utilize it as a force for the Master to reckon with," Scythe added.

Celebi visibly hesitated. "Um… the 'Call', you say?" she uttered oddly. "What do you mean by that?"

"It's… a psychic power. We think," Char said. "Only some Pokémon have it. We can use it to mind-control lots of other Pokémon, but we can never use it on purpose. It only happens when we least want it to happen, it seems. But Lily the Bayleef here and I both have that power."

Celebi pondered it for a second, looking very confused.

"Uhh… I'm still not following you, honey," the little legendary Pokémon sighed. "I'm sorry. Maybe you're talking about something else? We might call it something different. Ask Lord Dialga, he might have the answer for you! Hmm, the Call, the Call… No, I've certainly never heard of it. It's not a common name for a Pokémon's ability. It's not a rare ability, either. I mean, I've heard of the 'Dimensional Scream' before, but not the 'Call'…"

_That's very weird, that the legendaries don't know what the Call is,_ Char thought to himself. _Maybe we've been getting it wrong this whole time and had no idea. Maybe it's something else completely. Like the projection said, maybe there are cosmic forces at work we can't grasp… _

_I hope the real Dialga will be able to clear this up for all of us…_

"Okay, okay!" Celebi suddenly shouted, swerving in front of Char so he couldn't go any further. "We're here. Now just let me go and wake up Lord Dialga, and I will be right back!"

Flitting her tiny wings, Celebi zipped up through a trapdoor in the ceiling which marked the end of the staircase. Eagerness tingled all through Char, both to see the Dialga he'd hoped to meet in the first place, and to witness what the Hall of Origin looked like. He turned around and glanced at all of his teammates one more time, greeting them with a beaming, childish grin. They exchanged wordless expressions of congratulations and awe with one another.

This was it; the very end of the journey that had started that long, long day ago in the Gold Division…

They had soared upon Dragonite wings, braved the Watchers, trekked across the snowy plains of Zerferia, and endured the horrors of Temporal Tower's dungeons, and brought down a dragon fifty times their size…

And it was all for this. There was nothing left to do but wait and see what fate had in store for them.

Celebi peeked over the rim of the opening for a moment before jumping into plain view.

"He's ready for you," she advised them. "Come on up, and don't be afraid!"

Char took one last attempt to breathe deeply and calm his jittery nerves, then began to climb the last dozen stairs which led to the top of Temporal Tower.

* * *

**Temporal Pinnacle**

It was as though Temporal Tower had risen far beyond the clouds, the skyline, the atmosphere, and opened up into infinite space. Twinkling stars and gorgeous nebulas painted a pitch-black sky with palettes of exotic colors, glowing with purples and oranges and blues and many colors he thought stars would never have. It was as though the void of space had been filled with the colors of the sunset. The ground below, the world of Zerferia and Ambera, was nowhere to be seen.

Char's mouth gaped in deep awe and reverence, captivated by the beautiful sight and trying to take it all in. This, he knew, was the Hall of Origin, the fabled space which existed outside of time, the place where the gods themselves dwelled…

It was an honor to behold such a visage. He wondered if every twinkling speck he perceived was some kind of alternate, far-away reality inhabited by entire worlds of Pokémon, or perhaps other kinds of creatures…

"_**Children…"**_

The voice was mighty, but soothing and welcoming. It filled the air and confused Char's perception, prompting him to scan the spacious rooftop of Temporal Tower for its source.

And there, sitting at the base of a tiny mechanical monument, sat the figure of a magnificent blue dragon.

The moment Char set his eyes on the temporal god, he knew all his prayers were answered. This incarnation of Dialga was different than the soulless beast they had battled. The dragon's form was slightly smaller in size, making him much less intimidating, though it was still impossible to not feel humbled in its presence. It sat regally like a contented lion, its tail curled around its front, exhibiting a calm and relaxed posture. Its voice was no longer overpowering and brash, but subdued and sensitive. Its blue and turquoise scales glittered with the mixed light of the many suns overhead, its shards of steel gleaming like the moonlight on a still pond.

A warm, amused smile formed on the god's face, beckoning to the visitors.

"_**I welcome you," **_it spoke, ever-so-slightly bowing its head to signify its heartfelt candor.

Char's heart simply melted. He approached the temporal god upon tiny steps, drawing himself nearer to the breathtaking figure.

Dialga gave a perceptive, gentle laugh. _**"Do not fear,"**_ he assured them. _**"Unlike my warmongering twin, I do not bite. Come close, so I might hear you when you speak."**_

Char did. He bounded forward to the great dragon, not stopping until his head was planted firmly against its great diamond hide.

And there, for what seemed like several minutes, he took refuge in the shade of the beast. He felt Dialga's armor against his cheek; it was firm, but warm. He could feel the layer of steel somewhere beneath the outer armor. It surprised him that Dialga's hide was not covered with scales, like most dragons, but by some kind of smooth, unbroken layer of firm flesh. He savored its feel, pushing against it with his face and his claws, relishing the security it brought him.

Tears streamed down his muzzle, trickling onto the dragon's hide.

Dialga was visibly touched. He looked down at the little Charmander, curling its tail closer. _**"You are safe here," **_it said. _**"Have peace."**_

"Th…th…thank you…" Char whimpered, his body trembling.

Peace. It was all he had ever asked for, really.

Unbeknownst to Char, his friends approached the time god. The great dragon nodded and lifted its tail, welcoming them into the embrace. Celebi flitted down from high above, coming to rest her wings and relaxing against Dialga's front paw.

Once Char was empty of his tears, he withdrew from the dragon, turning to see that his friends had all solemnly joined his side. Dialga's body and tail had curled around them, in a tender, motherly way, and the dragons' head loomed above them like a mother-bird gazing upon her nest.

"_**Celebi tells me you have journeyed far to speak with me,"**_ Dialga said. _**"I am listening. Ask me whatever your hearts may desire, and I will answer every one of your questions… to the best of my knowledge. It may surprise you to know that I am not omniscient. There is much I do not understand about the Hall of Origin, or the world in which you have journeyed from. But still, my knowledge is vast, and I believe I can help you. First… may I know your names? I wish to address you personally…"**_

Char let his body slump, sitting down right next to Saura against Dialga's great tail.

"I am… Char," he told the temporal dragon. "At least, that's what everyone calls me. I have another name, I… just don't know it. I'm… actually a human. I was turned into a Charmander and sent to Ambera without any memories of my life as a human. I'm… searching for… answers about my past. Not that they matter, really; I'm happy living in Ambera and I'm pretty sure I don't want to go back to being a human. But my past has been bothering me. I'd just… I'd like to know how I got here. And I'd like to know what my name is. It would help me feel better."

"_**A transformed human!"**_ Dialga hummed. _**"I know and understand your kind. Unfortunately, without telling me details about your past, I have no way of identifying you, or determining what kind of life you led before you became a Charmander."**_

"I… think I have seen you before," Char admitted to Dialga. "In memories. Or dreams. Or something like that. I remember meeting you. Palkia was there too. He was holding a Poké Ball."

"_**Hmm. It means I may have had a hand in your transformation,"**_ Dialga said. _**"But I have helped many humans become Pokémon through the course of your history, and it is difficult for me to remember each soul. I am very sorry, little Char. Perhaps you will remember more shards of insight that will help me remember. Until then, there is no shame in being called Char. Your soul is the same, regardless of your name."**_

"Okay…" Char said, his gaze hypnotized by the temporal dragons' red eyes. "Okay…"

"I'm Saura," the Bulbasaur spoke up sheepishly. "I'm just… an everyday Bulbasaur. Nothing special about me. I'm just Char's friend. He helped me run away from home, so I promised I'd help him until he found out why he was transformed. And here I am, I guess… I have a family, but…"

Saura winced painfully. Concern shone in Dialga's eyes.

"I… don't know if they're still alive. They might have been killed… but I just don't know for sure. Could you look back in time and tell me if they're alive or not?"

"_**Your mind is clouded,"**_ Dialga said in a saddened tone. _**"You have been struck with a curse of corrupted memories. I am not a skilled psychic, but it is plain for me to see what has happened to your mind. Tell me, little Saura, how did this happen?"**_

"I got… caught…" Saura said, wincing as more headaches tortured him. "By a Watcher."

"_**A Watcher?"**_

"Yeah…" Saura said. "They're ghost Pokémon that come out at night. If they touch you, there's no telling what they will do to you. They could kill you on the spot, or they could make you go insane… anything, really… But this Watcher gave me a bad memory… and I don't even know if it's true or not."

"_**Ghosts… which come out at night…" **_Dialga repeated thoughtfully. _**"Are you perhaps referring to… the newborns?"**_

"Newborns?" Saura echoed.

"_**Newborn souls of Pokémon who have yet to live, or hatch into the world of the living," **_Dialga explained. _**"They exist without identity, without destiny, without purpose, because their Pokémon forms have yet to be conceived. In fact, they are not Pokémon, but they are destined to become Pokémon. They normally exist deep in a place known to you as the 'Reverse Realm', which is my brother Giratina's haven. They are created there, where they are meant to incubate until conception. However, lately I have heard there is a break in the barrier between your realm and the Reverse Realm, and many of the newborns have escaped into the world you inhabit."**_

"Then… why do they look like ghost Pokémon, if they are not Pokémon?" Lily wondered. "And… I'm Lily. I won't tell you my story yet. It's a bit long."

"_**Here, in the Hall of Origin, we have all the time we need, little Lily,**_**" **Dialga hummed to her. _**"To answer your question, we creators of your realm have altered your perception in many ways, allowing you to swallow what could not have been otherwise comprehensible to you. For instance, do you see the stars above you? You see only a simple representation of what I see, when I look upward. And you may believe you feel the passage of time here where no time exists. That is another courtesy my brothers and I have afforded you. So, too, have we altered your perception of newborn Pokémon souls. It is because Giratina intended for the newborns to appear as ghost Pokémon to the eyes of mortals, in the event one would escape into the world of the living. Their behavior is not unlike ghost Pokémon, and Giratina determined it to be easier for a mortal to comprehend an encounter with a newborn, if it resembled a ghost Pokémon."**_

"Alright, so… they're not Pokémon, they just look like ghost Pokémon for our sake. That makes sense, I guess," Lily said, cocking her head and staring curiously at the colored nebulas which streaked across the sky. "But why are the Watchers, or the Newborns, evil? Why the heck do they corrupt whatever Pokémon they touch?"

"_**Because, for reasons unknown to me, they, themselves, are cursed,"**_ Dialga explained, a stern dissatisfaction ringing in is voice as though it spoke of a tragic truth. _**"The Newborns which have escaped from the Reverse Realm have been tainted by the flow of a foreign power. It causes them to act upon an unnatural will. Untainted, they are powerless and innocent. But something has caught hold of them, and even I have yet to determine the cause."**_

The great dragon sighed, setting its sights on the little Bulbasaur again.

"_**Brave Saura, I mourn your curse. It is something I cannot repair without fundamentally changing your identity. I read your heart and know you would not want that. But let your heart be at peace for now; I have good news. Your whole family is safe, and they dwell in the same den where you were raised. The nightmares given to you by the corrupted Newborns are utter lies."**_

A tremor shook the Bulbasaur. He bit his lip hard, digesting the news.

"I'm… glad…" he said simply in a sigh of relief. "I… I'm so… glad… for them."

Char and Ray congratulated their friend, giving Saura a subdued little cheer. Saura smiled wide.

"Um… I have another question for you," Lily submitted with a twinge of awkwardness. "It's a weird question, but it's been killing me for a long time."

"_**I fear no question,"**_ Dialga told him. _**"Tell me."**_

"Are you… male, or female?" Lily asked carefully. "It's always bothered me…"

"_**Neither… yet, both,"**_ Dialga replied simply, giving an amused twitch of the tail. _**"In the literal sense, I cannot make eggs, so I have no gender. But I am both a mother and a father to creation, and I have traits of both. Therefore, do not feel ashamed of calling me 'he' or 'she'; it is simply something which your verbal language requires. I understand that. So do my brothers, Palkia and Giratina. So does Arceus. The same applies for all of us."**_

Lily smirked. "Hah! I _knew_ it…" she cheered. "I always knew it didn't matter. But everyone I ever met in the Emerald Division always told me I was wrong for always calling you a 'he'. Hah, you know what I should do? I should talk about you, and call you a 'he' and a 'she' every other sentence, just to mess with them. When they call me crazy, I can say that Dialga told me I could!"

Dialga chuckled. _**"Clever little Lily, but beware of sowing confusion to your brothers. They would reprimand you for it. Now… who are you, little thunderous mouse? What is your name?"**_

"I'm Raikouun!" the Raichu shouted proudly, happy that Dialga took notice of him. "But everyone calls me 'Ray'. It's an honor to talk to you, Lord Dialga! I never thought in my life I'd get to do something like this!"

"_**Fate surprises all,"**_ Dialga said warmly. _**"It is equally an honor to meet you, little Ray of light, conqueror of the highest tower and friend to the gods."**_

"Wait… can that be my _actual name_ now? Can I keep it?" Ray gasped. "Aww, hahah, I'm kidding. But… I had a question of my own. Do you know about the 'Master' at all?"

Dialga visibly frowned. _**"Somewhat," **_he replied.

"Well, uh… is he a Pokémon or a human? And if he's a Pokémon, what kind?"

The great temporal dragon sighed deeply. _**"The Master, as you call him, is at the center of several anomalies. He has gotten himself wedged within… loopholes…of space-time rules. But to answer your first question… the answer is both."**_

"_BOTH?_" Ray gasped. "What do you mean, _both?_"

"_**Simply, the one you know as 'The Master' was once a human, but now is a Pokémon. Like little Char here, the Master was the subject of a transformation."**_

Char's friends were collectively shocked at this revelation.

"I… did not know that," Prince said. "I doubt many Amberans have even suspected such a thing was true. The Master has a human soul? That is… hard to swallow. I can barely begin to consider the implications…"

"No _wonder_ the legends were all mixed up!" Ray responded, his mouth gaping. "Because they were _both_ true! So the Master was a human, then he got transformed. Maybe he was the _only_ human in Ambera! He was a Pokémon trainer. No… he was a Pokémon _Master_! I bet that's why he got his name! So… what kind of Pokémon is he now? What was he transformed into? If we knew, it would really help us when we go to fight him!"

"_**I don't know."**_

An even heavier wave of shock resounded through the group.

"You don't know?" Ray echoed. "How can you not know? Can't you just… go look?"

"_**I was not involved in the transformation of the Master," **_Dialga explained. _**"My brother, Palkia, caused his transformation. When he did, he did not choose which form the Master would take as a Pokémon. Instead, Palkia triggered a symbolic transformation; meaning, the Master took a form which reflected the character of his soul. Shortly after the transformation, the Master became… hidden from our sights, and so, no one, mortal or god, truly knows which Pokémon form the Master has taken. This is the extent of my knowledge about the identity of the one you call 'The Master'. I am sorry I cannot tell you more.**_

"_**However, if you were to ask for my opinion on the matter, I might speculate, based on what I know of the Master, about which Pokémon he became,"**_said the Temporal dragon, tilting his head and momentarily staring at the sky. _**"His lust for power… may have caused him to become… Mewtwo. If I am right, it is a legendary irony that his transformation, which was designed as punishment, became the greatest source of his power."**_

"Mewtwo!" Lily repeated. "That would make a lot of sense, actually! That's why he was able to brainwash so many slaves!"

"Uh… this might be a dumb question," Saura said ashamedly, "but… what's a Mewtwo? I've never heard of a Mewtwo before. Is it an evolved Mew?"

"Saura, Mewtwo is one of the most powerful legendary Pokémon on the face of the earth!" Lily replied. "Human scientists once tried to make a clone of Mew and use it as a weapon. But they made a psychic-type Pokémon so strong, they couldn't contain it, so it escaped into the wild. I'm really surprised you haven't heard of it before."

"Uh, I haven't, either," Ray admitted. "It sounds really dangerous, though. But if it's true, at least we know what kind of Pokémon we're up against… We'll have to take lots of dark Pokémon to that battle. And bugs, too. Wouldn't that be epic, Scythe? You could deliver the finishing blow to the Master with your fury-cutter."

Scythe didn't respond. He didn't appear to be paying attention.

"_**Are you troubled, noble Scyther?"**_ Dialga beseeched, noticing that Scythe was remaining stoic and silent through all of the revelations. _**"What is your name? Tell me what is on your mind, so I may put your worries to rest, as well."**_

Scythe appeared lost in thought. He absentmindedly responded to the dragon's words.

"My name is…"

He paused.

"Scythe," he told the dragon. "It is what every Pokémon calls me. And I am afraid you cannot put my worries to rest as easily as it might seem. I once served the Master with my own blades. I hold remorse for the days I spent within his halls. Though, I have come to terms with what I have done. You need not help me with that."

"_**I see,"**_ Dialga replied solemnly. _**"You have suffered much, but you are strong, and you work to repent for the deeds you have done. I respect you, honorable Scythe. But I have something to tell you as well. I consider it a secret, but you might be pleased to learn it."**_

Scythe scoffed. Char thought he looked angry.

"I live and die by the secrets you gods hold, but so be it," Scythe sighed. "If you insist, tell me."

"_**Hear me, Scythe. You feel the weight of the world on your shoulders. You feel it is your duty to lead the resistance against the Master's forces, and you feel that without you, there would be no hope for your people. But do not fear; for I tell you, the fate of Ambera does not rest only upon you! In truth, there is already a plan in place to remove the Master's influence from Ambera… a divine plan. One that I helped to conjure."**_

"Is… that so?" Scythe uttered, his eyes widening. "What do you mean? How can I trust you?"

The lord of time smiled warmly and wide. _**"I am your god! The very notion of change, of cause and effect within your realm of reality, was my design. If my words are not trustworthy, whose are? Of course, as fate dictates, there is a small chance our plan will not succeed in the end. But we have done our best in weaving the threads of fate so that the Master's influence will be destroyed. So, do not take the world upon your shoulders, brave and noble Scythe. Never give up the fight, but know, through it all, that your gods have not abandoned you in your darkest hours. We… are here to help."**_

A very strange emotion flashed in the Scyther's eyes upon hearing the news. Char thought that Scythe looked vulnerable for a moment; like a hatchling looking up to its mother. It was gone soon enough, but Scythe replaced it with a peaceful smile that made Char happy to see.

"Well met, lord Dialga," Scythe replied, bowing his head reverently. "Forgive me for doubting you. The resistance shall have heart to know this news."

Scythe chuckled. It was a happy laugh, a sound Char hadn't heard from the old Scyther since the days they had trained together in mystery dungeons. Char knew that Scythe might have forgotten what happiness felt like, but was quickly remembering.

Char saw that his friends were all beaming in joy, restraining cheers of happiness at the news. So much good news! Saura's family was safe, the Master was destined to fall… but though their spirits soared, it was difficult to speak out of line. No one wanted to interrupt the temporal dragon as it spoke, as it had personal conversations with each of them. Everyone waited their turn.

"_**And what about you, strong Infernape?" **_Dialga spoke, addressing Prince. _**"What is your name, and what answer does your heart seek?"**_

"I am Calamar, but I am called 'Prince'," he replied. "I think, the question which burns brightest on my heart is this: if you are so powerful in spirit, why do you choose to limit yourself by taking a mortal form?"

Dialga nodded. _**"Impressive question, good Prince. While it is true that my powers are limited within this body, and that I no longer have access to my original powers which I used when I first spun the time stream, this body is the most important aspect of my existence. Without my flesh, I would hold no influence over the mortal realm."**_

Prince looked thoughtful. "How so?" he asked. "Are you saying that your incorporeal soul can't interact with the corporeal world?"

"_**Correct,"**_ the dragon told Prince. _**"I designed the time stream this way. Understand, I believed that if the gods were given free rein to change whatever they desired, reality would become confusing and inconsistent to mortals, and no mortal would feel happy. Therefore, I devised a mechanism to place a fair limit on the authority the gods hold over the physical realm. This mechanism… is called 'fate'. If a god wishes to intervene in the affairs of mortals, they must themselves become mortal. Only then do they hold the power to influence the world's fate. Thus, the flow of cause-and-effect remains intact, and the rules of reality retain consistency. In fact, there is, and will forever be, but one Pokémon who holds the power to change things at utter will, even in corporeal form."**_

"Arceus," Char spoke. "Arceus is the one who can do whatever he wants."

"_**Indeed," **_Dialga spoke, reflecting reverence of his superior. _**"When a god breaks the laws of the mortal realm and changes something without cause, it is called 'mutation'. Only the Great Original One, Arceus, harbors the power of mutation. However, Arceus refrains from using the power at all costs."**_

This struck Char as odd. "Why is that?" he implored. "If you can change whatever you want, without risks or consequences… why don't you?"

Dialga sighed whimsically. _**"Ahh, little Char… you are now inquiring about the deep, core natures of the universe. Understand, there are principles which I cannot explain to you as a mortal child. But I will try to explain. The power of mutation comes at a price: the more it is used, the less coherent reality itself becomes. Consider this; I will tell you a story. 'Once upon a time, I swam in the ocean. But I did not swim in the ocean.' This makes little sense to you, correct? It is a paradox. A contradiction. Mutation, when it is used, creates these errors in continuity. If many errors are created, the world which we labored to create may come to lose all meaning."**_

"I believe I see what you mean," Prince responded. "If Arceus breaks the rules of reality and changes something that wouldn't have changed on its own—essentially, if he works a true miracle—the laws of the universe become neglected. So if a god wants to change something, they've got to get into their own bodies, come down, and change it themselves. I'd dare say it; that is brilliant. And you say _you_ invented this rule?"

"_**I did,"**_ Dialga said proudly. _**"It seems to have worked out well, hasn't it? Mortals such as yourself do not fear inconsistencies. You do not fear sleeping one night, and waking up two days prior, in another city. You do not fear growing young instead of old. And you do not fear slaying a foe and having it return to life minutes later. You take comfort in knowing that actions have predictable causes and consequences. Therefore, I believe I have succeeded at my work. However, it hasn't always been an easy rule to live by, for us gods…**_

"_**This body is very physically powerful, and retains many of my innate temporal powers; I am able to stir up the time stream in any direction I choose. However, sometimes, even my own might is inadequate. Some tasks, such as the overthrowing of the Master's reign, are too complex to change all at once, even for me. These complex tasks require strategy and planning, and intervention throughout many stages of history, all to arrive at the final result. But since I have the power to leave the time stream and view it as a whole, and since I also have the unlimited opportunity to deliberate before acting, I can manipulate fate in ways which mortals can't – not due to my power, but due to my perspective."**_

_That makes perfect sense,_Char realized, still thinking about the dream which the demon had given him. _I get it now! Fate is just a word for what will happen if you don't act to stop it. But the hard part is… knowing _how_ to stop it. That's what Celebi meant when she said that Dialga can see everything. He can see causes and effects all throughout history! So he has more knowledge, and he's better than mortals are at changing fate when he wants to. That's really what makes the gods superior to mortals, isn't it? It's not necessarily their powers, because their powers don't mean anything if they don't know how to apply them. It's the fact that they know _why_ everything will happen! That's the key to changing fate! It's not brute power! It's knowing _why_ something happens, so you can manipulate something _else _to happen!_

_In that way, Dialga and the other gods have to follow the same rules we all do. They can't just wish things into existence. They have to learn it and study it and change it themselves._

_But… what does this mean? The demon said that it's trying to change fate, to prevent an anomaly from happening…_

_It's trying to change something… it's trying to alter a series of causes and effects to change something…_

_But what? Something far in the future? Something I can't see yet?_

Prince seemed delighted at the answer he was given, too, but Char knew he couldn't quite wrap his head around the mechanics. It would probably take him a few weeks of puzzling.

"I have a question," Scythe suddenly said, almost interrupting Prince's next comment. "This should have been the first thing we asked, in hindsight."

"_**What is it, great Scythe?"**_ Dialga answered, appearing surprised at the Scyther's abruptness.

"How does the Call function?"

The dragon blinked. _**"The 'Call'… What do you refer to, great Scythe? I do not understand this term."**_

"It surprises me," Scythe said, "that neither you, nor Celebi, nor the projected version of yourself knows of the Call. It has been a ubiquitous subject among Amberan history for over two centuries, at the least."

"_**Forgive me, good Scythe, for I must not have been paying attention at the proper points of time,"**_ Dialga uttered in polite shame, bowing its head. _**"Please, humor me. Explain 'the Call' to me, and I will try to interpret your words."**_

"It's a power which a Pokémon can rarely get," Lily said, deciding to speak up. "It's a psychic power. It grabs the attention of any other Pokémon in a big radius."

"It doesn't make a sound," Saura said. "It's completely subconscious. If you hear the Call, you probably won't even know it, you'll just do that it commands. Like you're brainwashed."

"We can't control when it happens, either," Char offered. "It happens all on its own. And if there are any Pokémon nearby, it sends them all into chaos."

"Some psychics have learned how to detect a latent Call in a Pokémon's mind," Prince said. "They say it resembles a second voice deep within the subconscious mind, one that does not follow the Pokémon's thoughts."

"Huge battles have been fought over the Call! Every time it appears, both the resistance forces and the Master's forces struggle to take control of it for themselves!" Ray submitted. "It's because the Call is so powerful, everyone thinks it could single-handedly win the war if we knew how to use it. But nobody ever figured out how… it's too random!"

"It seems to come in varying degrees of power, as well," Prince added. "One Pokémon's call can be more powerful than another's. Char and Lily both have the Call, but the strength of Char's call seems to be vastly louder than Lily's."

"It was determined by historians that a Pokémon with a Call of great magnitude would appear in Ambera once every twenty-seven years," Scythe said. "Indeed, Lily here represents the Call of the previous generation, and Char has the Call of the new generation. It seems strange that such a phenomenon could appear at such fixed intervals throughout history."

The six Pokémon paused, waiting for the attentive temporal dragon to think their words through and reply.

"_**Everything you have said to me, regarding this 'Call', is fascinating," **_Dialga said. _**"Truly, fascinating. But new, utterly new to me. I am deeply sorry, good travelers, to say that knowledge and understanding of this force is beyond my recognition. Immediately, as soon as you leave, I shall investigate what you have reported, and come to an understanding… Surely, unless divine mutation is somehow involved, there must be an explanation for this."**_

Char and his friends collectively released a sigh of disappointment, relinquishing their built-up expectations.

"_**Still, this fascinates me," **_the temporal god said again. _**"Tell me… does this 'Call' have any other properties than what you have described?"**_

"Actually… yes," Lily said suddenly. "Yes… it does."

Char winced. It was true. In the moment of heightened emotion from talking to the god of time, he had completely forgotten about the Call's _other_ quality… perhaps its most important quality.

He exchanged a worried glance with Lily.

"Should we… tell them?" Lily asked. "We'd be letting out the secret… but maybe Dialga can help us if he knew…"

Char bit his tongue, glancing up at the curious gaze of the temporal dragon.

"Tell him," Char decided. "It's our only chance to get answers."

Lily nodded. "Alright, here goes nothing… Dialga, the 'Call' has another, more powerful ability," she explained. "It… well… it can be used to communicate."

"_**Communicate…?"**_

"On a deeper level than just telepathy, yeah," Lily continued. "It… if you have the Call, the Pokémon around you… start to change. They start to think like you, act like you, feel like you. It's as though… you're giving them parts of your mind. And this always happens, even when the Call isn't activating. And some Pokémon are very sensitive to it; they'll change faster. "

Lily paused. She looked at Prince and Scythe, wary of their reactions.

"Why… why didn't you tell me about this…?" Scythe uttered, looking shocked. "So, am I to believe, Char, and Lily, that through this whole journey, you have been… changing me, from the inside out? That my head… has been filled with your feelings, your thoughts, your beliefs…?"

"Scythe… yes," Char told him, almost reluctantly. "It's… something we figured out right before we found Temporal Tower. We never told you because you were already getting worn out by the journey, and we didn't want to make it worse…"

Scythe closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "In some ways… it has helped me," he said, his voice breaking a little. "My mind became clearer during the final leg of our journey. It became easier to focus on my thoughts. If this is true, that you were giving me your thoughts, Char, Lily… I thank you for remaining steadfast and resolute… Though, other times, I felt… lost… disoriented… and I just… didn't understand why. I'm used to listening to my subconscious mind… it guides me. I _trust_ it. It always has the answer. I wish… I wish I would have known this truth earlier…"

"Scythe… I'm sorry…" Char said quietly.

"Don't apologize," Scythe snapped back, his voice darkening. "You had no control over it. Nobody… nobody has ever been able to control the Call… I see now… all those times I heeded the Call… my greatest hope is, was, has always been… hopeless…"

"_**Not as hopeless as it might seem, great and noble Scythe!"**_Dialga spoke warmly. _**"Because of this new information, I know of the phenomenon you refer to, now. It is called… Heart-speak."**_

Char tensed in excitement. So did Scythe, and the rest of the team.

"_**Heart-speak is a force which mortals were not meant to gain awareness of," **_Dialga explained. _**"It is a secret. Like your breath, or your heartbeat, it is meant to silently help you, without drawing attention to its nature."**_

"Heart-speak…" Lily uttered, testing the word. "Char…"

Char nodded, trying to contain his amazement. "Yeah… that's exactly what we discovered," he told Dialga. "It lets you share feelings, but you never even realize it's happening. How… does it work?"

_**"It is a type of deep telepathy, communicating emotions and ideas, and rarely, words, **_Dialga explained to the astonished little Charmander._** The Original One is responsible for its existence. As he watched the world, he found that Pokémon could communicate well with one another, but Pokémon and humans were distant. So he altered the soul of every Pokémon, giving them Heart-speak, so that they might get along with humans more easily."**_

"Wow! That makes… so much sense!" Lily said, almost squealing. "But, but… if that's true, why do only some Pokémon have it?"

"_**Generally speaking, every Pokémon has capacity for Heart-speak, little Lily,"**_ Dialga said. _**"But Heart-speak only grows and strengthens when a Pokémon has spent a sufficient amount of time among human company. But once it has grown, it allows humans to share their hearts with Pokémon, and also allows a similar connection between Pokémon and Pokémon. I am impressed that you were able to discover the existence of Heart-speak on your own; as I have said, it was intended to be a secret."**_

_So… being around humans makes the power grow! _Char followed. _That explains why I have it… and why Lily has it. But… why not Prince? Didn't he come from the human realm? And what about Saura? He's never _been_ to the human realm, but he has it… What about all the other Pokémon who sailed here from overseas? Why don't they all have it?_

"Are you saying, Lord Dialga, that his 'Heart-speak' is completely involuntary?" Scythe asked. "The Pokémon itself has no control over the power?"

"_**Indeed. The effect is constant,"**_ Dialga replied. _**"It cannot be stifled, it cannot be controlled voluntarily. The only way to change its effect is for the Pokémon to gain discipline, and learn to control what they think and what they feel. This will change the emotions that seep out into the hearts of others, but nothing can ever stop the flow, once it has started. Do not fear, though; this is by design. Heart-speak, even at it strongest, is still a weak force. Its effect is exceptionally subtle. It does not guarantee friendship; it only guarantees that a thought or a feeling will be shared every so often. It creates… a temptation to be open-minded, and to understand those around you. That is all."**_

There was a moment of silence as Char and his friends took in the information. Char had just barely begun to scratch the surface of the profoundness of this Heart-speak, of what it could accomplish and what it meant…

…But the moment didn't last very long, as Saura broke the silence.

"…Wait," Saura cried in confusion. "Then why does it explode?"

"_**What do you mean, little Saura?"**_ Dialga asked oddly.

"The Call. Or, Heart-speak. Whatever you call it," Saura rambled. "You say it lets you share your heart with everyone around you. I get that. But nobody ever knew about that before. Like you said, it was secret! But… we all knew about the Call because it _explodes_. Why does it explode, Dialga?"

Dialga stared blankly at him.

"Yeah!" Char chimed in. "That's what we were talking about earlier! Sometimes you could just be sitting around, minding your own business, and then it will _explode!_ And all the Pokémon in a mile's radius will just be sent into panic! I'm pretty sure that's _not_ how Heart-speak is supposed to work! And that's what Ambera knows as _The Call!_"

"_**Heart-speak is not supposed to explode,"**_ Dialga said, looking quite confused. _**"I have never before learned of Heart-speak exploding. I assure you, this was not an intentional effect of the power. I will investigate…"**_

Char winced. His heart skipped several beats.

Dialga's words didn't sound right.

Something about them…

Something… surreal?

Dreamlike.

A dream…

"I can't," Char uttered to himself. "I'm powerless."

"_**What was that, little Char?" **_Dialga spoke.

"That's what _you_ said," Char told the temporal dragon. "Those were _your_ words. You said that to _me._"

"_**I do not understand…"**_

"The Call activated," Char said. "It was an explosion. It got through to all the Pokémon in the Gold Division. _And_, it got through to _you_. You said, 'I am here.' – you answered me. And I said, 'help me, Dialga!' and you said, 'I can't, I'm powerless!'"

"_**This is not an exchange I remember…"**_

"Of _course_ you don't remember," Char growled at it, now seething in anger. "You don't remember because you just said that you've never heard of Heart-speak exploding before. Even though _you were there_ when it happened. And you _heard_ it. You _heard _my call."

Against his better judgment, Char rose to his feet. He stared defiantly at the temporal dragon.

"_**Easy, easy, little Char!" **_Dialga cried. _**"Let your heart be still. There is no need to feed your flame here…"**_

"WHY SHOULD I be still?" Char demanded of the dragon. "Even after all we've asked you, you've still not given us ONE CONCRETE ANSWER. Not _ONE_! You told me I wasn't the only transformed human, but you wouldn't tell me my name. You told us the Master is a transformed human, _probably_ a Mewtwo, but you couldn't tell us about him. You told us the Watchers are newborn Pokémon, but you couldn't tell us why they're psycho. And now, you told us about the Call, but you say you've never heard it explode before."

Char's claws started to glow.

"And I know why, _Lord Dialga_. I know why you won't give us the answers we need! It's because…"

"It's because you don't _know_ the answers! Because…"

"_YOU'RE FAKE, TOO!"_

Releasing his rage, Char closed his eyes and slashed his metallic claws against Dialga's hide as hard as he could.

_*Clang! Clang!*_

His glowing claws slid right off the impenetrable steely hide of the temporal dragon, but he didn't stop attacking.

_*Clang! Clang! Clang!*_

Finally… Char's claw connected with nothing, swinging through empty air. The momentum threw him forward onto the floor.

Dialga was, once again, gone. Simply gone. Vanished from reality.

Char panted hard, feeling the adrenaline of unfathomable rage and discouragement filling him.

He looked at his friends. They stared blankly at him, frozen in shock. Motionless.

…All except for the little green fairy which cowered nearby, averting her gaze into the floor.

Celebi's body trembled so violently, Char thought she would self-destruct… Tiny tears fell from her eyes.

"Celebi?" Prince said, breaking the silence with a calm, plain voice. "Celebi, what is the meaning of this?"

"_I'M SORRRRRRRRRRRRRRY!__**" **_She shrieked, bounding toward Char and latching onto his legs, sobbing and crying profusely. "_I'm SO SORRY, SO SO SO SO SO SO SORRY… I'm SORRY, I'M SORRY, I, AHHHHHHHHH! NO, no, no, no…."_

"Celebi…" Char spoke in a low, threatening tone. "What just happened?"

"_IT'S TRUE, IT'S TRUE!" _She wailed, looking up at Char streams of tears pouring from her large blue eyes, before throwing herself back onto the floor in a humiliated bow. "It was _ME_ all along! There was no security system! I… _I_ made that fake Dialga to scare you away! And when it didn't work… I… I made you another one! I tried to make him act like Lord Dialga would really act! Because… Lord Dialga's _NOT HERE!_ He's _gone!_ And I… I just wanted you to… to be happy! I'm _SOOOOO SORRRRRRY_!"

Blades drawn, Scythe pounced at the tiny legendary which had latched onto Char. In his anger, he nearly bludgeoned her on the head, but Celebi projected a psychic barrier around herself that bounced it back. The barrier threw Char to the floor.

"You _lied!_" Scythe growled. "You _deceived _us, you _witch…_"

"No! No, no, no, no! _NO! _No, I, I, I didn't lie!" Celebi stammered. "Really! I didn't! I answered all of your questions as best as I could! Those answers were all _real!"_

She paused for a second, shuddering at the sight of the displeased eyes which fell upon her.

"I'm _serious__!"_ she cried. "_All_ those things I told you, about the Newborns, and Heart-speak, and the Master... they're all _true!_ Honest-to-Arceus true. They're all things Dialga taught me, see. Um... well, except for maybe one. Maybe... maybe there was _one_ little fib I told..."

She turned to look at Saura, who had a broken expression on his face.

"Saura, I have _no_ idea what happened to your family…" She admitted painfully. "I read a little shard of your memory, and I just made it up from there. But… but I just didn't want you to feel awful, over something you couldn't change! I wanted you to feel happy for once! It was… … the best I could do! I'm… I'm sorry_… Please_… don't _kill me_!"

"Then where is the _real_ Dialga?" Scythe demanded bitterly, backing down from his attack. "WHERE IS THE GOD OF TIME?"

"I _TOLD_ you, he's not home!" Celebi yelled, sniffling and letting down her barrier. "He's… he left a while ago, and… hasn't come back."

Char's heart dropped even further into his gut. All along, Dialga wasn't even in Temporal Tower?

"I've been calling for him… For such a long, long time, I've been calling for him… But there's… always been no answer," Celebi rambled humbly. "And I suppose I may have left the tower's entrance tied to the physical world, because, well, it has to be anchored in the physical world if I want to try calling to Dialga, and I… suppose I may have forgotten to make it disappear again… And then _you_ all came, and… and I… I couldn't _dream_ of tarnishing the legacy of Lord Dialga! I didn't want you to know he wasn't here. So I… I panicked! I used the tower's energy and made a projection, and I pretended to be Lord Dialga. Twice. The first time, I… I… wasn't quite sure how to act, because, well, I don't really know how Lord Dialga acts when he's angry! I've never actually seen him angry before… He's always so fearless and reassuring."

"You were quite convincing, I'll give you that," Prince spat in the Celebi's direction. "Any idea where we could find your missing lord?"

"I _don't know_! And I can't go looking for him," Celebi said, regaining her composure somewhat and flying back off of the ground. "I'm… stewardess… of Temporal Tower. If I leave… something could happen, and… the tower might fall. If it falls… time stops _everywhere_. So I have to stay here, and watch out for the tower, and… and I'm just scared, okay? I'm terrified. I'm terrified of _you_, and of whatever happened to my lord, and… And I don't know how much longer I can watch out for this tower. My own strength might fail… I just… I'm _sorry_…"

She drifted upon her tiny wings, back to the tiny monument which held several gear-like objects.

"You can just… forget about little old me, okay? I have been a liar, and a failure to you…" she sighed in dejection, dropping back down out of the air at the monument's base. "Go on, tell the world what kind of an awful witch little Celebi is… I'll understand…"

There was a solemn, burning silence. The six Pokémon warriors stood frozen in place, their hearts wading through all their broken hopes and disappointments…

"We forgive you…"

Ray had spoken. He hesitantly approached the little green fairy.

_We… do?_ Char thought to himself, his fists still clenched in frustration.

Ray stood over Celebi, sympathy shining in his eyes.

"You did your best," Ray told her. "I'm sorry Dialga wasn't here. You had no control over it. I understand why you pretended to be him. You did the best you could…"

Faster than lightning, Ray pounced toward the Celebi. She tried to deflect the Raichu with a psychic barrier, but only managed to trap Ray inside of it with her.

Ray gave her a hug.

"Thank you," he told her warmly. "Thank you for making us feel happy for a little bit. And thank you for making this an epic adventure for us. We'll never forget you."

Celebi smiled sadly, letting her barrier fizzle away.

"It's okay," Ray whispered to her. "You did your best."

Char's heart was in turmoil, but he tried to calm himself. Ray was right; Celebi never meant any harm. It was why the violent projection of Dialga was mostly just taunts and show; it never actually wanted to destroy them in battle. Celebi just wanted them to leave without knowing her secret.

And she _had_ given them a few answers, and failing that, many hints that would surely lead them in the right direction.

But his heart was still unsettled. It was just… too much of a disappointment, to have come all this way and have nothing to show for it…

"I guess that's it," Char muttered, turning to Saura who had come to stand at his side. "This is all Temporal Tower has to offer us. Time to turn around and go back, and tell Ambera that we didn't really learn much…"

"Well, we know about Heart-speak now," Saura offered, "But not the Call. And we know that the Master was a human once, but we don't know what Pokémon he is. And…"

"And we still don't know about your family," Char sighed. "Yeah… I guess that's it. We've reached the end. Time to turn back…"

Char began to wonder how he and his friends would descend Temporal Tower. He hoped it would be easier than the climb. Once they were done, hopefully Nameless would still be waiting for them outside, to calm the eternal blizzard of Zerferia and guide them back towards home…

…the long, long journey back home…

_CLANG._

Scythe had loudly rapped his blade against the roof of Temporal Tower. Startled, Ray broke his embrace with Celebi, and Char snapped to attention.

"Wait. Wait for _one_ moment," Scythe commanded. "There is something you said, Celebi… and it didn't sit well with me."

"Huuh?" Celebi gasped, turning her attention to him, and looking like she was about to raise another barrier.

"You said you called to Dialga," Scythe said. "And that there was no answer."

"Uh-huh!" Celebi responded, fidgeting. "Why? It's really the only thing I can do, from up here…"

"How, precisely, did you call to him?" Scythe asked, hostility raising in his voice, and fire burning behind his eyes.

Celebi backed away slightly. "I, uh… I, um… Well, see, I used the Time Gears over here… I touch them, and I'm able to draw upon their energy, and…"

"_AND_ it would take a powerful signal to call out to your lord, would it not?" Scythe pressured. "After all, you don't know _where_ he is. So you would have to send that signal far and wide, in order to hope to contact him."

Char's jaw dropped.

He was following the Scyther's chain of logic, and he would have never, in a million years, believed in the conclusion it was leading to.

Yet… there it was.

"_Call to him," _Scythe demanded powerfully.

"W—what? Now?" Celebi squeaked.

"_Yes. Now._" Scythe insisted. "_Call to him. Right now. _You have put us through great turmoil, Celebi. The least you can do is humor my one final request._"_

"Um… uh… _okay! Fine!_" Celebi stammered. "Alright, alright. The tower's still anchored in reality, so… I guess I can just… do it…"

She hesitantly flitted over to the monument which housed the shining, rune-engraved gears. Though they had cogs, they sat motionless in their grooves, glowing with an ethereal, turquoise-colored energy.

Celebi placed her hand upon one of the time gears. She reluctantly glanced back at Scythe, then shut her eyes tight, cringing tightly…

There was a humming noise.

Except, it wasn't a noise.

It was all in Char's head.

It was so painfully loud, Char screamed in agony and dropped to the floor, rolling onto his side and clutching his head tightly.

The hum became a roar.

The roar exploded into a full-blown, soul-shattering feeling that made Char feel like he was being blasted away at high speed. With each pulse of the soundless cry, Char could have sworn his entire being had been ripped into a million tiny pieces. To call it overwhelming would not even come close to describing it. And it wasn't just an overwhelming feeling, but it was an overwhelming _emotion._ Some sort of all-consuming emotion flooded Char's being, soaking through every crevice of his soul. It was the feeling of despair, of hopelessness.

The roar, then, became a voice.

_**DIALGA!**_

_**I AM LONELY…**_

_**I HAVE WAITED SO LONG FOR YOU TO RETURN…**_

_**PLEASE COME BACK SOON…**_

_**I DO NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITHOUT YOU…**_

_**PLEASE, HELP ME!**_

"ENOUGH!" Scythe screamed. Swatting Celebi away from the time gears so she could not continue the torturous call.

Celebi lay on the floor, her barrier shining brightly around her.

"It was _you!_" Scythe proclaimed at her, his voice breaking into a triumphant laughter. "_YOU _ARE_ THE CALL!_"

Celebi blinked.

"M-me?"

"We've solved our mystery," Scythe declared. "Celebi, you have been calling to Dialga, but your call has been reaching others instead: Lily, and Char, and all the rest of the Call-bearers throughout Ambera's history. Tell me, since Temporal Tower lies outside of time, you do not need to know just _where_ to call, but _when_ to call as well. Is this true?"

"Well, yes," Celebi responded, looking mortified. "I don't know what time period to search for Lord Dialga, so I, uh… I tried to spread them out. If I didn't get a reply, I'd try again a few times, then I'd move maybe a decade into the future…"

"_TWENTY-SEVEN years apart, correct?_" Scythe cried, swinging his blades at his side. "You're calling out at fixed intervals across time, hoping to catch wind of your missing lord, and creating a very noticeable pattern for the mortals down below!"

"Oh, uh… twenty-seven years? Really? That far apart?" Celebi croaked. "I thought it was a bit closer together! I, uh… I must have atrocious aim!"

"And _furthermore," _Scythe shouted to her, "With such a powerful signal you send, how do you know other Pokémon will not hear it?"

"Because it is only meant for Lord Dialga!" Celebi replied defensively. "Other Pokémon aren't supposed to hear it! It's… I suppose it's an intelligent signal, you could say? It searches for Lord Dialga, or whatever Pokémon I happen to be calling for, and calls only to them! It's a call that's only supposed to have _one target._"

"And what, do you think, would happen if the signal could _not_ find its target?" Scythe said. "What if the target was there, but it was simply… too far away, so your signal couldn't reach it? What would happen then?"

Celebi tried to think. "Well, I suppose in that case, it would… _Oh, _by the hooves of the great Arceus, you're _right_. It would still try to find Lord Dialga, but it would send the message through… whatever other available means it can. A path of least-resistance. It would re-route itself to another Pokémon, but only one, if it could get to Lord Dialga by doing so!"

"Which is _why_ the Call only hits one Pokémon at a time," Scythe finished. "Well, we've done it. We've finally figured out what triggers the Call. It's a lost and lonely little legendary Pokémon trapped at the summit of time, awaiting her master's return!"

Scythe began laughing. "I… I have never before witnessed fate playing a _prank_ upon me, before," he breathed. "This is… so ridiculous… yet, here it is. We finally have one concrete answer."

"There are still some unanswered questions, however," Prince offered. "In particular, why does the Call mind-control nearby Pokémon, when it is only meant to be sending a message? And why does the Call only echo through particular Pokémon, like Char and Lily?"

Shakily, the little green fairy Pokémon lifted herself into the air again. "I… might be able to help you answer that…" she said meekly. "I have my suspicions…"

She fluttered over to Char, who was still reeling on the floor. His head was spinning with the strange and powerful imagery the psychic pulse had delivered. He barely recognized Celebi when she drew close to him, putting her hand on his head.

She soothed him, washing away the pain of his headache, while searching his mind for answers.

"Char's Heart-speak is very developed," she noted. "Very strong. He has either spent many decades in the company of humans, or it has held over from before his transformation into a Charmander. Either way, his Heart-speak is strong. Hmm, oh dear. Yes, I don't think I've ever encountered a Pokémon with Heart-speak quite as strong as yours… And see… I believe my signal reacted with his Heart-speak…"

"So, that means… I didn't do it?" Char said, groggily. "You were just speaking through me?"

"No, I believe the Call came from you, dearie. See, I'm looking into your memory of the event just now. I believe you acted in reflex. The great call did, indeed, come from you. But you needed _my_ signal to stimulate it. Once you heard my signal, you translated it into Heart-speak and sent it out from your own mind."

"So… I can't control it," Char concluded. "So I have really loud Heart-speak, but it won't explode unless I hear a powerful signal, like the kind you send out from Temporal Tower?"

"That… would be my best guess," Celebi said.

Scythe laughed again. It was a frightening kind of laugh, sounding as though he was losing his sanity. "Am I to believe that the Call will stop happening _now_, now that you are aware of the repercussions?" he cried at Celebi. "Now that you _know_ you're causing chaos in Ambera by calling to your Lord Dialga?"

"Um… no, I'm afraid not," Celebi told him sheepishly. "I don't know what time period you are all from, exactly, but… I have already sent out many calls. They'll keep on happening at regular intervals throughout your history."

"So, just so we are all clear," Scythe said, "The Call will simply happen several times every twenty-seven years?"

"I suppose you are right," Celebi replied.

"But not precisely every twenty-seven years, only approximately, because you are bad at aiming."

"Yes…"

"And we don't know for sure who the Call will be delivered to. It will merely land on a random Pokémon who happens to have strong Heart-speak, and channel through them."

"Sounds right…"

"And at the end of the day, there's no way to manipulate it, to withhold it, to silence it, to time it, or to use it as a weapon against our enemies. It is merely pure chaos, falling upon those with poor luck."

"I'm afraid so…"

Scythe laughed again. It wasn't a joyful laugh.

"Trivia!" Scythe cried. "This is all trivial knowledge. Even knowing this, we are only back to where we began: knowing the Call is unpredictable and useless as a weapon. Our journey here was for naught!"

"Look," Celebi said, hovering close to him, "I'm sorry –"

"I figured you were," Scythe replied bluntly, "After the first twelve times you apologized. But your sorrow is not going to fix the state of affairs in Ambera."

Scythe growled at her, and turned to walk away, picking up the bag of items which had been left sitting on the floor near where Dialga had sat.

"We have wasted enough time on this pointless detour," he said. "Come, everyone… it is time to leave. Ambera is burning while we sit and watch. We must return to our duties."

Before Char could object, there was a tremor.

_Boom._

_Boom._

The tower shuddered, as though some mighty creature was pacing across one of the floors.

"Oh, my," Celebi said, noticing the tiny quakes. "What _was_ that?"

"We felt that before," Ray remembered. "Back down when we were at the relay point. We thought it was Dialga pacing on the top floor, waiting for us."

_Boom._

Celebi shook her head. "Couldn't be," she said, dropping out of the air so she could feel the ground shake. "I didn't start that projection until you were about just a floor away. Because I didn't know you were here until then. No, dearie… this feels like… something is hitting the Tower… from the _outside_?"

_Boom._

_Boom._

_**Boom.**_

The tremors increased.

The sky, dark and starry and beautiful, suddenly turned white.

_**Boom.**_

_**Boom.**_

_**Boom!**_

_**Boom!**_

In mere seconds, the tremors came harder, accompanied by the sounds of explosions.

"What… what's _happening?"_ Celebi demanded to no one. Her face was panic-stricken. "Oh, no! OH NO NO NO! NONO! NONONO! Please, Arceus no! _RUN!_"

She waved at the Pokémon before her. "RUN! GET OUT OF HERE! _AIIIEEEEEE! _No, _No!_ Wait! You'll never make it! I'll _teleport_ you out!"

But there was no time.

The sound of anguished Pokémon shrieks and cries filled the air as the ground beneath them shattered.

The sky became a blinding white, blocking out everything, as though a sun had descended upon them from space.

For the last few moments, Char felt his reality falling apart. Nothing made sense.

And then, with a sudden tearing pain, everything was gone.


	66. Chapter 48: The Master Plan, Part 1

**Chapter 48**

Char felt nothing.

No emotions, no sensations…

…not even the familiar beating of his heart, or the searing of his fire within his belly…

He saw nothing, he heard nothing…

It seemed to him as though his existence had been simplified. As though he had been reduced to merely a concept. The smallest symbol of who he was.

His feelings, his wants and desires, his sense of pleasure and pain, of emptiness and fulfillment, of safety and fear…

…they had all collapsed down to one single feeling. A _conviction_. This conviction defined him. He could not reach beyond it, could not think about it, could not communicate it. It merely became his identity.

He did not know whether he still had a body. There was no way for him to tell. He had been utterly cut off from the rest of existence. He was alone.

Or… perhaps not.

Char found that he still possessed a sense of some sort. It was not sight, or smell, or touch, or hearing… but it seemed to resemble each of those, in its own way. It was merely a small, weak, persisting _sense_, and it was his only remaining connection to anything outside of his own existence.

Through this sense, he discovered them. Others were with him. Others he knew. Others he had bonded with.

They seemed familiar.

He realized:

They are all here. All of them are still here. None of us have gone anywhere.

I'm not alone.

Saura. He is there. Very close.

And Scythe, and Prince.

And Ray, and Lily.

They are all next to me.

There is another, too:

Celebi?

Yes. Celebi is still here.

Celebi was different, though. She was more… vibrant.

She still had her thoughts, her feelings, her hopes and fears…

Char could sense them.

He could sense her feelings… they were awful, pained feelings.

She hated herself. She hated her life. She felt she had failed.

She felt there was no reason to continue.

Why, Celebi?

What is wrong? Why are you so pained?

"I'm so sorry…"

Her response surprised Char. Though it was an unspoken message, he clearly understood it.

Celebi? What has happened? Why do you cry so?

She fell deeper, darker in to her despair. It moved Char. It affected him. He wanted to rescue Celebi from that darkness, whatever it was. He wanted to make her feel better. It was his conviction.

"I'm still not exactly sure what happened," Celebi spoke through the ethereal medium of communication. "But I think… something crashed into Temporal Tower. It was something very big. Bigger than a mountain, or even a planet. I think… it was… another dimension. I think another dimension collided with Temporal Tower."

Another dimension? That is unusual.

"I know…" Celebi said, causing Char to realize she could sense his intent to communicate. "Dimension collisions are rare, even more rare than planetary collisions… and I think an alternate dimension from the Hall of Origin just… rammed into Temporal Tower… I didn't even see it coming… I'm so sorry… So so sorry…"

Why are you sorry?

The thought did not come from Char. It came from somewhere else. From one of his friends. They, too, were trying to communicate with her.

Why are you sorry? It was not your fault. You had no control.

"Because… because…"

Her spirit was broken. Char wanted so badly to heal her, to tell her that everything would be alright. But he couldn't. He could only… exist.

"Look," she said. "You're dead. All of you are dead. You all died in the crash."

Dead.

_Dead…?_

Death isn't as painful as I expected.

It's very peaceful.

And you survive, Celebi? You remain alive?

"Yes, I used a barrier. I salvaged energy from Temporal Tower and made a barrier as big and as strong as I could. And I guess it protected me. I'm still alive."

Very good, Celebi.

You've done well.

Why do you cry?

Do not mourn us, Celebi.

It is true; we had hopes and dreams. We left goals unfulfilled…

But none of that matters now. We are finally free. We can leave it behind.

It is okay, Celebi. Please do not cry for us.

You can let us go…

"No… no…"

A strong throb of sadness came from her.

"You don't understand… The way you died…"

What? The way we died?

It should not matter how we died. Death is death…

"See… there's a problem," Celebi said with much difficulty, overcoming her anguish. "You all… died outside of the timeline. When you die within the timeline, the time stream sweeps you along, and you can remain in the world... But, but… here… outside of time… if you die, you'll just drift away into the Hall of Origin, and no one will ever hear from you again."

What do you mean, Celebi?

Why does this matter?

"Because… because if you die _outside of time_… you are erased from the timeline. Backwards and forwards. It becomes as though… as though you never existed in the first place."

Erased?

We are… erased?

We will have never been born?

Never have existed?

All the things we've done… they will never have happened?

"Yes… all because you died here, at the top of Temporal Tower… if you would have been a few floors down when this happened, you would have at least kept existing… But now…"

"Now, I'm just holding onto you… I trapped you inside of this barrier with me, and I'm holding it up… but… but as soon as I drop the barrier, you'll all drift away…"

"And… your story will be over. No one will remember you… no one will even know you ever existed."

She descended back into her anguish.

We were the victim of an unfortunate fate.

The world will not remember us.

No one will speak our legends…

Celebi…

It is alright. This is not your fault.

Please.

You remain alive. You must carry on.

For us.

"I can't… I can't…" she said, her messages brimming with so much pain, so much regret. "My one purpose… was to protect Temporal Tower. And I let it fall. Now… time probably stopped everywhere in the world…"

You couldn't control it.

You could not prevent the streams of reality from colliding in the Hall of Origin.

Dialga abandoned you. You could not fare on your own.

This was his fault, not yours.

And even if so…

Celebi… rebuild it. Rebuild Temporal Tower.

You can do it.

It would take eons. But you could do it.

"I… I… I can't… I'm not… powerful… enough…"

"I don't even deserve to be called a legendary Pokémon anymore… I am a legendary failure… I am a disgrace."

"You are the legendary ones… you great Pokémon warriors, you only wanted to help your people… and I…"

"…I couldn't help you… and I let you get erased."

Celebi…

"I… I can _remember_ you**,**" Celebi promised, a strong power coming from her conviction. "I won't forget you, ever. I promise. Whatever is left of the world… they will know about the six Pokémon who died up here. I'll write about you… I'll make sure… you're not forgotten… You will become myths, but you won't be forgotten."

Celebi, it's alright.

"No, no, it's not… I… I can't hold this barrier forever. I'll have to let you go… And then… Then…"

Then…

There was a presence.

It arrived suddenly. Char just knew it was there with him, just as his friends were still there.

It was different than his companions… yet, in some ways, just like them. The same.

Was it another spirit? One that had died in the falling of the tower?

The others noticed the new presence, too. They became curious as to what it was. It seemed important, significant…

And it spoke. Its messages were loud and vibrant, like Celebi's…

"Good evening," it spoke. "It is a relief to meet you, on this exceptionally strange day."

The message broke through Celebi's despair. It caught her attention.

"L—Lord?" she gasped.

"Yes… it is I," the foreign presence said.

Dialga?

This is Dialga?

Dialga does not seem… so intimidating.

His spirit is strong, but simple…

Like ours.

"My lord… I'm sorry, I didn't know how it happened… Something came from the Hall, and…"

"Be still, Celebi. Do not expend your strength on angst. Keep holding your barrier."

"Yes… my lord," Celebi said, her messages wrought with humiliation, but also relief. "Where… where have you been? I have been waiting for you for so long…"

"I never intended to leave you alone for so very long," the spirit of Dialga said. "But during my time upon earth, something unfortunate happened to me. I became trapped in an apricorn singularity. I was powerless to escape, or to act. But now it seems that my tower has been wrecked, and the time stream has collapsed with it. In the temporal chaos, I managed to escape from my prison, but only in spirit. My body remains there."

Apricorn?

That's a Poké Ball. Dialga is talking about a Poké Ball.

Dialga was trapped in a Poké Ball?

Dialga… had been captured?

Dialga? Are you real?

Char felt one of his friends imposing this demand upon the spirit of the temporal god.

Are you the real Dialga?

We were deceived twice by Celebi with false apparitions of you.

We just need to know. We want to trust you.

"Celebi…?" Dialga said, a hint of amusement in his spirit. "Is this true? You made copies of my form to deceive these poor souls?"

"Yes, Lord Dialga, I did…" she said firmly, not hiding her guilt. "But, at the time, it seemed like the best course of action…"

"Come now, Celebi, what have I always told you?" Dialga replied. "We must always strive to make _timeless_ decisions."

"Yes… Lord Dialga," Celebi said dejectedly. "I am sorry. I… I'll make it up to you, somehow…"

"Do not mind," Dialga said to her. "The ruined tower is not the greatest issue here. Tell me, do you see the soul of the human with you?"

"Yes?"

"Examine it. Closely."

Char felt Celebi's presence beginning to impose upon him. He could not tell if she had physically moved closer, or if she was just probing him with her mind, but Celebi felt very close.

"It… it shimmers…"

"…like silver…"

A powerful impulse stemmed from Celebi. She was deeply, utterly shocked.

"_IT'S… YOU!"_

Her signals became scrambled in confusion. Her thoughts and feelings were electrified.

"NO, HOW IS THIS _POSSIBLE?_" she gasped, utterly mortified. "HOW DID _YOU_ GET HERE?"

Me?

You recognize me?

Who am I, Celebi?

"I… I can't BELIEVE THIS!" She cried, her signals blasting at full volume. "HOW DID YOU – _A – AM –"_

"Do not say his name," Dialga abruptly reminded her. "It is not your place."

My name?

You know my name?

"We do," Dialga spoke. "Your name happens to be well-known among the gods."

What is it?

What is my name?

Please, Dialga. Tell me my name.

I am about to die. It is the least you can do for me.

"No," He said, simply.

Char felt rattled.

No?

Why not?

After everything we have done? After all that has happened to us?

And you still keep my name a secret from me?

Why, Dialga?

"Because… you asked me not to tell you."

Char hesitated. This confused him.

I told you not to tell me?

"Yes," Dialga said. "You made it very clear and specific that I was not to tell you your name, and that no other gods, nor their servants, were to utter it to you."

Well… I'm telling you to tell me now!

What is it? What is my name?

Please, tell me. I want to know.

"You made it clear that I was not to tell you, regardless of how much you would beg," Dialga informed him. "You are Char. That is your name among the world of the living. That is the name I shall call you by."

Char felt weak and confused. He could not think this through. His existence was now too simple; he no longer possessed an imagination, or a strong sense of rational thought. Senses were surreal, vague, and fleeting…

"However, if you wish, I might be able to shed some light upon what has happened on this exceptionally strange day," Dialga spoke. "I can tell you how you got here, and I can tell you why these events have happened the way they have. My promise to you prevents me from telling too much of the truth, but those things which I believe I am allowed to tell you, I shall."

Yes, Dialga…

What do you have to say?

Tell us. We will listen.

"Then I shall," he spoke, his spiritual voice clear and pure to their senses. "I believe it all began with you, Char. Once, you stepped outside of the time steam, and you were able to view and understand the course of fate as the gods do; in full."

"As you gazed upon it, you noticed something which you did not agree with. Immediately, you turned to the great Arceus, and said to him, 'I want to change something. Will you let me?' And the great Arceus honored your request."

"In his kindness and his mercy he allowed you to spin your own thread of fate for you to follow. You planned and labored upon great lengths to steer your fate in the precise direction you wanted. You consulted with me, asking me many questions pertaining to cause and effect, and asking for my opinion regarding your visions. You relied on Palkia and I, for you were human, and your understanding of space and time was amateur, and we helped you to craft your idea."

"At last, when you had researched the course of the timeline, asking thousands of questions and considering the answers we gave, you determined your great plan. The exact nature of this plan, and the ultimate goal you sought, was something you never revealed to me, personally. In truth, you had revealed it to only two Pokémon in total: the great Arceus himself, and the guardian of souls, Giratina. That plan was yours; you were very proud of having created it yourself, and having sorted out all of the details properly, and having minimized your margin of error."

"When you put your plan into motion, at your request, you were given the body of a Pokémon and placed in the timeline. You also insisted upon the loss of your memories. The reason for this, you claimed, was two-fold: first, you predicted that your concrete memories, notably something as simple as your own name, would become your primary motivation which would pull you through your intended path. With the simple desire to learn your true name, you would follow the path you laid out for yourself, the plan you had created. You explicitly banned the gods and their servants from revealing these truths to you prematurely, for you knew they would cause you to become complacent with your new existence, and you would abort your plan without it coming to fruition."

"The second reason you chose to have your memories taken was, as you said, that you did not want to have any regrets."

"And so it began. You entered the timeline, and became subject to the circumstances you had planned for yourself. You crossed paths with Saura, and for a time, everything happened according to your plan."

"Unfortunately, you failed to realize something. You were not aware that an enemy had learned of your plan, and sought to destroy it. This foe… is the one you know as 'The Master'."

"To foil your plan, he labored just as thoroughly and painstakingly as you had, creating an alternate path of fate for you to succumb to. And succumb, you did, little one; your journey here to my Temporal Tower was a useless detour. See, as far as I can tell, you were never meant to be here. Your plan did not involve coming here. Somehow, the Master succeeded in throwing you off-course, causing you to branch away from your own plan and climb to the top of my tower…"

"…where a rogue dimensional continuity had conveniently collided with the tower. Temporal Tower came crashing down, murdering you in the process."

"And that is the story of why you and your companions have perished today, little Char," Dialga concluded. "This was the pre-meditated conclusion of a grand plot to kill you, in order to cut short the plan which you had created for yourself. And it seems the Master was not just content to murder you, even, but needed to fully erase you from your continuity. Thus, his goal was to lure you outside of the time steam, and into the Hall of Origin, before triggering your demise. This plan… succeeded."

I died because… the Master plotted to kill me?

But…

But Dialga, where did I go wrong?

When did my path branch away from what was right? What did I do that made me fail my original plan?

"This is where things become interesting," Dialga's spirit explained. "Though I have been captured in the mortal realm, my perceptions have not been entirely stifled. I have been able to watch history unfold, from within the Apricorn… to an extent, at the least. I have been watching you, too, Char. Here is the explanation I offer for how your fate became marred."

"Because he remains hidden, the Master was unable to use conventional means to change the fate of Ambera, and your own fate, Char. Thus, he had to resort to indirect means. He found a perfect tool to tilt the balance of your fate in his advantage, and he found this tool in the newborn souls."

"As strange and fickle as they are, the Master was able to influence the behavior of the newborn souls who leaked from the realm of Giratina. These leaks between the two realms exist due to the same errors in infrastructure which cause the so-called "mystery dungeons" to persist and grow. The rate of dungeons existing and the rate of newborns escaping into the living realm are in proportion, for the same problem is causing both. Unfortunately, this is not a problem I can explain clearly to you, for it involves cosmic forces far beyond your realm of understanding."

"Regardless, he captured the newborns and corrupted them with his own will, causing chaos throughout the land of Ambera. Through the confusion, he encouraged the newborns to target only a few particular Pokémon who were central to your own fate, Char. Acting through the corrupted newborns, or the 'Watchers' as they are known in Ambera, the Master was able to subtly influence and modify the lives of certain Pokémon throughout history to ensure that your journey here to the top of the tower would one day be a success. In fact, all five of your companions were, at one point, touched by the corrupted newborns, changing their personalities to help them make the decisions necessary to guide you here to your demise. This ensured that his plan would fall in place as a complete success, and you became powerless to stop it without knowing of its existence. Once you arrived here at the destination they had intended, the corrupted newborns merely needed to use fear tactics to push you upward and to the summit, where the plan would succeed."

Wait, Dialga.

That's not true.

Not all of us were touched by a Watcher.

Yes… what you said was incorrect.

There was one of us who escaped being corrupted.

It was Prince.

Yes, Lord Dialga. I was never infected with the touch of a Watcher.

I have avoided them for all my life. They did not affect me.

"Ahh… Princely Infernape, I have some sad news for you," Dialga's spirit spoke. "You were, indeed, touched by a newborn once. You merely do not remember it."

That cannot be.

How is that possible?

Please explain… I do not believe what you say.

"I do not enjoy being the bearer of bad news," Dialga's spirit said, his voice pulsing with somberness. "And I have already borne much bad news on this strange day, but I will still answer you. Once, when you served under the 'Gold Division', you stayed out too late at night, and a newborn attacked you. Your mind became corrupt, and you were sent into rage. You burned a small town to ashes with your fire."

No.

You lie.

"I'm afraid I speak the truth, princely Infernape," Dialga sighed. "When your rampage ended, you felt such a deep remorse for what you had done that you begged a rogue psychic to erase your memory of the happening."

My memory was erased?

"Yes," Dialga said. "This is why you felt such a strong urge to leave the Gold Division behind and join the Emerald Division; though you were not able to remember what had happened, your subconscious mind still retained much of the fear and sorrow from your unfortunate act, and so you abandoned your Gold Division and migrated northward with your team. From there, you began to play out the long and unlikely chain of events which would eventually contribute to Char's downfall here today."

Char was filled with pity as he felt Prince's soul collapse in on itself.

Prince descended into very deep anguish, just like Celebi had.

Let me go.

If what you say is true, my existence means nothing to me anymore.

Drop your barrier, and let me drift away into the Hall of Origin.

Please have mercy on me.

I wish to no longer exist.

"I can't," Celebi said. "I can't let you go without letting everyone go… and I don't want to do that yet…"

Prince, have strength.

You had no control. You were controlled by the Watcher.

I have watched more Pokémon die than you have seen in your life.

I have been a murderer. And I was a murderer by my own choice. I enjoyed the act.

You were not.

If I can repent, so can you.

Char knew those sentiments had come from Scythe. Prince responded.

There is no point anymore.

We have perished. There is no time left to repent.

Time is destroyed and we are erased. We will just disappear.

"Wait a moment," Dialga said. "There is a problem with simply letting you all disappear. Celebi… remember the little one, Char. Remember his significance to history?"

"Yes, Lord Dialga?" Celebi replied thoughtfully. "I… I think I know…"

"Imagine if he were to be erased from history. Imagine the repercussions."

A jolt of revelation stemmed from her.

"Oh _dear_," she gasped. "Oh… _ohhh, dear._ That would not be very good."

"Yes," Dialga put simply. "History would become re-written in such strange, unpredictable ways, that even I might not comprehend the full litany of repercussions. It would be, for all purposes, a disaster, the likes of which the Pokémon gods have never witnessed before."

"Wow! You're right!" Celebi cried, panic and desperation clear in her messages. "And the Master wanted this, do you think? Was this his plan?"

"To be honest, I do not believe the Master understood the full range of repercussions, either," Dialga answered. "I believe he was never aware of Char's true significance, and he could not have guessed what would happen if he were to be erased permanently. He did not understand the gravity of his own plan, that even he might be affected so terribly by it. It was, I believe, a grave miscalculation on the Master's part."

"So… what do we do, my lord?" Celebi asked, her words trembling nervously.

"Is it not obvious?" Dialga replied. "We must revive these Pokémon. They cannot be allowed to disappear, especially the Little One, Char."

Char's spirit stirred.

You're going to revive us?

We had given up all hope. We had accepted our fates.

We're not going to die? We're not going to be erased?

"Not if we can help it," Dialga replied warmly. "And I wouldn't have given up hope, if I were you. Even though you are reduced to only your souls, you're not gone yet, are you, now? In fact, you might say… that you are truly down to your last remaining embers. And, as a wise Pokémon once said, you're not gone until that last little ember loses its glow, and fades away."

So it is true.

Our story is not yet over…

We will carry on another day.

We know now. We will never doubt again.

We will keep fighting.

Even though we have died, and come this close to extinction.

"But wait!" Celebi shouted. "How will we revive them, Lord Dialga? I… I do not see how this is possible. They were all touched by the Newborns; their fate is sealed… And you cannot do anything without your body… W-will you use mutation? I know you are capable of some mutation in your spiritual form…"

"I will not mutate anything; I would make only make this mess even worse than it is," Dialga said. "Besides, mutation is not necessary for this task. See, Celebi, I believe there was another factor that the Master did not plan for, when he predestined the deaths of these Pokémon. I believe the Master thought Temporal Tower would be vacant. So there remains one unknown element in his carefully-laid plan. And that random element… is _you_, Celebi!"

"Me, my lord?" Celebi squeaked, her emotions becoming weak and puny.

"Yes!" Dialga asserted. "The Master never planned that you would be here, Celebi. Since you are hidden here, outside of time, it was something he could not see, and could not plan for. All he knew was that I was captured and did not factor into the equation. He never guessed that another Pokémon would be waiting here in my stead, someone with a grasp on the grand nature of time just as I have. Someone… I have personally trained, for all these eons, just for a cataclysm such as this one."

"W—What are you saying, Lord Dialga?" Celebi implored, her voice so fragile and frightened. "You want… _me_ to… to… _reincarnate_ them?"

"You must!" the god of time proclaimed. "And not only reincarnate them, but repair the time stream so that my tower would have not fallen. You are their only hope, Celebi. You are my only hope. You are the only hope of the octillions of sentient souls who have ever lived in our time stream… It is all upon your shoulders, now."

"N—no! NO, NO!" Celebi cried, breaking out in intense panic. "Y-You've got to be joking, my lord! I can't do that! I'm—I _can't! _I'm not strong enough! I'm not intelligent enough! I don't even_ know!_ Know, what you… what you want me to do…"

"You are strong enough, intelligent enough, and you know what to do," Dialga reassured her. "I have made sure of this. I have taught you."

"But Lord Dialga, I wasn't always listening…" Celebi whimpered. "It was always so… confusing for little old me! I didn't always know what you were talking about…"

"Then trust your instincts," Dialga said to her. "You are mortal. You have a subconscious mind, like all mortals. Your instincts are always listening, even when your attention is turned elsewhere. _Trust_ yourself, Celebi. You have the ability."

"But… but, but, I don't even know where to even _start!_" the little Pokémon stammered. "Can't you do it for me?"

"No, Celebi. Not without my body," Dialga said. "And to be honest, I don't know if I could mutate this problem away, even if I decided to. It is too large, too far-reaching of a problem. Without proper planning, I could cause more harm than good. Please… _focus_."

"Are you going to at least tell me what to do?" Celebi shouted at her lord. "I don't even know…"

"Listen," Dialga sighed, his spiritual voice persistently strong and clear. "You will have to perform a feat similar to one I performed, many eons ago, when I rescued a Pokémon from being permanently erased from their reality. You will have to fork the timeline."

"How?" Celebi cried. "I've never _done_ anything like that before! You've always told me never to mess with the time stream like that!"

"Celebi, if you'd _listen_ to me, I will walk you through it," Dialga reprimanded. "I'm not going anywhere. I'll be here until the deed is done. Now… focus on the timeline."

Celebi's rampant emotions were dampened. Her thoughts became steadier and smoother.

"Examine closely, the point where the time stream put the tower in a collision course with the other dimension," Dialga instructed. "There. Do you see it?"

"Yes, there," Celebi said. "Now, what do I have to change?"

"You don't have to change anything," Dialga said.

"Huuh?" Celebi returned, her thoughts and focus unraveling again. "But I thought you said, if you want to fork the timeline, you need to change something. So that in one path, something is true, but in the other, it's false."

"Normally, that is true," Dialga told her. "But, see, you do not need to change anything this time. You merely have to move the time stream away from the cataclysm. Make it flow in a different direction, so it will not collide with the rogue dimension and the disaster will have never happened."

"So… I just have to fork off an identical copy?" Celebi asked. "Right there?"

"_Before_ that point, Celebi. Otherwise your fork will mean nothing."

"_WAAAAAAAAAHH!"_ Celebi suddenly screamed, losing all semblance of focus and causing her psychic barrier to waver. "_I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M DOING! AIIIEEEEEEEEE!"_

Celebi…

Please don't lose heart.

We know you can do it.

Celebi… if you save us, you will be legendary.

You will be a legend among legends.

The little Pokémon who did the work of a god.

The little Pokémon who saved the time stream.

Just focus. The answers will come if you focus.

Forget your fear. Push away your nervousness. They are useless.

Focus on your lord's words.

You can triumph.

We believe in you.

"Ahh… Ahh… Alright," Celebi choked out weakly. "I—I can't let you guys down. No. You're right. I'm going to _do this_. Alright, my lord… what's next?"

"Split the time stream, directly in the center, so the identical copies flow in different directions," Dialga instructed. "This is the simplest part. You've watched me perform this task several times. Just make sure it does not flow back in on itself, or you will create a wave of very strange paradoxes."

"Ahh! Um, alright… Alright… here it goes."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…Like that?"

"Very good. Now, bend the stream a bit further away, so that it is not in danger of colliding with the one that destroyed the tower to begin with. _NO, NOT THERE! _Oh, better. That is better. Well done."

"_AHH!_ Um… alright? What now?"

"Now, for the most difficult part," Dialga warned her. "There are two identical branches of the time stream now, but only one of those branches is inhabited by the sentient souls. Now you must _discontinue_ the original branch, so all of the souls within the timeline flow into the new branch. This is difficult; you must block off the original path _precisely _after the fork you've made. If you create the barrier too far upstream, you create a complete dead-end and you risk killing every Pokémon who's ever lived. Place it too far downstream, and you risk allowing some of the souls to take the wrong route occasionally, and it will cause mass confusion."

"Oh, _geeze…_ That sounds hard," Celebi croaked, her message feeling jittery with nervousness. "So… if I'm going to screw up, make sure it's too far downstream, not upstream. Right?"

"Try not to make a mistake in the first place," Dialga warned. "But yes, if you must, undershooting the fork will have less disastrous repercussions."

"Um… Okay. So, I block it off by… squeezing it? Like this?"

"Yes, but focus. You must get the positioning exactly correct."

"Alright. Here goes…"

Good luck, Celebi.

No, not luck. Skill. Good skill.

You can do this!

We know you can…

We trust you.

"…"

"…"

"… … … … … …"

"Um… did I do something wrong?"

"Yes. You placed the blockade too far downstream."

"_NOOOOO! OH NO! OH NO OH NO OH NO! I TOLD you I couldn't do this!"_

"Celebi, _focus_. All is not lost. Adjust the barrier. Push it slightly upstream until none of the souls can stumble into the old continuity."

"…"

"Further."

"…"

"A bit more."

"… …"

"_STOP."_

"I did it? We're done?"

"Because of your mistake, you have caused several denizens of the time stream to perceive time running in reverse for about six minutes. They will be particularly confused. Otherwise, you have done well."

Good job, Celebi!

We knew you could do it!

We expected nothing less from the apprentice of the great time-keeper.

"I'm… I'm sweating like you wouldn't believe!" Celebi laughed. "Uh… now what?"

"Now," the lord of time instructed, "The hard part is over with, but in this final step, you must be exceptionally gentle. Do you see the tower?"

"YES! It's there!" she cried. "Right there, in the new branch. It's like it didn't even fall!"

"Do you see the six Pokémon who perished in the fall?" Dialga asked.

"YES! They're there, too!" Celebi exclaimed. "They're all whole and alive! They didn't die!"

"Yes, but they are soulless," Dialga said. "Because their souls are missing. Now, you must take these souls in your care, and guide them into their rightful incarnations in the new timeline you just created."

"Oooh, right, I have to reincarnate them… I almost forgot about this part."

"Yes. But please. Be _gentle,_" Dialga warned. "You could traumatize these souls by making their re-entry too jarring. Souls are very sensitive. They have likely forgotten all about their bodies by now, and what it means to live. Ease them into it. Do not rush."

"Yes, Lord Dialga," Celebi replied. "I will try my best…"

"And know… that when you have completed your task and you re-enter the new branch of the time stream, I will not be able to talk to you anymore," Dialga warned. "I will once again be trapped somewhere, in an Apricorn, slowly awaiting my rescue… So, this might be the last we speak to one another in a while."

"I understand…" Celebi said. "Thank you, Lord Dialga… for your support. I never would have believed I could pull that off on my own."

"Thank you for saving the time stream, when I could not," Dialga told her. "Now, the rogue dimension which caused the disaster is far away from Temporal Tower, and will not threaten to repeat the same cataclysm. Before that happens, you can unhinge the tower from reality, and you will be safe."

Thank you, Celebi…

You have done so well…

We are happy for you.

Dialga must be very proud.

"Oh, and one reminder, before I lose contact," Dialga said. "Char… try to understand what has just transpired. On this exceptionally strange day, we have foiled the Master's plan. The consequences of his plan are now completely un-done. It is not just unlikely, but impossible, that he would have planned for you to survive the falling of the tower, and to be revived, as you have. This leaves you free to continue with your own plan, although you must look for a way to return to your proper path from this fateful detour."

I understand.

Then what do I do, Dialga?

Where do I go now?

"Find the Pokémon known as Giratina," Dialga instructed the soul of Char. "Giratina is the only Pokémon who has your permission to tell you your name, or even to utter it. And not only your name, but _every_ answer you seek. This was an important part of your plan, to meet Giratina and learn the truths you needed to carry out the final actions you wanted. If you can do this, your plan will be back on track."

Alright. I will search for Giratina.

But… that might take a long time.

What if it takes me a while to find him?

Until then, what do I do?

"Do what you have always done, little one," Dialga said to him affectionately. "Enjoy life. Enjoy Ambera. Enjoy being a Charmander. Enjoy the company of your friends. Learn and train to grow stronger and wiser. Fight for what you believe in, whatever it may be. And don't give up until the fire in your belly ceases to burn. That is, indeed, what life was meant for! Savor it while you can, but don't ruin it with bad decisions and poor judgments."

I will, Lord Dialga.

Thank you.

"Thank _you_, little one," Dialga hummed. "It was a pleasure to encounter you today, though it happened amidst the most unfortunate of circumstances. And it was an honor to meet the rest of you, as well. This will not be our final meeting, I suspect. I will see you again… when the time is right."

Wait.

Wait, Dialga.

"Yes?"

Tell me one thing.

"What is it?"

Have you ever said to me, 'This is not something we wish upon you. You bring this upon yourself, by your own actions.'?

"Hmm… I am sorry. I do not remember ever saying that. However… it seems like something I would say, given the proper circumstances. But as I am trapped in this apricorn, it is difficult to glance far back in time to tell."

Alright.

Thank you, Dialga…

Goodbye.

"So long, little one… may fate flow ever in your favor. You will have the answers you seek, one day…"

* * *

_Yellow._

There was a yellow light, almost like sunlight, coming from everywhere.

It was a color. It was the first color Char had seen in what seemed like a very long time.

Yellow engulfed him.

It bubbled up around him, like many tiny suns.

Through it, he felt a rush of power.

A burdensome weight had been attached to him. It was a familiar weight. A beloved one. His pet Charmander. His body.

Char blinked, trying to get the yellow bubbles out of his eyes as it gradually faded away.

_His eyes._

Char realized that his body was back under his command. He felt his heart pounding. He felt his ember licking his insides. He felt his thoughts racing.

His thoughts. His emotions. They had all returned.

"Ughh…" he groaned as he rolled over on the floor, stretching his muscles.

It felt so good to hear his throat produce a sound. He could speak again. His spiritual communication had been far too inhibited.

Groggily, he righted himself and stood upon his four legs. He glanced around the room. They were still upon the temporal pinnacle. His friends were there. They were barely moving, all staring wide-eyed at one another, feeling the shock being back home in their rightful physical forms.

"Well? Well?" A voice chirped from nearby. "Was that not gentle enough? I didn't traumatize you, did I?"

Char eyed the little green fairy Pokémon. She was so winded and spent, she did not fly anymore. She stood upon the floor quaking in anticipation.

"_Please_ be okay…" she muttered, almost whispering. "Say something? Please?"

Char grinned.

He jumped to his feet and blew a stream of flames into the air.

"_YEAH!"_ He shouted rapturously. "WE'RE ALIVE! We _MADE IT_! YEAAAAH!"

A joyous, contagious laugh of triumph sounded upon the Temporal Pinnacle as Char's friends joined in the celebration. Char pounced upon the Pokémon closest to him, which was Ray, just so he could feel his heart pumping again. Ray sent him a playful jolt of static in return, but he barely even felt it over the euphoria he felt.

"Oh, _man._ We just _died_ and came back to life!" Saura cried, wide-eyed.

Lily gave him a joyful hug with her vines. "Yeah! Some exploration team we make, right?" she laughed. "Now we can say that we explored the _final frontier!_ The place where no one else has ever wanted to go. Though, let's not go back anytime soon, alright?"

"You said it!" Saura shouted in reply. "Now we can tell everyone that we came back from the dead. They'll never believe us, but I don't care! We know what really happened!"

"Char, what was all this about you having a plan?" Scythe asked, a wide and curious smile on his face. "It seems as though you anticipated the actions you would take, after having your memories erased. That is very impressive."

Char recovered from his short scuffle with Ray. "I… guess so," he laughed nervously. "I still don't know what kind of a plan it was. No clue. I guess I have to find Giratina to find out for sure…"

"Yes, and stay _far away _from the Watchers from now on, at all costs," he warned him. "It seems as though they were the ones who tilted your fate in an unfavorable direction. As long as you make sure never to become corrupted again, the Master should not be able to destroy your fate again. The same goes for your friends. Keep them safe from the Watchers, and you may be able to continue trusting them."

"Right," Char replied. "Never again… but even so, I came really far off-course. I hope I can get back to where I wanted to be originally…"

"The Master is surely scrambling to create a backup plan, even as we speak," Scythe said. "But you have the advantage. You are ahead of him, now. Avoid the Watchers, avoid his influence, and you will find a way. I am certain."

Across the room, the beaming Raichu pounced on the weary, spent Celebi, clinging to her tightly.

"_BEST. LEGENDARY. EVER!_" Ray laughed. "At first I kinda liked Nameless, and Dialga was impressive, but now, you're officially the best!"

"_SHHH! _Quiet! Don't let Lord Dialga hear you say that!" Celebi laughed. "He'll be angry!"

"But in all honesty, thank you," Ray said. "You did something really difficult for us. We owe you our lives. _Everyone_ owes you their lives, now."

"Well, I, uh, I still can't believe what just happened," Celebi squeaked. "I kinda want to forget all about it… it was too scary. But… you're welcome. I just did my best, after all…"

"Your best was _awesome,_" Ray replied. "Thank you…"

Char looked at his friends, all laughing and frolicking happily.

He smiled as he watched them celebrate. They were happy to just be alive.

He looked at his own claws. The claws of a Charmander. He knew now, there was a purpose in having these claws, having this flaming tail, and having this fire within his belly. There was some kind of reason for it. And even though he didn't remember what it was, he knew that his past self had something planned. And now that he had shaken off this devious plot to end him, escaped from death itself, he was free to venture forth and discover just what this plan was.

_My name… it's just the carrot at the end of the stick,_ Char realized. _I don't care what it is anymore. I'll find it. And when I do, I'll find the rest of my purpose, too. _

_Giratina… wherever you are, I'm going to find you. _

Char clenched his claws in solemn resolution. His past self had never meant for him to set foot on Temporal Tower, let alone climb to the top. But here he was. And now he had some of the answers.

Against the strangest of odds, his plan was prevailing…whatever it was.

Char glanced at his friends. They were still laughing. Practicing their battle moves against one another. Getting back into the spirit of being alive. Even Celebi seemed gleeful, for once.

But, among them, there was one who did not look so excited to have returned to the realm of the living.

Prince, like the rest of them, had a smile upon his face. His, though, was a sad smile.


	67. Chapter 49: The Master Plan, Part 2

**Chapter 49**

The adventure had come to an end.

The team remained upon the temporal pinnacle for a while longer, chatting with Celebi about the challenges they had faced climbing the tower, as well as life back in Ambera, the perpetual struggle with the Master, and thoughts about how the resistance would react when the learned that the Call had no potential to be used as a weapon. Through Celebi's glee and polite humor, Char could see how she jittered with weariness; she was spent, physically, spiritually, and emotionally, and would probably collapse into a deep rest as soon as they left.

And so, it soon became time for the triumphant group of Pokémon warriors to say their goodbyes to Dialga's faithful assistant, descend the tower, and return to the world from which they came.

Char turned his gaze upward one last time, trying to savor the gorgeous, supernatural sight of the Hall of Origin. His heart was loathe to leave it behind. Somehow, some small corner of his spirit yearned for that sky, found solace in those swirling auras of stars, those glowing specks of blues and oranges, that perpetual sunrise and sunset of existence which most mortals would never glimpse upon.

_A rare combination of colors in an unlikely place_, Char realized.

_By itself, it has no beauty._

_It only has beauty because I have eyes to gaze upon it, and it means something to my heart._

_It means…_

…_something special. Something most Pokémon, and humans, wouldn't know about. Something they wouldn't appreciate._

_But something I know. Or, something I used to know._

"Do you remember the stars?" Celebi asked him, jolting his gaze away from the sky. "They were always your favorite part of the Hall of Origin, A-… Char. You would just… stare at them, endlessly…"

"I think I might," Char admitted, glancing back up at them. "They're stirring something in me… Even when I see the stars at night in Ambera, it gives me this feeling… But it's only just a feeling. There are no memories to go with it…"

Celebi smiled knowingly. "Ahh, you've come so far…" she sighed, flitting in front of him and looking into his eyes. "I still can't believe it's actually you. Wow… you have no idea how hard it is not to call you by your real name. I just – I hope, when you discover who you really are, you aren't disappointed…"

"Celebi, I'm sorry about Dialga," Char told the little weary fairy. "If he's in a Poké Ball somewhere in Ambera, I'll try to find him for you. I promise."

"Oh, you don't have to do that," Celebi returned humbly. "That's not important right now. Lord Dialga can take care of himself. What's important now is that you find Giratina, alright? Trust me."

Char nodded. "I understand. But you never know; maybe I'll find Dialga along the way."

"Right! Fate surprises all," Celebi giggled. "In the meantime, I'm sure I'll be fine up here. Lord Dialga prepared me for this, after all. I'll keep watch over Temporal Tower as long as I need."

Char smiled. Celebi seemed much more confident in her abilities now.

"Oh… I think you dropped something," Celebi chirped, swooping around Char's back before presenting him with a particular object.

It was the golden reviver seed Char had clung to for so long. It was still unused. Char gratefully accepted it, wondering just when he had dropped it.

"You held onto it for so long, even through that whole battle!" Celebi said. "I was impressed, actually. I don't think you dropped it until… well,when the tower fell. It's a shame that there are some things they actually can't revive you from, like cosmic cataclysms… But they try their best, so keep holding onto it, alright?"

Char nodded. "Thank you," he uttered, grasping the seed in both claws. "…for everything."

Celebi just smiled in return. It was a spacey, far-away simile, but a happy one.

"Can you teleport us back to the surface?" Prince inquired. "Do you have the power to do so? It would make our journey much easier."

"Um, I could, but I'd have to teleport with you, and I might end up leaving the tower abandoned for eons," Celebi explained. "And even then, it's a long teleport down to the surface. I might miss. I'm sorry; I don't think I'm willing to take that chance. But on the bright side, you shouldn't have any problems with the dungeons this time. I think that blasted other dimension was doing strange things to the tower's dungeon, so it should be gone now. Just walk down the stairs, swat some of the wilds away if they bug you, and you should have your feet back on the ground before you know it!"

_We also have a couple of escape orbs, I think,_ Char remembered. _But they'd separate us. They would only teleport out those of us who have these emblems on our scarves. Prince and Ray would still have to walk the rest of the way down by themselves. So I think we should stick together._

"Then we will enjoy the walk through this godly monument, while it lasts," Prince replied, presenting a subtle bow to her. "And now, we shall take our leave. Your hospitality has been god-like, good Celebi. You will not be forgotten."

With one final heartfelt goodbye, Char and his friends gathered their belongings and approached the stairway to begin their descent. Ray strapped the bag of Team Ember's to his back, and Scythe held Alakazam's bag. Both bags held many unused items, which was fortunate; they would surely become useful in future endeavors. But Char still wondered if more items had been used from his own team's bag than from the one Scythe held; the bag of Alakazam's priceless valuables…

"Char…" Celebi spoke, framed by the last remaining view of the gorgeous starry sky as she watched the visitors descend the staircase. "The Charmander… suits you. Perhaps someday soon, you could grow wings… then you could be closer to the stars you love so much..."

* * *

**Temporal Spire 8F**

The walk was long. Char knew it would take at least a full day to traverse the twenty-four floors and the hundred-thousand stairs needed to return to the base of Temporal Tower. But unlike the climb, it would at least be a walk, rather than a fight. There would be enough fighting back in Ambera. There was always fighting. The resistance fought the Master. The Master fought the innocent civilians of Ambera. The civilians fought the wayward newborn souls who populated the night sky. The police fought the criminals. The exploration teams fought the feral, mindless Pokémon in the mystery dungeons. Resistance team leaders fought with their division leaders. Rivals fought with rivals, and brothers fought with brothers. There was always so much fighting in the world, so much unrest…

And the only way to stop all the fighting was to join it. Such was the life he was headed back to: the life of perpetual struggle; the life of no peace.

In a way, it made sense to Char. Pokémon were built to fight. He knew that now. It was all part of a Pokémon's identity. It was part of their whole culture, their whole reason for living. Arceus had bestowed upon Pokémon, as a birthright, such a strange and wonderful myriad of powers, powers of fire, of water, of lighting, of earth and rock, of steel and darkness, of leaf and wing and fist… and these powers came to define everything about them. Life was a glorious struggle for Pokémon, a climb to the top of the tower. It was a quest for self-realization, mastery of skill, and perfection. It was in their strength, and in their ability to use that strength to shape the world and to help their friends and loved ones, which they found the deepest kind of happiness.

It was something human Pokémon trainers could barely comprehend. Humans would never understand just how important battling was to Pokémon. Trainers challenged one another for recreation and serious competition alike, but for the Pokémon, it was a celebration of life itself. It meant everything to them.

But the kind of fighting that took place here, in this world of Ambera, was different.

Ambera should have been a Pokémon utopia. It was a wide, expansive continent featuring every imaginable formation of land, every kind of terrain, every kind of habitat… And within these habitats lived every imaginable kind of Pokémon, free to live, to fight, to form their own families and cultures and lives apart from human influence. It should have been perfect.

But instead of fighting to grow, the Pokémon of Ambera fought to survive… while others fought to kill.

It was wrong… so, so wrong. Pokémon fought wars over control of the land, a land big enough for all to live in harmony, and many died. And at the center of all these wars, it seemed, was the enigmatic Master who wanted to see Ambera crumble to dust. The Master, who continually reconstructed Ambera's social structure by purging innocent cities from the map, failing to rebuild them. The Master, who saw fit to curse the most innocent newborn souls of Pokémon, creating the Watchers who reigned over each night using fear. The Master, who was so desperate to have his way that he was willing to let Temporal Tower become destroyed, willing to _stop time_ across the face of the whole planet, just to defy the plan of a single human who wanted to make a difference in the world.

In response, Pokémon did the one thing they knew how to do best – they fought. They fought every day to free Ambera from its shackles, to help it become the Pokémon haven it was always meant to be.

Tomorrow, Char would rejoin that fight. But not today; today was to be a day of peace.

Temporal Tower was mesmerizingly gorgeous. The symbols, the designs, the etchings upon each pillar, the swirls of sparkling metal which flowed through the floor and upon every monument… Char tried to appreciate them to their fullest as he passed them by. At one point, as he observed a statuette of what must have been a Rattata curled around three young hatchlings, it occurred to him that Temporal Tower, itself, was a representation of the time stream. It was expansive, stable, and beautiful, housing the complete history of the world within its confines… but at the same time, being a mystery dungeon, it was slightly random and not completely predictable.

Just like fate.

Char knew that the wonders he witnessed within the tower's cathedral-like chambers were not the same as they had been when he had passed through before. Though they kept the same basic formation, they had subtly shifted around and changed in appearance. It was indeed a beautiful design for the temporal god's home, though in a disturbing kind of way.

"Try to remember what you see," Prince recommended. "Keep everything close to your heart, everything you've seen and felt. Hold onto those small details that have defined this journey for you. Legend is going to want to hear all of them."

"I don't think we can…" Ray admitted. "There's just too much. We can't possibly remember enough of… _this_… to explain it to Legend."

"Yeah… and I don't know how we're going to explain to him what death feels like, either," Saura added. "It didn't feel like much of anything, really…"

"Well, that is why there are six of us," Prince said, pausing for a moment to behold the inscribed runes upon a pillar. "Legend will have six different accounts of this journey, and he can piece together an idea of how it all went. He's skilled at that."

Prince traced his finger upon a plaque. "Hmm, these resemble Unown," he muttered. "Though, they are a bit small…"

There was a blur of motion.

There was a powerful impact.

_*SLASH!* *THUMP*_

Prince's body slumped to the floor with a large, bloody streak across his back.

Scythe stood over him, his blade dripping with the same blood.

For that instant, time seemed to stop.

The Scyther loomed above the fallen form of his old friend, his blades still drawn in a pose of lethal attack. Pity sparkled in his eyes, though his expression had become one of cold determination.

"Scythe…?" Char gasped, though apprehension swept through his body, sapping the energy needed to move a muscle.

Scythe did not answer. Instead, he placed one of his flat, spiked feet upon Prince's back.

"You…" Prince groaned, a raspy whisper. "You tricked me…"

Prince stirred, pushing against the floor in a shaky attempt to overcome the Scyther's strength. But Scythe forced him back down, pinning him.

"I was… expecting… you to betray me, but this is too soon," Prince uttered, struggling to draw breath. "Thought you wouldn't try… until… we were out of the tower. But… that's why you told Nameless what you told her, isn't it? You… you asked her to help you knock me out _after_ we were done with the tower. You –you _expected_ her to tattle to me… and so… I anticipated your attack coming tomorrow…"

The Infernape writhed, managing to twist his head enough to meet the Scyther's glowering gaze.

"You sly bug," Prince grumbled. It was not a statement of hatred, or bitterness, but of resignation.

"I have fought you twice, and failed," Scythe spoke down to him in a low, threatening tone, one that deeply frightened Char. "Did you think I would fail the third time? No; even now, even after everything which has happened to you, you still underestimate. You have not learned how to anticipate surprises. Now, _be gone,_ Prince Calamar."

Lily shrieked, calling Prince's name as the Scyther raised his blades to strike.

_*TWHAP. THWAP. THWAP. THWAP.*_

Scythe swung his blades as mighty bludgeons, hammering them into the sides of Prince's skull. The flames upon the Infernape's head danced in rhythm to the concussions, as though they were trying but failing to begin the blaze reaction… Char's stomach lurched at the calculated brutality of each attack.

_*TWHAP. THWAP. THWAP. THWAP.*_

Char began to tremble. Remembering he held a reviver seed, he began trying to dig his claws into its shell.

"_Scythe…_" he said again, utterly incredulous.

The Infernape stopped moving. The fire upon his crown dimmed. He was unconscious.

Scythe lifted his foot from the fallen body of Prince, taking a deep sigh. He then turned his gaze, cold and evil, to the cowering Pokémon who had witnessed the act.

"Weakness," he spoke solemnly, taking a deliberate step towards Char and his companions, keeping the sharp, bloody ends of his blades drawn, "is the most–"

His words were interrupted by a supersonic _screech_.

A glowing aura of yellow, almost like a pillar, flashed behind Scythe in the place Prince had fallen. Scythe twisted his body and spun around, preparing to assault the source of the noise.

His eyes met Prince, standing back on his feet and fully healed. _Revived. _His fire burned brightly. His hands curled into fists. A determined scowl formed upon his face.

Scythe staggered backward in surprise. He buzzed his wings for a moment in an attempt to keep himself from falling over in shock.

There was another painful, electric moment of silence as Prince and Scythe stood off. Scythe's mouth gaped open, looking utterly baffled.

"Char," Scythe gasped deeply, his voice breaking even upon the one syllable, "I thought I _told_ you to throw away all the reviver seeds…"

"Oh, I'm sure he did," Prince returned, smirking. "Char trusts you. He would have done whatever you asked, you know. It's his character."

Scythe gaped again, his jaw hanging open as his eyes darted intensely across the form of the Infernape. He was desperately asking himself what had gone wrong, how his plan had been foiled…

After a moment, the Scyther's eyes widened – farther than Char had ever seen before. They were dilated and bloodshot. Within them, he saw genuine fear.

"You – you –" the Scyther stammered, taking another step backward. "You _hid reviver seeds in that sack with the Frozen Flame!_"

Scythe shook his head violently before assuming hostile posture. "_How many_, Prince? How many do you have in there?"

"_Eight," _Prince taunted, confidence now ringing in his voice. "Though, since one was just now used, the count is now _seven_. And since I hold them so close to my form, they will revive nobody _but me._ Now, old friend, it appears you have a choice to make."

Scythe winced, crossing his blades in a defensive parry as the Infernape took a single step in his direction.

"_Tell me_ what you are planning, Scythe," Prince ordered, talking down to the Scyther. "_Tell me_, so that I might help you carry it out. That is… unless you believe you can knock me out eight more times, before I can knock you out once? It's your call now. What will it be?"

Scythe cringed, raising his parry higher and closer to his face. He drew short, desperate gasps of breath. He was terrified.

"Why don't you tell me?" Prince pressed. "Am I untrustworthy to you, Scythe? You have trusted me with so many plans before, why not now? Why do you quake with panic at the thought of letting me in on the secret? Scythe… how am I to make any sort of judgment when you will not speak to me? How am I to know that you are not planning to betray… those innocent Pokémon who stand over there?"

The Infernape took another step closer to his rival.

"Let it be known, Scythe… if you lay a blade on those who we were sworn to protect, I will fight until my fire dies," he spoke powerfully. "All my life, I have stood back and witnessed violence and betrayal. And so have you, _Adron_. But now, the time has come for me to keep it from happening in the first place."

He extended a hand. It was a sign of peace.

"Scythe… _tell me _what you plan," he spoke carefully. "Ally with me."

"_I'll NEVER tell you!"_ Scythe screeched, opening his wings and his blades to strike.

_*CLANG!* *CLANG!*_

The sounds of clashing metal rang as Prince parried Scythe's open-blade attacks with his metallic wristbands.

Scythe attacked violently, almost maniacally, moving faster than light seemed to travel. Prince held his ground, dodging and blocking every blow.

Prince ducked under a flying blade, then caught another one on his wristband. He batted it away, countering with a fire-fisted blow to the side of Scythe's head.

_*POW.*_

Scythe reeled back, stumbling.

"Give up, Scythe," Prince warned him. "You can't defeat me."

Scythe did not listen. Screeching a terrifying war cry, the Scyther opened his wings and struck again, buzzing through the air above and around the Infernape. But he could not hit his opponent, for Prince fought at full strength from being recently revived, and he danced and tumbled out of the reach of every attack.

Prince coiled his body, then leaped straight into the air as Scythe zipped past underneath. He planted his feet upon the stone pillar, twisted his body, then delivered a fiery punch downward, putting the entire force of his weight behind his fisted arm.

_*SMACK.*_

The attack connected. Scythe tumbled backward in a blur of buzzing wings and flailing blades, slumping to the ground.

"There's a simple way to end this!" Prince called to him after landing graciously on all fours, coiled for another strike. "I don't want to defeat you. Stop attacking me and _talk._"

From his position on the floor, Scythe pounced. He zipped past Prince, striking him on the forehead with the backhanded tip of his blade. Prince winced and couldn't recover from the surprise; Scythe pivoted and swung his other blade, slamming it into Prince's chest and thrusting him against the pillar. He locked Prince's neck between the backsides of his blades, jumping over his attempt to counter with a kick.

"You can strike me down, maybe once or twice more, but you can't defeat me," Prince begged, his voice once again rasping as the blades choked him. "Will you try to see reason?"

"I _have _my reasons," Scythe hissed angrily. "It is _you_ who does not see them!"

Prince lurched his body and kicked powerfully at the pillar, throwing Scythe backward and freeing his throat from the deadlock. He dropped close to the ground and bucked his feet at Scythe's abdomen, throwing the Scyther off-balance.

Scythe took to the air again, trying to fly out of the Infernape's range, but Prince jumped after him and thrust himself from the pillar, delivering another swift blow to the Scyther and sending him lurching back to the ground.

Through the fight, Char clutched his reviver seed so tightly it might break.

He didn't understand what was going on. _Why_ was this fight happening? _Why _was Scythe so intent on removing Prince from the picture, even to the point of battling him like this?

And why did he keep fighting even when he knew he would fail? Why didn't he listen to Prince?

_Maybe… Prince was right?_ Char realized, a cold, dark dread coming over him.

_What is Scythe doing?_

_Did I make the wrong decision in trusting him?_

"Guys…" Ray whispered, clearly as frightened as Char. "Guys, I think… we might need to fight."

"Fight?" Saura croaked, cowering from the violence he witnessed.

"Look. If we gang up on one of them, we can end the battle," Ray said. "We probably can't stop them from fighting, but… Five against one… we could win. We beat Dialga together, we could win. But… who do we help?"

Scythe's cries of madness resounded through the cathedral chamber as he zipped in circles around his opponent with the agility of a fly, striking with bared blades around and behind the Infernape's defenses. Prince's skills of dodging and anticipating the Scyther's attacks proved to be incredible and incomprehensible, perhaps because he relied on the primal, terrifying fear of simply having a Scyther take aim at him. A Scyther, whose blades were built for clean and easy dismemberment and decapitation… A Scyther who had cut halfway through the diamond-encased pillar that represented the temporal god's leg.

Prince poured all of his focus and agility into dodging those swings; one stray, unexpected blow could send his head rolling across the floor or his blood spilling in droves upon the ground.

_*CLANG!* *CLANG!* *CLASH!*_

He twisted and spun, rhythmically catching the Scyther's blades upon his plates of golden armor from any direction they came, stopping them dangerously close from slicing through his fur and flesh.

Scythe lunged, and Prince cartwheeled out of the way, thrusting himself into the air by the strength of his arms and landing back on his feet.

"Char," Ray breathed. "You were closer to them both than any of us were. _Who do you think should win this fight?_"

Char shook his head blankly, choking his words out.

"I…"

Scythe delivered an unexpected move, slamming away Prince's parry with the brunt of his foot. From his position in the air, he forced the other foot into Prince's face, causing the Infernape to reel back.

_I don't know…_

Prince tried to guard himself from the next blow, but Scythe attacked from an unexpected direction and managed to strike a shallow slice into his back. Prince propelled himself out of the way before the blade could cut too deeply, but Char could see that it had hurt.

_I don't know…_

_*FWOOM.*_

Desperate to keep the crazed insect away, Prince spat a ball of fire into the air before him. It missed, spattering against the chamber wall.

Scythe's fury only seemed to grow. He grunted and shrieked with every move, forcing his calculated might into each swipe of his blades.

_*SLICE!*_

The tip of Scythe's blade nicked Prince in the arm. A few drops of blood landed on the floor.

Though his attacks were beginning to make contact, Scythe had a long battle to fight if he wanted to deplete his opponent's reviver seeds. His strength was beginning to fail him, his movements becoming jerky and erratic in his desperate attempts to subdue the Infernape.

_I just don't know…_

Prince dropped to all fours and pounced low, snagging Scythe's airborn leg and whipping the Scyther down into the ground. Scythe cried in fury, smashing the Infernape's grasp between both of his feet and twisting away.

_I don't even know why they're fighting…_

_*FWOOM! FWOOM*_

Prince blew more balls of fire into the air, attempting to control the Scyther's route of attack. Scythe instead aimed for one of them, blocking it against the crossed surfaces of his metal blades, then opened his blades into a scissor formation to close upon Prince's neck. Prince ducked below it, thrusting his flaming crown into the Scyther's belly. Scythe reeled back with several embers glowing upon him.

"_Char!_" Lily cried angrily, stamping her feet against the floor so hard that it looked like she would break them. "Char, why are… why are you even _thinking _about this? This isn't a _hard decision!_"

"But I don't know why they fight," Char said simply. "How can you expect me to choose when I don't even know why they are fighting?"

Lily leaped close to Char. "_PRINCE!_" she screamed desperately into his ear. "_PRINCE_ is fighting for _you!_ Do you _realize?_ He's _FIGHTING FOR YOU!_"

"…"

_"Beautiful, isn't it?"_

"…"

Char blinked. It suddenly became clear to him.

"…"

_"Even as the darkness of the storm threatens to choke the sun, it shines ever brighter."_

"…"

"No," he spoke quietly, holding the reviver seed close to his chest and shaking his head. "No… he's not."

"What are you _talking about,_ Char?" Lily growled at him. "Everything he's done… it has all been for _you_, Char! You were the one he spent his life seeking! We have to – we have to _help him!_"

"No," Char said again. "He's not fighting for me."

Char looked at the floor.

"Prince isn't fighting for me at all. And he's not fighting for you, either. He's fighting for _himself_."

"Char, what are you _talking about?_" Lily yelled at him, now with a fearful waver in her voice.

"I think he doesn't know what he's fighting for," Char told her, turning to meet her gaze. "The Call is useless now. It doesn't mean anything. Lily… _we aren't special anymore_."

Lily's mouth gaped, as though to scream a reply at him. Instead, she said nothing, and her face turned to a scowl.

"We're… we're just Pokémon now," Char said. "We're just ordinary Pokémon. You… you heard what he said when we were spirits. His whole life was a lie. He doesn't even know why he's here anymore. He's just fighting because he feels like he has to fight."

"_Char…"_ Lily growled. It was a threat.

Char held his gaze to hers, resolute and steadfast.

"But Scythe," he told her, "is fighting for _Ambera._"

Char turned to face his Bulbasaur and Raichu friends.

"_Fight Prince,_" he ordered them. "Help Scythe!"

"…Are you sure, Char?" Saura asked him. "Is that really what you want?"

Char nodded, taking a deep breath. "Yeah. I'm sure," he muttered. He wasn't, but he felt as sure as he was going to get.

"Alright. You heard him!" Ray cried, dropping to all fours and letting static arch from his cheeks. "Prince is going down! _Let's go!_"

Char was about to launch himself into the fight, but felt himself pulled back. A pair of vines twisted around his body.

"No, _YOU CAN'T!_" Lily shouted. "Don't _touch him!_"

_No…_

Char pulled against the vines for a moment. He hesitated to attack.

_No…_

_You don't understand…_

He closed his eyes, and for five short seconds, he let his thoughts settle.

_This is your chance,_ he said to himself.

_There's no convincing her. She is a friend, but she can't hold you back from what you need to do._

_Time for the trainer to step back, and let the Charmander fight._

_Go. Don't think, and don't feel. Just fight._

Char opened his eyes.

He twisted around, turning to face Lily and leaping toward her so that her vines loosened.

He launched a stream of fire at the Bayleef.

"_YEAAAAGHH!_" Lily screeched. Her vines tightened their hold, tried to thrash Char's body away from herself.

"CHAR, you little _jerk!_" She wailed, blinking the soot out of her eyes.

Char held his breath, attempting to overheat his body just as Prince had taught him. He hoped it would light the vines on fire.

_*SMACK!*_ Ray bolted into her, delivering a powerful head-butt to her side. She staggered, loosening her vines and letting Char wriggle to freedom.

"Sorry…" Ray said meekly, backing off from the attack.

"You're _crazy!_" Lily spat at the Raichu, scampering a few feet away from him and regaining her balance. "Just like Scythe is! All of you are crazy! You think you can _trust him?_ Do you really think you can trust_ him_ and not Prince? Do you have any _idea_ what Prince has been through? Do you _know _how many times he's pulled through for us?"

"Sorry, Lily," Ray said. "Sometimes you've just got to choose a side and go for broke. We choose Scythe, and if you hold us back, we're going to fight you…"

"But why do you _blindly_ trust him?" Lily cried, taking a few fearful steps backward. "You blindly trust Scythe and you blindly trust Char for blindly trusting Scythe!"

"And you blindly trust Prince," Char shot back. "So we're even."

"_NO! You don't get it!"_ Lily wailed. "I trust Prince because I've _been with him_ for thirty years! He's _proven_ it to me! How much does Scythe have to prove, huh? What has he done to make you so… so _attached_ to him? So far, he's only tried to _use you_ for your Call, hasn't he? You could always see it in his eyes! You're just a _thing_ to him! You've – you always have been _just a thing_ to him!"

"How do you know that, Lily?" Char asked her. "Is it because Prince treated you the same way when he first found you? Did he try to use you as a weapon, too? He did, didn't he? When the call first went off, you were just a _thing_ to him, too!"

Lily's mouth gaped, deeply offended at the insult to her mentor, but Char saw her eyes glaze over as her thoughts drifted back to distant memories.

"_YOU'RE WRONG!_" She cried, crouching into a hostile battle stance.

A flurry of sharp, spinning leaves flew past Char as Lily flung her glowing leaf back and forth, launching the projectiles. Char awkwardly dodged around them, trying not to fumble the reviver seed.

A leaf struck Ray in the ear.

"Oww…" Ray whined, ducking his head and rubbing the slice with his paw.

_This is holding me back,_ Char realized, looking at the reviver seed he held. _I… have to trust my abilities now._

He tossed it aside.

He dropped to all fours and bolted at the Bayleef, blowing a cloud of flame at a leaf that was about to strike him. Lily saw him coming and swatted a vine at him, striking him in the side and knocking him on his back.

Two more vines swiveled through the air. They twisted and tied knots around the Bayleef's vines, detaining them from moving.

"Saura? You _too_?" Lily moaned, glancing sadly at the Bulbasaur who held her vines hostage.

"Sorry, Lily…" he cried, gasping and struggling to keep her attacks leashed. "I… have to fight for my friends, I hope you understand…"

"Char, why does it _matter_ that he wanted to use my Call?" Lily blasted, unable to untangle from the knot. "He's a _good person!_ Char… Prince is a good person! And Scythe just… he just _isn't_!"

"Scythe is a good person," Ray said. "I know, I've known him for a long time. Not as long as you, but long enough. Look, Lily… it's nothing personal, but sometimes, good Pokémon disagree with one another and they can't compromise. Then they've gotta fight. There's just not any way around it…"

"FINE! _FINE!_ Then _fight, _see if I care!" Lily screamed. "But you'll have to get through _me_ first!"

Using her tangle of vines, she picked Saura straight off the ground and flung him away in an attempt to untangle the vines. But the tangle only tightened like a slip-knot, and Saura slammed into the ground.

_*Slice!* *Slice!*_

Ray leapt over the taut vines, sweeping his tail downward. Shining with white power, it sliced through Lily's vines and freed Saura from their grip.

"_AUUUGH!_" Lily roared in great frustration. She barreled at Ray, her leaf shining with a charged attack.

She rammed him, sending him tumbling backward. As he tried to roll to his paws, she launched a swarm of glowing, multicolored leaves from her forehead. They slid through the air, honing in on the fallen Raichu and scraping at the skin beneath his fur.

"OW ow ow ow_ ow ow!" _Ray cried, flailing and trying to scratch all of the leaves away. Static sparked brightly across his face.

"Alright, you asked for it!" he cried, from the ground and to his paws.

A flash of lightning arched through the air from the electric rodent, connecting with Lily's head. It clearly fazed her.

Char took the opportunity, attacking from behind her and breathing a stream of flames at her.

Her leaves caught on fire.

"Auhghh, AUGH!" Lily cried, dropping to the ground and rolling to put out the fires. "STINGS!"

Char felt a pang of sympathy, but attacked again. He loosed another pillar of fire at the Bayleef. When the pillar dissipated, a tongue of flame remained on her back.

"_AIIIIEEE!_" she cried, painfully.

_Don't think,_ Char said to himself. _Don't feel. Just fight._

He dodged her attempt to thrash him away, and blew another stream of fire. It caught the leaf on her head.

_*SMACK!* _Ray had retaliated, launching a projectile orb at the suffering Bayleef, knocking her further back.

Lily's eyes began glowing. She sprouted _several_ brand new vines, all which slithered through the air and tried to detain Char. Parts of her body were still engulfed with flame, but she did not seem to care anymore.

_It's her second wind,_ Char realized. _She's really dangerous now. But… I can knock her out._ _I think._

Char released a small smoke-screen around himself just moments before the twisting vines were able to hone in on him. When they did, they captured empty air. Char had escaped.

_*SMACK!*_ Ray hit her with another ball of energy, directly to the face. She blinked and winced, still laying crumpled in the same position on the floor.

The vines swerved, going after the Raichu instead. He saw them coming and tried to slice at them with his tail, but one managed to wind around the spike at the end of his tail and hold on firmly.

Char leaped onto the burning Bayleef's back.

He dug his claws into her tough, rind-like skin.

_Don't think, don't feel… Charmander._

_No, I can't._

_I can't just _not _feel…_

"Lily, I'm really, really sorry," Char whispered to her. "If you could read my heart-speak, you would know how much I regret this. But…"

He prepared to overheat his body.

Lily gasped in pain, but said nothing. Her vines swerved away from Ray, but they didn't come toward him…

Char realized with horror that she was reaching for the reviver seed which he had dropped. It was very far across the room, but with her overgrown vines, she would have no trouble touching it…

Char released fiery heat through his skin, overheating himself. The Bayleef's green flesh erupted in fire.

Her many tentacle-like vines wavered, then dropped limply onto the floor.

"Look," she gasped with the last of her strength, "I get why you thought you had to do this. But… when Scythe tries to cut off your head or something, don't say I didn't tell you so… And I know he will. It's his character. I've been around longer than you, you know. I've… been in your place. You should have… trusted me."

She went limp. Her eyes fluttered shut.

They were streaming with tears.

Char carefully climbed off of her. As he gazed upon what he had done to her, at the patches of charred flesh that streaked across her hide, some of them still aflame, he realized… his eyes were streaming with tears, too.

He tried to pat the flames away. They must have stung so badly to her, the same way water stung his own tail. But he only charred whatever part of her skin he touched, as his body was still releasing the intense heat he had charged…

Instead, Ray's paw appeared, and he touched the dancing flames upon her skin, making them go away.

"Char…" Ray said, his own face looking distraught. "I'm sorry. I'm pretty sure she'll be okay, though. Pokémon…"

"Pokémon take a lot more than that to die, I know," Char said, clenching his fists, angry at the act he had just committed. "Still… I shouldn't have done that. Now she's probably going to be my enemy for as long as I live. There had to be a better way…"

"Uh, guys…" Saura called to them, finally freeing his vines from the loose tangle as Lily's disconnected pair wilted and fell apart. "If we're going to help Scythe, we should probably hurry."

Scythe's energy was draining quickly. When he tried to fly, he hung low in the air. When he tried to swipe his blades, he was far too slow. His attacks became desperate, sometimes aimless…

…yet, he still fought on, swiping at the Infernape who easily dodged and blocked his weary strikes.

Though, Char noticed that Prince had taken a bit of a beating, too. Bloody streaks stained his fur, and anger and frustration were clear in his face.

Scythe jabbed the tips of his blades toward Prince like needles, a technique Char had never seen him use before. Prince easily dodged out of the way.

"_KAAAIIIIIYYYYYYYYYAAA!"_

Scythe's cry screeched from his lungs as he lunged forward at his foe, forgetting all semblance of tact and unpredictability. Prince dropped to the ground and kicked at him. Scythe clearly saw the attack coming and tried to fly upward to dodge it, but he was too slow and the attack sent him spinning back down, where he stood upon the floor.

Prince ceased his attacks for a moment.

The Scyther's eyes fluttered and twitched. They were blood-red. His entire form rose and fell with each strained breath, wincing whenever he thought Prince would lunge at him.

"How about now, Scythe?" Prince offered, his voice full of genuine worry and concern. "You are starting to look tired. You know, don't you, that you can't carry out your plan when you are unconscious, right?"

Scythe did not reply. He laughed bitterly and lunged again, continuing the fateful battle.

From across the room, Char, Saura, and Ray watched the fight with racing, panicked hearts.

"Hey, look," Saura suddenly said, nodding in a particular direction. "Scythe put the bag down before he attacked Prince. That's Alakazam's bag. If we can get to it, we can get the speed brace, and the invisible seeds, and…"

"Wait," Ray interrupted, in a hushed shout. "I think I have a better idea. But we have to surprise Prince. He still doesn't know we're going to turn on him, so that has to be a surprise, alright? You guys, watch closely and try to attack Prince at the same time. Then, when he's surprised, I'll use an item that I have in this bag… that I think will beat Prince."

"He has reviver seeds, though," Saura warned. "You know, those will take away curses. So if you use an orb on him, the curse is only going to last until he's revived, you know that?"

"I know, but I think… I think I know what to do. Trust me. Just attack him and make him surprised, and I'll take care of the rest, alright?"

Char nodded. Saura did too.

"Alright, here's to going for broke," Ray sighed, adjusting the bag he carried. "Let's go."

* * *

_*CLASH!* *CLASH!* *CLANG!*_

Scythe lunged at his opponent, never ceasing his efforts. His opponent, though growing wearier with the passage of the battle, continually outmaneuvered him, remaining mostly unharmed.

Scythe lunged with his blades in a scissor formation. Prince dodged.

Scythe attacked from the air. Prince caught the blades on his ridged wristbands and deflected them.

Scythe attacked low, high, and around the back, but Prince was always anticipating his move.

_*CLANG!* *CLANG!*_

"Attack…" Scythe rasped in mid-stride. "You… are not trying. Why don't you attack me? If you intend to cut me down, _attack_ me!"

"What gives you the idea that I intend to cut you down?" Prince returned. "I didn't want this, Scythe. I don't want to knock you down. Do you know how much it pains me to see you struggle like this?"

_*CLASH!*_

"Attack… _me_!" Scythe commanded his foe. "Do… not… hesitate! _Attack_ me! _Kyyyaaah!_"

Prince batted away the Scyther's blades.

"Why, Scythe? I know you fight the most skillfully when you are the most desperate, but if you expect me to let—"

_*THWACK!*_

A powerful attack connected with Prince. It hit him in the shoulder, causing him to lurch to the side and pedal his arms to hold his balance.

The fight stopped. Frozen in surprise, the two dueling Pokémon just stopped fighting altogether, both turning to look in the direction which the projectile had flown from…

Saura charged up another energy ball.

"Saura…?" Prince uttered. "What are you _doing_?"

"Helping Scythe!" Saura replied, letting loose his attack.

_*THWACK!*_ Prince couldn't dodge the unfamiliar attack as it shot toward him, hitting him in the stomach and causing him to reel.

Prince hesitated for a moment. Confusion shone in his eyes, but not lack of confidence; he knew that he would be soon revived, and that he had a chance to survive attacks from multiple opponents if he needed to.

Saura followed by firing several tiny seeds from his bulb. They were well-aimed, striking Prince in the gut and the forehead. The Infernape backpedaled, trying to block the painful pebble-like projectiles…

Char took the opportunity to pounce on him from behind, biting and slashing him on the back before leaping away to safety.

In the confusion, Scythe disappeared in a blur of agility, striking the confused Infernape powerfully in the head with the back of a blade.

Prince was thrown to the floor. The attack had been so strong, it caused the exhausted Infernape's consciousness to waver.

"Ahh…" he gasped as Scythe planted a foot on his chest. "Ahh, you… you got me, I guess… Well-played. I didn't expect to be ganged up on. But… that was only once, and I will still return to full strength seven more times… so the question is… Can you keep up the pace?"

_*THWACK!* *THWACK!*_

Scythe slammed the Infernape in the forehead with the backsides of his blades, and the Infernape's eyes fluttered closed.

He tensed, awaiting the inevitable revival and the beginning of the next round. He crouched close to the ground in a feral battle stance, ready to strike the moment the reviver seed activated.

However… Prince continued to lie on the floor, motionless. His fire flickered, but it dimmed…

Scythe twitched.

Char, Saura and Ray joined Scythe, standing in a circle around the downed fire-type…

"He's not getting back up," Ray said. "He's done. You win the battle, Scythe…"

"How?" Scythe rasped, poking at the unconscious ape with his blade. "How is that possible…?"

"I know why," Ray said solemnly. "I used… an 'embargo orb'. It prevents the target from wielding any weapons or using any items… even reviver seeds."

Scythe closed his eyes. Something like relief spread all through his body.

"Raikouun," he spoke, "By the gods, I almost just murdered him. If my blade would have been turned to put forth its edge, I would now be standing over the corpse of one of my closest friends. However, I must admit something. You are a master tactician with items. You are gifted… you may have made a worthy addition to my team, after all. And you, Char…"

Scythe opened his eyes, those bloodshot, weary eyes that pained Char to see, and stared deeply into his gaze…

"I think… you trust me, to a _fault_."

"I only wanted to help," Char said. "I don't know what you're planning on doing…"

_*SLAM!* *SLAM!* *SLAM!*_

In a blur, Scythe smacked all three of the Pokémon in the face with the back side of a blade. They were sent tumbling backward.

He stood over the three of them, blades drawn.

A strange, frightening emotion glinted in his eyes. It was something like glee, or insanity…

Char tried to recover from the blow, righting himself and turning to witness Scythe looming over him.

Scythe assumed his battle stance once more.

"Scythe…" Char cried to him, a dark terror filling his heart more than ever before…

"My name," the Scyther spoke, "is not 'Scythe'. My name never has been 'Scythe'. It was a fake name I invented for myself. My name… is Adron. I am a servant to the Master, as I have always been."

Char's heart shattered in despair.

_Oh… no…_

"Weakness," he spoke, stepping toward the three small Pokémon, "is what I despise the most. _Weakness_ is what destroys Ambera, defiles its beauties. _Weakness_ is what the Master hates. It is why he commands offensive strikes against the civilians. He desires the Pokémon of the land to be _honed_, to become resistant and strong, and the weak to be culled away."

_Everything…_

_Everything was a lie from the start…_

"In my time, I have culled thousands of weaklings from the face of Ambera, and I have felt nothing," he proclaimed. "It is my duty, to teach Ambera the holy lessons of the Master, teach Ambera to know the nature of true power…"

Char began pushing himself across the floor in panic, inching away from the crazed Scyther.

"Now… the time has come to show me that _you_ are not weak," he spoke evilly. "Now, it is time that we battle."

Adron the Scyther lowered his blades, adopting the stance of lethal attack.

"Fight like you mean it. Show me what I have taught you. _En garde!_"

Bitterness, anger, and a wicked, insane glee filled Scythe's eyes. Char knew… this was not the Scyther he had become friends with. This was a completely different creature… an _evil_ one.

"Scythe…" Ray spoke, weakly. "We can't defeat you. You know that!"

"What do you _want?_" Saura blurted. "We don't pose a threat to you, Scythe! Why do you want to battle us? You have no reason to battle us! We're just… your students!"

The Scyther stood still, ignoring the pleas of the Pokémon before him, as if to calculate his first strike.

He hesitated. He blinked. His posture slouched.

Char thought he saw the wickedness in his eyes fade away. He came to resemble the Scyther, the mentor, he was more familiar with.

"On second thought… no," Scythe said, dropping his blades to his side. "No… I've changed my mind. I'm not going to fight you."

Scythe released an exasperated sigh, slumping to the ground into a sitting position.

The three Pokémon warily surrounded him, waiting for an unexpected movement, expecting a trap of some sort…

"No, it's alright," Scythe chuckled, noticing their wariness. "I'm not going to attack you again. And everything I just now said about being a servant of the Master was false. I…"

Scythe looked straight at the ground, as though in defeat, or shame. Char couldn't tell if the Scyther was laughing, crying, or some combination of both.

"Come close," he told the Pokémon. "I suppose… you have, heh, heh heh, you have earned the right to hear what I was… what I was planning to do."

"Scythe…" Ray breathed, drawing close to him. "What is wrong?"

"I'll tell you," Scythe said, gazing tenderly at the Raichu and at the other two Pokémon who had trusted him so deeply for so long. "But by doing so, understand, that I – well, I will just tell you. My goal, all along, was very simple. I needed to disappear without a trace."

"You mean, like, running away?" Saura replied. "Why?"

"And why didn't you just run away, if that's what you needed?" Ray implored. "It doesn't sound that hard to do. You had lots of opportunities…"

Scythe sighed, once more giving a tired chuckle. "I didn't want to discount the possibility that Dialga would favor us, and grant us our requests," he admitted. "So, I put my faith in Dialga, because if… if the great god of time were to grant us our wishes, there would be no need to run away in the first place, as I could just ask Dialga to accomplish what I wanted, and all would have been well. When I found that… this was not the case, I reverted back to my plan… What a shame it was, to discover the true nature of the Call, and to find Dialga unable to help us… I don't think I have ever felt greater expectations in my heart so suddenly disappointed. I reluctantly decided I needed to follow through with my plan, and run away."

"But you see, it wasn't as easy as just running away," Scythe continued, every word a relieved sigh. "See, I… I realized, long ago, when I read the documents in Iron Town, that Adiel desired to have his final challenge with me. He was… searching for a city, one in my jurisdiction, to use as blackmail against me. He needed the perfect city of hostages he could threaten, to lure me out of hiding, so he could challenge me… And I realized this, long before I believe he wanted me to realize it. So I had the element of surprise. And I knew, the only way I could defeat him, in all his cunning ways, was to utilize that element of surprise. So I wanted to… disappear from the sights of every Pokémon, so that no living Pokémon would have record of where I was at any given time, or even when or where exactly I had disappeared from. And in disappearing, I would be able to begin posing to counter Adiel's plan before he even began it, and he would lack any clue as to where I was."

"That's what Prince wanted to know all along!" Char spoke, astonished. "W-why didn't you just _tell_ him that?"

"BECAUSE if _he_ knew, _Adiel_ would also know," Scythe blurted. "Adiel… knows how to track down information he needs, and he knows how to extract that information… using any means necessary. Mind-reading, torture, burglary… nothing is beneath him. So, by telling Prince this plan, I risked putting him in danger, as well as any Pokémon he would tell in turn, namely his Team Flamewheel, if he chose to share the secret with them. I had no control over how he chooses to keep secrets, or how the members of Team Flamewheel would, in turn, keep secrets… so I knew it was better just to keep the secret myself and tell no one. Because if Adiel caught wind of just _one_ Pokémon who _might_ know my last whereabouts… he would find a way to squeeze it out of them. He… he is very cunning. And he is always watching, much more than you might suspect. _Especially _when it comes to me."

Char let this sink in.

Scythe… only wanted to keep a secret. A secret that was dangerous to know.

That… was all? It was that simple, all along?

"But Scythe," Ray spoke weakly, "You just told the secret to us… so… _we're_ the ones in danger, now…"

"_I KNOW, I KNOW, I KNOW…_" Scythe suddenly shouted, shaking his head violently. "I… understand, what I have done, speaking of this to you. It has been a _STUPID_ decision, a _FOOLISH_ mistake, and I might have just doomed you all to a life of fear and suffering and… aborting everything I had previously planned out, and… But… But I couldn't bring myself to carry it out."

"See, the most important part of my plan, perhaps, was to convince you that _I_ was the villain."

"I have been trying to… well, so to say… alter my attitude, during this past month," he admitted. "I wanted you to begin to doubt me, to challenge your trust in me. To begin to suspect that my motives were not… reliable. I wanted you to… to begin fearing for your safety, in my presence."

"Wait!" Saura cried. "So, all along, all that stress you had, and… and all that… That was all an _act?_"

Scythe chuckled again. "No, no, no, Saura, not an act," he reassured him. "Those sentiments I expressed were all very real; I could not have faked them if I tried. However, I figured, since they were there, I could utilize my burdens and stress to my advantage in the end. So, I began to… _exaggerate _my behavior, sometimes, with the intent of causing the three of you to worry…"

At hearing this, Char held his breath. The Scyther's master plan had almost worked. All along, Char had been in turmoil over whether Scythe was to be trusted… and now he knew there was a calculated reason for it.

All those times… all those points where he had to choose between trusting Scythe, or not… All those difficult decisions, and those seemingly random bursts of insanity…

It was all… planned. Calculated.

"And when I turned on Prince, I _expected_ the three of you to side with _him_," Scythe spoke ironically, almost in a frustrated tone. "He was clearly the most pure-hearted and responsible guardian between the two of us. See, it is very difficult for me to operate an escape orb, having no hands… so my chance to get away involved acting like the crazed villain, and having the three of you gang up on me to knock me out, activating my emblem and sending me to the entrance of Temporal Tower, where I could flee in any direction without being seen by a single Pokémon's eye. But, no, Char, you threw your stakes in with _me_, and trusted me to a _fault_, and here we are now…"

"But… that still doesn't make sense to me," Ray said. "Why go through all the trouble of pretending to be the bad guy? Why couldn't you have just… well, _bolted _for the door? You could have tricked one of us into getting an escape orb for you… I just want to understand, I guess…"

"Because you were emotionally attached to me," Scythe said gravely, his gaze shifting between the three members of Team Ember. "And in a war like this… emotional attachment is the greatest of all weaknesses. Empires come crashing down just because one Pokémon's mate, or child, will be threatened, and so those who have the opportunity to oppose the evil will instead acquiesce to their demands. I didn't want you to… to worry about me. I didn't want to risk having you coming to find me when I went missing. I needed to cut off my ties with you. Becoming the villain, in your eyes, was the most efficient way to do that. I wasn't afraid for Prince's safety; I saw his spare seeds when he opened the bag to present the frozen flame to you, Char. So, I wanted you all to knock me out, and say 'Well, we defeated him, good riddance, now Prince will protect us from now on'… "

"You must understand. It was emotional attachment… _mine_, to be precise… which gave Adiel the power he now has. It was… a mistake I made. Many mistakes, to be honest. I need to defeat him, before he causes any more harm to Ambera."

Char began to understand everything.

It finally all made sense. Perfect sense.

"Though, I suppose there was one issue I might have left up to chance," Scythe laughed. "That being Nameless. I knew she would be watching the surface down below, and would see me when I tried to leave. Though, I didn't exactly expect her to pose a threat when I would try to escape from this tower and become a fugitive to Zerferia. Adiel would be hard-pressed to capture her, and even if she witnessed the direction I left, she would need to stay near the tower to watch for her beloved Prince or the remainder of her team, rather than following me. However… you fixed that for me. You knocked out Lily before Prince, and so, I have no doubt that Nameless rescued the poor Bayleef which came stumbling from the tower's front door, and is currently flying her back to Fort Emerald as fast as those majestic wings can take her, leaving the way free for me to leave unseen."

"In many ways, it was the perfect plan… but in the end, I could not bring myself to become Adron again, or any semblance of… of that… _creature_ I once was. It was too painful, even though I knew it to be necessary. There was a reason I took a new name; a plain, unremarkable name, like 'Scythe', which indicated my species as a Pokémon and nothing more. As I joined the resistance movement, I wanted to forget that part of my childhood, and my early life, and… pretend that Scyther had died. Standing over you, preparing to battle you, even in a fight I intended to lose… it brought back those bad memories in an onslaught from my subconscious, and I could not fight them. In a way, Adiel represents the one I once was, or the one I would have become, had I not found a way out of the Master's servitude. And even now, I struggle with the task of… cutting down that figure, both in the literal sense, and in my soul."

"Congratulate yourselves, Team Ember. You have just now foiled one of my most difficult plans to date. By your undying, unconditional trust in me, you have defeated me, and caused my anticipated actions to come crashing down upon my head. Well done. I am proud to have called you my students, and I mean that earnestly. You would do well in the resistance."

Scythe rose to his feet, stretching his limbs.

"But you know, now, what I must do," he said sadly, walking away from the group. "The time has come. I must leave. Ambera is about to be held captive by Adiel's claws, and there are few besides me who can stop him."

"Wait, Scythe!" Char called, standing up to follow him. "You can't just _leave_ us here! We can't survive in Zerferia!"

"I never intended to leave you here," Scythe told him. "However, by your own actions, you have caused both of your remaining companions to be knocked out and separated from you. That is not my problem. Consider it a consequence for your blind trust in me. Perhaps now you will assess trust a bit more thoroughly and wisely."

Scythe picked up Alakazam's bag of items.

"I was hoping we would not use many of these supplies," Scythe said, appraising the bag's remaining weight. "I will need them for the challenges that lie ahead. Especially the speed brace…"

"Scythe, _wait!_" Saura called to him, sad and frantic. "You're—you're just… going to… _WHAT ARE WE supposed to do without you?_"

Scythe secured the bag upon his possession.

He then turned his head to gaze, over his shoulder, upon the members of Team Ember one last time. They were the three Pokémon he had personally trained… and he was very proud of them.

There was a glint in his eye, and a familiar smirk upon his face.

"Survive," he simply told them.

It was an order.

With that, the old Scyther opened his wings and zipped through the air towards the descending staircase.

Panic overcame Char. He couldn't let this happen.

He bolted for the reviver seed and stuffed it into his mouth, biting down on it.

Then he bolted for the direction Scythe had fled.

"Char! Wait!" Saura called from far behind him.

"Char, wait for us!" Ray cried. "Char! _Wait_!"

He ignored his friends. He fled from them.

Furiously, breathlessly, he motored his little Charmander legs as fast as they could carry him. He had to catch up with the Scyther. He _needed_ to. Nothing else mattered.

He needed Scythe to show him where to go, to tell him what to do.

He needed Scythe to provide direction to his life.

Without Scythe, he was just a weak little Charmander…

…Alone…

He couldn't let go.

But as he dashed for the stairs, he suddenly found himself barreling straight into a solid wall.

"_MMPH!"_ he grunted in surprise, biting down on the reviver seed and thrusting his claws against the floor. They screeched against temporal tower's metallic tiles, and he was able to grind to a halt.

The staircase… wasn't there.

Where had it gone? Char glanced around, sure that he had gone in the proper direction, but unable to determine where he had taken the wrong turn.

That's when he looked back in the direction he had come. What he saw caused his heart to fall into his gut.

Temporal Spire's eighth floor was no longer an elegant, beautiful cathedral-dome, shaped like a circle, with an entrance stairwell on one end and an exit at the other.

It was now a maze of twisting corridors and branching paths. And it had gotten darker, so much darker, without the sunlight streaming in from the high-above windows.

And his two companions where nowhere to be seen.

Char scampered down the first hallway he came to. It led to an empty room. He exited the room to find that the hallway's direction had changed entirely, leading to a brand new set of rooms.

Frightened, he stood on his two feet and spat the reviver seed into his hands.

"_SAURAAAAAA!" _he called. _"RAAAAY? SAURAAAA?"_

His words only echoed down the halls.

"No, no, no…" he muttered to himself, biting down on the seed again and bolting down the hall.

The corridors made no sense. They looped back around upon themselves, opened to nonsensical chambers with no exits, and never stayed the same.

He thought he heard something coming down the hallway.

"_SAURA?" _he called, clutching the seed in his arms. "IS THAT _YOU?_"

No, he realized… it was not.

It was a windy noise, as though a breeze had blown in from outside.

Something was stirring.

It was powerful, like the whoosh of a waterfall, or the howl of a tornado.

"Oh… oh _no…_" Char breathed.

It was the wind that had caused both Scythe and Prince to panic.

It was the force that could not be counteracted by the reviver seed. The force that would cause him to instantly faint.

_Find the staircase,_ Char realized, overcome with primal panic. _Find the staircase. Get off this floor… I've been on this floor for too long… find that godforsaken staircase!_

But he couldn't find it. The corridors merely repeated themselves.

And the wind was coming closer.

_No, no, no, no, no!_ Char repeated in his mind, running for his dear life around and through the strange doors that had overtaken the dungeon. _Why did we stay on the same floor for so long? Why? No, oh, no…_

The wind sounded again. It was almost there.

Char ran into a dead-end. It was dark, lit only by his flaring tail-flame. There was nowhere else to go.

He sat himself down at the hallway's end, accepting his fate. He clung to the seed, his only remaining ally in life, even though he knew it would do nothing for him.

And he waited.

The wind came for him. To his surprise, he found that it wasn't a wind at all.

It was a force of _change_.

Before his very eyes, he witnessed the many walls and doors of the temporal tower mystery dungeon shifting around. Walls grinded against walls, floors rose and fell, ceilings lowered… it was as though he was trapped in a giant mechanical device, a device which ebbed and flowed like the ocean tide…

_Oh… god…_ were his only thoughts.

Then he noticed that the two walls of the hallway in which he cowered began closing together.

Char held his breath right as he was about to get smashed between the sliding planes of metal. There was nothing he could do.

And then it all went black.


	68. Chapter 50: Cold

**Chapter 50**

Char knew what death felt like. He had experienced it before.

Death was simple, peaceful, and painless. It was calming and serene. In many ways, it was the perfect state of existence.

That's why he knew… what he felt now was _not_ death. This… was something else.

It was agony. Wretched, vile agony. It was as though spears had been jammed through his muscles, as though his head had been submerged in water. His heart raced, reverberating in his chest so strongly that it may have been on the verge of failure. His eyelids were too heavy to open; his throat too sore to produce a sound.

He tried to stretch, and was met with the sensation of jagged sawblades digging into his skin from unpredictable angles.

And there was noise. Oh, so much noise. There were voices there, somewhere. But mostly, it was just the wind. The pummeling, howling wind, sweeping over his bare skin like an ocean tide.

That's when he realized: he recognized this sensation.

_Cold…_

He had felt it before, somewhere… but he couldn't think clearly enough to remember.

"Hey!" a voice shouted over the continual _whoosh_ of the wind. "Hey, I think he's waking up!"

"_H-h-h-help-p…" _Char choked out.

His body vibrated, convulsed so badly that he thought a ghost was wrangling with him for control. He felt a pair of paws pull him up from his position on the ground. The snow-covered ground. The snow that had surrounded him.

Squinting, he cracked his eyes open. The light glared. The wind stung. But he managed to glimpse at the Pokémon in front of him.

Saura and Ray. They were there. Ray had helped him up. Saura was standing next to him, looking deathly terrified. And cold. They both looked cold.

"W-w-w?" Char tried to spit out. "W-where… is… everyone?"

"Char…" Ray said sadly, leaning close so that his words could be heard over the bitter storm. "Scythe used an escape orb and ran away… Nameless flew Lily back to Fort Emerald, it could take her a week to get there and back. Prince… got lost in Temporal Tower because we knocked him out, then… the tower disappeared. So… he might be gone. Maybe for good."

Char opened his eyes halfway, and managed to keep them held open, though they stung whenever a burst of wind would strike him in the face. Saura and Ray looked like miserable, half-frozen, tattered remains of his friends. Behind them, the snowstorm raged. There was no visibility; the white billows and streams reduced everything in the distance to shadow. Even the sky was invisible. Was it day, or twilight? He couldn't tell.

"Char, we're the only ones left," Ray said somberly. "It's just us now… And our bag disappeared when we were expelled from the tower. We… don't… have anything."

Char's thoughts were cloudy. His mind was trying to disconnect itself from the pain of its existence.

"_Come ONNNN!_" Saura cried with a surprising power in his voice, shouting over the continual blizzard. "We have to _GO!"_

"Go… where?" Char wondered.

"_AWAY _from here!" Saura yelled, stomping in the snow. "We have to get out of the cold! Come _on!_ Let's go! Come on!"

Char tried to walk. His brittle legs resisted his every command. He tried to move his arms to balance himself…

…and realized they were clutched around something.

He glanced down, and saw that he still grasped the reviver seed. Through everything that happened, it was still unused. He coughed up a painful chuckle at the irony; he had been so proud of his decision to save just this one seed for himself, yet in the end, it had done nothing for him. But now it was all he had, and he knew he was going to keep clinging to it.

"We _can't_ just DIE out here!" Saura screamed, his pained and desperate voice rising over the storm's howl. "We have to _go!_"

Saura began running away. He didn't run very fast; the snow slowed him, causing him to stumble over his own frail paws every step he tried to take, but it didn't stop him. Clenching his teeth, the tiny Bulbasaur dashed through the snow as Char and Ray tried to follow behind him.

They followed him, step after step, for what seemed like a mile… but the snowy, desolate landscape of Zerferia never seemed to change.

Step after step, there was no sign of shelter. There was no sign of the weather improving. There was no sign of hope.

Char didn't have hope anymore. He didn't care. He _couldn't_; the stinging, stabbing cold overpowered all of his thoughts and his sensations. He remembered death, and the way it felt. He began to yearn again for that simple peace, that gentle, quiet plane of existence where nothing else existed but souls. Because it would mean that he wouldn't have to feel cold anymore.

Step after step, he plodded through the snow, tracing the trail his Bulbasaur friend had created. He didn't know how much more he could take. His nerves didn't ever numb themselves; he felt every twinge of horrid pain the wind would deliver. He tried to simmer down his inner flame to reduce his sensitivity to temperature, just like Prince had shown him, but he couldn't feel an effect…

Saura just kept going. It was like a spirit had taken over him, pushing him forward tirelessly and ignoring the pain, even though parts of his body were clearly wilting. A third of his bulb was faded brown.

The wind shifted, blasting Char in the face. Cringing, he held the reviver seed against his chest, as though expecting it to provide him warmth. Saura continued to walk.

"Y-you're going t-t-_too fast…_" Char called to him, trying to move his stinging legs. "Saura…"

"_KEEP GOING!"_ Saura commanded. "Just keep moving!"

"Saura, we don't even know if we're going in the right direction!" Saura called to him. "We could be going farther north!"

"IT DOESN'T MATTER!" Saura screamed, doubling his efforts and ducking his head against the wind. "JUST GO! ANYWHERE… BUT… HERE! _KEEP… GOING_!"

"We can't… go anymore…" Char whispered. "I… I need t-t-t-to rest…"

"We can rest if we find SHELTER!" Saura cried. "C'mon, Char! C'mon! Don't stop now!"

"Saura, we saw the whole area when we first came," Ray said to him. "There is no shelter, not for miles. Not unless we can get back to the Scarred Crags, and that's over a day's walk, and we don't even know which way—"

"DO YOU WANT TO SURVIVE OR NOT?" Saura blasted, not turning back to look at them. "_KEEP WALKING!_"

There was another rush of wind. Saura gave a broken cry, averting his face from the brunt of it.

Char felt it as well, but to his surprise, he began to feel some kind of relief. The stinging, throbbing pain was gradually subsiding. His body was finally becoming numbed down, his nerves turning themselves off to the persistent cold.

He breathed a sigh of relief. With the numbness, the cold wasn't really all that bad.

_Alright…_ he thought to himself. _I can do this now. I can survive._

He squinted ahead of Saura, plotting a course of travel.

"Saura, I'm… I'm getting sleepy," Ray warned. "I think I might faint."

"You have to ignore it!" Saura insisted, pressing forward. "Don't let yourself fall asleep! Just keep walking!"

_I don't understand what's so bad about this, _Char thought to himself. _Once you're numb, it's really not that bad._

"Saura… I'm sorry…" Ray sighed. "There's… nothing left... we can do…"

"_NO! No! NO NO NO NO!_" Saura stammered, not turning back to look at him. "We HAVE to survive! We HAVE to go! Just… keep walking! Just keep taking another step! I… I have… I HAVE TO SEE MY FAMILY! I HAVE TO SEE… If they're okay! I have to… to make it back… We can't… die out here… No…"

_They need to stop arguing,_ Char said to himself. _It's getting hard to focus on my thoughts._

_Now… let me think. How do we find shelter from this cold? Can we make shelter?_

"Char?" Ray cried. "Char… your tail just went out."

Char blinked.

Holding the reviver seed in one claw, he reached behind himself and clutched his tail.

He examined it. It was a stub. The flame was no longer there.

He stared at it, fascinated, for several moments. Trying to decipher it. Trying to contemplate.

"What… does that mean?" Ray asked.

"It means I am about to die," Char said plainly. "I have about six minutes to live."

Saura stopped in his tracks. He turned around to face his Charmander friend, his mouth hanging open in horror.

"Is… there any way we can save you?" Saura asked.

Char tried to remember. His emotions were all numbed, and so was the sting of the cold, making his thoughts clear…

He was smoldering. Just like Prince had shown him, that one time in the freezer of Fort Emerald.

What was it that he had said?

_When you find yourself smoldering, there is only one way to save yourself. If you want to live, you must find warmth at all costs. It is the only thing that can save you._

"I have to find warmth," Char told his companions. "It's the only way."

Without hesitation, Char and Ray both pounced toward him, huddling close. He knew their bodies were terribly cold, but he couldn't feel it.

He felt their heartbeats. Their breathing. The way they clasped onto him so desperately, not wanting to lose him.

And for almost a minute, the tiny team of Pokémon remained there, clinging to one another with all their might.

They were alone. The world had abandoned them to this deathly, terrible place of cold. But they had each other. And it was each other that they clung to, when all other hope was gone.

Ray began whispering. "You think this is r—?"

"_Shhh,_" Saura hissed. "You don't have to say anything…"

The storm would not relinquish them. The cruel land of Zerferia would not show them mercy, even unto the end. Saura and Ray knew that there was nothing they could do to save Char. The least they could do was to offer him this small comfort, this gesture of companionship, in his final moments.

But Char… Char's heart and mind were racing.

"No," he said. "No, this isn't good enough."

"Char," Saura said to him, "we don't have—"

"No, we're wasting time," Char said again. "I can't waste my last minutes. There's a puzzle here. I'm trying to figure it out."

"Char, do you think that we'll live?" Ray asked. "Dialga said that you planned your own future for yourself. So maybe you thought of a way to get us out of this."

"No," Char responded. "I couldn't have. When we came to temporal tower, my plan was thrown off-course. I didn't plan for any of this to happen, so I couldn't have anticipated it… No, if we are going to live, we have to figure out our own way out of this. And I think there's something…"

He noticed Ray's neck. Unlike Saura's, and his own, there was no green scarf wrapped around it.

"Ray…" he asked, "How did you get out of Temporal Tower? You don't have a rescue emblem…"

"Um… I don't remember, I blacked out when the wind came," he replied. "When I woke up, I was just on the ground, and the tower was gone."

"That means, the tower must have expelled you when it disappeared," Char realized. "Celebi made it disappear and you were probably kicked out. That means…"

_Courage, little one._

_I will suffer with you._

_And I will not let your fire die. You will emerge from this a stronger Pokémon._

_It is a promise._

"…Prince is somewhere," he realized. "We have to go back to the tower site. Prince is somewhere here. We need to find him."

Char rose to his feet, pushing his friends away from him.

He looked at the reviver seed, then tossed it into the snow. He could not afford to hang onto it any longer. Not when he had only minutes left to live.

He dropped to all fours, turned the way they had come, then scampered back with all of his remaining strength. It was easy to follow the fresh trail of tracks they had left, although the storm would soon erase them and replace them with the same blanket of whiteness which covered the rest of Zerferia's wasteland…

He didn't worry about his friends. They would catch up.

In fact, one of them did, sooner than he had realized. Ray slammed into him from behind, flipping him over and draping him across his back. Char held on, watching the snowy ground fly by a foot beneath his face.

"If you've got six minutes, you'll never make it," Ray breathed as he dashed through the snow. "But _I_ can."

"Thank you," Char replied.

Char felt static tingle across his skin. He knew Ray was giving it his all, using his reserves of electricity to motor his muscles and bolt through the snow astoundingly fast.

"Are you doing alright?" Ray asked between short breaths.

"I think so, I don't see any light yet," Char replied.

"Light?"

"I know I'm going to see light right before the end," Char told him. "Prince showed me."

"Well, it hasn't been six minutes yet," Ray replied, "but we're coming up on that fast. Keep holding on."

Ray seemed to double his speed and lurch forward, and Char tried not to vomit as the ground blurred past like a waterfall. He still found the smoldering reaction fascinating; his stomach was clearly upset, but he didn't feel discomfort. He also wasn't anxious about the fact that he was about to die. His thoughts were smooth and organized, allowing him to think clearly in the face of his mortal peril.

"I shouldn't have trusted Scythe," Char said to himself. "Now that I am thinking clearly, I know that now. He knew what was best for me. And for all of us. He knew Scythe would pull something like this from the start. I was emotionally attached to him. I don't know why I was so attached to him…"

"Don't worry about that now!" Ray called to him. "Save it for later, if you live. Hey, I think… we're here."

Char twisted his head to see. The white, snow-covered ground appeared to him like a giant wall rushing past his side. Up ahead, he spotted a large clearing where snow was scarce and the brown, ice-encrusted dirt could still be seen below the layer of powder. It was a perfect, pure-cut circle in the snowy wasteland. It was the site where Temporal Tower had stood.

Fast as lightning, Ray began to dash around the perimeter of the clearing.

"Keep an eye out," Ray told his friend. "If Prince is here… he'll be somewhere in the deeper snow… That's where I woke up, and that's where I found you…"

"There," Char said.

Ray ground to a halt, turning to approach the direction Char had indicated.

There was a dent in the snow, and a subtle cloud of black smoke rising from it and blowing away in the wind. Ray hopped through the snow to examine the spot, letting Char roll off from his back.

There, with his body sprawled across the rocky ground, was the unconscious Infernape. His flame still burned dimly, and he still breathed. Char rushed to his side.

"Prince!" he shouted in the Infernape's ear. "Prince? Wake up!"

"Looks like he's out cold," Ray said, nudging his face.

"Can you wake him up?" Char asked.

"I don't have much energy left, Char," the Raichu replied, looking worried. "But I can try."

_*TZZAP*_

Ray released a strong jolt of static into Prince's head. Prince's body convulsed.

His eyes blinked fluttered open.

"Prince," Char said. "You need to wake up. We need you."

Prince's eyes rolled back into his head, and his eyes closed again.

"No! Prince!" Ray shouted. "Wake up! Come on, wake up!"

"Can't…" the Infernape mumbled in reply.

Ray shut his mouth, surprised at the sleep-talking Pokémon before him.

"I'm sorry… I need to sleep… for a long time…"

"Prince, we're trapped in Zerferia, we don't know which way to go," Char informed him, still with a flat emotionlessness to his voice. "We might die here. We need you to wake up."

"South… east…" Prince mumbled. "The wind blows… to… the south-east… You can find shelter… crags…"

"Thank you," Char said. "But you have to wake up…"

"Don't… go through… the crags…" Prince managed to say. "You won't… make it back… I'm sorry…"

He slumped, and spoke no more.

"Prince! No!" Ray cried, ready to zap him awake again. "_Prince!_"

"Let him sleep," Char said. "He needs his sleep…"

Char stood up, grasping the Infernape's arm. He pulled, flipping the downed warrior onto his belly.

Then, he crawled underneath, between Prince's body and the bare, rocky ground, letting the Infernape cover him like a heavy, bulky comforter.

And he closed his eyes.

_Warmth…_

He could feel the warmth. It was small, but it was significant. Even through the trauma, the Infernape's ember burned many times hotter than his own. He felt the warmth pulsing through the warrior's chest…

Char knew he had mere minutes left, if not less. He closed his eyes and waited to see if Prince would be enough to re-light his flame, or if the white light would start coming for him…

When his ember began to reignite, he knew, because the cold had returned with it. Even through the Infernape's body, he could feel that wicked, stabbing sensation upon his skin, that sharp-as-glass wind that cut at whatever it touched… Also, he felt a very discomforting sensation of being crushed.

"Char! It worked!" Ray shouted in triumph. "Your flame is back!"

"I… _knowww…_" Char grunted, trying to bear the sensation again. "_Ughhh… _So _cold_…"

Char mustered his strength and tried to resist the weight of Prince. Struggling, he rose to his feet, draping the Infernape's body over his shoulder by the arm. Ray rushed in and took the other arm.

"Warm enough?" Ray asked him. "Now you might survive."

"I might," Char said through gritted teeth. "But this won't last forever either. Eventually, Prince is going to start smoldering, too. And we can't light his fire by ourselves."

"Then we'll take him to the crags," Ray said. "He told us the way. The wind blows to the south-east, so if we keep it at our backs and on the right side, we'll go south. I guess Saura was going the wrong way after all. We were going due east, I think…"

They began to march forward, dragging Prince along behind them. With cooperation, the burden was not heavy; they were able to march back the way they came at a very steady pace. Part of Char wanted to smolder again and return to the state of blissful numbness, but the other part of him appreciated living, and harbored some hope now that they had been given direction. He bore the pain and kept walking.

"I'm… sorry…" Char choked out as they traversed the circular clearing where the tower once stood.

"For what?" Ray replied.

"For all of this," Char said. "This was my fault. I shouldn't have told you to knock out Prince. I wasn't thinking straight…"

Ray smirked at him. "Save it," he said. "And besides, you don't have to apologize to me. Before all this, I would have followed Scythe off of a cliff, too. Right now, let's just work on getting to the crags…"

Before long, a miserable Saura came hobbling along through the snow. He never looked happier to see fire Pokémon in his life. He eagerly crawled between them and under Prince, lifting his chest off the ground and further relieving the team of his weight. Together, with rekindled hope, they marched to the south in search of shelter.

Though the wind still pummeled them from the side, Prince and Ray helped to shelter Char from the worst of its strength, and talking to his friends really helped to take his mind off of the cold…

"I guess the last ember hasn't faded just yet," Ray said with a smile. "We're still going…"

"You know, I don't think I like that motto anymore," Char admitted.

Ray looked mildly surprised. "Hmm? Why not?" he implored.

Char tried to give an ironic laugh, but it came out like a sigh. "Because… It's just… Silly… blind… trust."

"Well, heh, isn't it blind optimism that got us this far?" Ray replied. "If we gave up out there just now, we would have never found Prince, and we would have just died out here. But you didn't lose hope…"

"But that wasn't blind," Char said, grunting to keep Prince's left shoulder lifted off the ground. "Look… I think… things are going to be different from now on. I think we kept getting lucky because _I_ wanted for us to be lucky. I mean… I… I was outside of the time stream… I planned for myself to meet Saura, and to meet you, and to meet Scythe… And when we worked together, we were always lucky, because that's the way I had planned it. We were following my fate. We never failed, we always got lucky, because we _couldn't _fail, because my plan counted on it. But… those plans are all gone now… Dialga says history is being re-written now. The predetermined fate I made is gone. And it's not going to come back until I can find Giratina. That means…"

He locked eyes with his friends, first Ray, then Saura.

"…everything we do, from now on… we're going to be on our own," Char said. "We don't have luck on our side anymore. We can't just… rush into danger anymore. Nobody's going to save us. So we can't be overconfident. Because… if we're overconfident… it's just as bad as giving up."

"No…" Saura muttered, breaking his silence.

Char and Ray gave him a surprised glance. He wore a look of determination.

"That's not what the motto means," he insisted. "It means… it's not over until it's over. And no matter how… confident we are… that doesn't make it any less true. Besides," he said with a tiny grin, "I wake up to that motto. We can't stop using it… At least, if we live…"

Char smiled.

"Fine," he said, grunting as he readjusted his grip on Prince's arm. "But we have to be stronger now. No more… of all this… blind trust. Not in Scythe, not in me, not in the Call, not in Dialga… It's just us. We're all that's left, now. We have to make our own hope."

Char paused for a moment to contemplate his own words. He looked to the horizon, or whatever he could see of it, for any sign of the Scarred Crags – their only hope for shelter.

"As you wish, fearless leader…" Ray said with a subtle grin.

"I've been thinking," Char said to him bluntly, "I think you would actually make a better leader than me. You've been in the resistance longer, you're older, you're stronger, you're evolved… And I know you've just been following me because you idolize humans. I don't think that's a very good reason anymore."

"Me? No, I don't think so," Ray sighed, shaking his head. "I'm single-minded. I'm good at following orders, and that's about it. When I don't have orders to follow, I get lost too easily. I'm not so good at seeing the bigger picture. I'm afraid I probably wouldn't ever make a good leader."

Saura interrupted Char's reply. "Char… I know you would make a good leader," he offered. "You know why?"

"Why?" Char returned. "I have… the same problems. I'm single-minded. I need to be given orders, or I get lost…"

"Because you're forgetting something," Saura told him. "When you were a human… you _saw_ the bigger picture. And you planned for… coming into the world like this. You planned all of this yourself. That's why I know you're a good leader, now. Because you wanted something, and you did whatever it took to get it. That's the difference between a leader and a follower, you know. Leaders always know what they want by heart and they know how to get there. You lost your memories, but you didn't lose your person. You're still the same person. And I bet, you still have the same skill. You just need to find it again as a Charmander."

"Maybe you're right," Char muttered, shrugging. "If we end up surviving this, I'll work on being a better leader. I don't know how, though. I'll figure it out…"

And they continued trudging through the snow, hour after hour, with nothing but Prince's warmth to keep them comfortable. They kept up the idle chatter as long as they could, taking their mind off of frostbite as they discussed everything they would do when they got back home… _if_ they ended up alive.

When the topics of conversation had run out, Char resorted to counting his steps to distract himself. He lost count sometime after two thousand.

Through it all, Char's mind kept drifting back to Prince, and all the actions he had done. Every one of them, every decision he had made for the group, was honorable and wise. Char felt such a vast and profound regret for not having seen it before. And now, he could not count the number of times Prince had saved his life.

_I'm sorry,_ he wanted to tell the sleeping Infernape. _If I could go back in time and do it all over again, I would have listened to you. I would have worn the stupid sweater, I would have sided with you against Scythe… Oh, so many mistakes I made… I should have asked Celebi to take us farther back in time, so I could change all of my mistakes… But it's too late for that…_

_I wish I could tell you how sorry I am, and how right you were… I'm so sorry… You are a noble and dignified leader, you didn't deserve to end up in the snow like this…_

_It's all my fault…_

_I forgive you._

Char held his breath for a moment. The words had spontaneously appeared in his mind, immediately following his flow-of-consciousness… yet, he had not created them.

He realized… they had come from Prince. They were words of heart-speak.

Prince, too, had lived in the presence of humans early in his life. He had come from a human continent, and thus he had heart-speak. But it was not strong enough to ever channel Celebi's call, especially with Lily always at his side… but now, as the Infernape was so close in proximity, his heart-speak could finally be heard.

Char knew that somehow he had spoken to Prince's deep subconscious, and that Prince had replied to him. He felt humbled.

_How can you forgive me, after what I did? _Char tried to speak to him telepathically. _I don't deserve forgiveness…_

Prince didn't answer again.

_Well… it doesn't matter, I guess, _Char tried saying to him._ I accept your forgiveness…_

Char thought he felt the warmth from the Infernape's chest grow stronger. Swallowing hard, he held onto Prince's wrist tighter and stood taller, carrying the fallen warrior with reaffirmed strength.

At last, after what seemed like an eternity of torturous journeying, the persevering Pokémon noticed a shadow looming before them. At first, Char thought the sun was going down, leading to an intensely bitter Zerferian night. But as they approached, they noticed that the darkness was a shadow cast by the upcoming terrain.

They had made it to Zerferia's mountains: the Scarred Crags.

* * *

**Scarred Crags**

Old yet vivid memories arose in Char's consciousness, memories of cruel pitfalls, falling boulders, and a battle with a barbaric legendary beast made of rocks. He remembered that the Scarred Crags were not a friendly place to explore. They were a place which had required Prince's guidance to traverse. Yet, he and his tired team were more than eager to seek refuge among its cliffs and crevices; at the moment, they could imagine no worse fate than freezing to death.

Taking great care to avoid unstable ground, the Pokémon dragged their former leader into the shelter provided by the thorny shards of rock. They did not stop searching until they found a secure little cove where the sky was hidden from sight. Overjoyed at their triumph but exhausted at their efforts, the Pokémon set the Infernape down in a corner to rest. Char breathed a weak stream of fire onto himself and the Infernape, trying to wash away all of the ice and snow that had crusted upon them.

"Think we can sleep here?" Ray wondered. "It looks safe…"

"Safe enough," Saura said, already snuggling up beside Prince's form. "We should sleep. Then we can make it through the rest of the mountains tomorrow. Or… whenever we wake up."

Ray hesitated. "Um… Saura… that might not be a good idea…"

"What?" Saura returned.

"When we woke him up and got him to tell us the directions, he told us not to try to get through the crags," Ray explained, indicating Prince. "He said we'd never make it."

"But…" Saura stammered, "But… why would he say that?"

"This place is pretty dangerous," Char reminded him, settling down next to Prince as well. "Remember? Last time we were here, we fought Regirock. And the rocks around here are all as sharp as blades. You could probably cut your head off just by walking into the wrong wall."

"I think we should trust him," Ray added. "He used the last of his breath to warn us not to go through the crags."

"Wait, then what do we do?" Saura wondered worriedly. "We can't stay here forever; we'll starve. There's no food here. Unless you want to eat Prince, we won't last more than a week. Ahh… we can just wait for Nameless to come back!"

"Nameless won't be able to find us down here, Saura," Char told him sadly. "She won't see us down here. She doesn't know all of Zerferia by heart. She didn't even know there was a Regirock…"

The three Pokémon exchanged wordless glances. The newfound sparkle of hope in their eyes began fading away, leaving only anxiousness and uncertainty.

"So… if Prince doesn't wake up soon…" Saura asked forlornly, "What do we do?"

Char didn't know how to answer the question. They had come so far, discovered so much hope even when all seemed lost… It was difficult for Char to admit that he was truly out of ideas, and that they might just end up starving to death, lost and alone in that treacherous mess of a rock pile deep in Zerferia. He looked sadly into their eyes, now understanding all the potential they held… the potential to be a great, powerful team together, the potential to meet Giratina, the potential to even change the fate of the Resistance and the nature of Ambera itself…

He wondered if Prince had simply pointed them to a place where they might pass away with a bit more dignity and comfort.

_I wonder… am I supposed to visit Giratina by dying? _Char mused darkly. _Seems to make sense. I would go to the spiritual realm, and that's where Giratina is, supposedly…_

_Well… I won't try that option until it's all I have left. _

"First of all," Char told his friend, "We should rest. We can't do anything without energy. Tomorrow, we can figure out what to do. Alright?"

"My stomach is already grumbling…" Saura moaned. "Maybe we should have saved the reviver seed. We could have tried to eat it…"

Char breathed deeply, moved with pity for him. And sympathy, too; his stomach didn't feel too full, either.

"Tomorrow," he reassured him. "Tomorrow, we'll figure out what to do. Tonight, we rest."

"Okay," Saura whispered, laying his head against Prince's leg. "Okay…"

"We'll think of something," Ray told him, curling up at Prince's side. "I'm sure…"

For the first time in longer than he could remember, Char set himself down to take a long, blissful, well-deserved rest.

It wasn't in the safety of his room back at the Gold Division. It didn't hold a candle to his favorite bed with the glorious braziers beside it. It wasn't within the hospitality of Fort Emerald. And it wasn't under the watchful eye of Scythe or Prince. But this cold, rocky haven would have to do for now. It wasn't all that bad, actually; it was warmer than the snow-covered wastelands, and it felt safe from the wilds and the elements. And, best of all, his faithful friends were right there with him, inches away…

Char didn't want to think about what would happen the following day, or whenever it was when they would wake up. The days and nights moved strangely in Zerferia, passing much longer than the days Char knew from his life in Iron Town and the Great Plateau. He knew that when he would awaken, it could be in the pitch-blackness of Zerferian midnight. He knew that they might not think of a way home. He knew that they might have decided to brave the dangers of the crags, and probably fail.

But he pushed that all out of his mind. That was tomorrow's business. Tonight, he would rest and enjoy the night… even if it would be the last night he would spend with his dear friends.

Sighing contentedly, he curled up next to Prince on the opposite side of Ray, setting his head into Prince's warm, fuzzy fur. He simmered down his fire, calmed his nerves, and let his eyes flutter to a close. Dreams were already dancing on the inside of his eyelids. He welcomed them.

Not too long after he fell asleep, a voice echoed through the cave.

"Well, _well._ Looky what we have _here._"

Char jolted back awake, panicked, at the sound of the foreign voice. Saura and Ray had done the same. They stood, frightened and wary, prepared to pounce at whatever had spoken.

Two silhouettes stood at the cave entrance. Intruders.

Char reached behind his back and clutched his tail, shining it forward to reveal the identity of the newcomers.

What he saw made his jaw drop.

Hobbling in from the frigid snowstorm, and quickly approaching Team Ember, was…

…a Seviper and a Croagunk.

"Aww, you look _freezing cold_," the Croagunk taunted. "Did you miss us?"

Char was speechless. He could not fathom his reality; he was really seeing Team X. He wondered for a moment if he was dreaming.

"NO! _YOU!"_ Saura gasped, leaping back. "It's YOU! _H-HOW? HOW?"_

"You _followed us all the way here?_" Char cried in disbelief.

"Why, _yesss_, we did," the Seviper hissed evilly. "I suppose you have underestimated us. It was not all that difficult; just a few little rocks and snowflakes in our way. Oh, and distance. Do not forget distance."

Char crouched down and growled threateningly. His tail flared, though not as brightly as he would have liked; his energy was nearly exhausted. Saura drew his vines, and Ray weakly dropped to a hostile stance.

"HOW did you _GET_ HERE?" Saura demanded of the intruders. "HOW? HOW ARE YOU _HERE_?"

"Heh. You wouldn't believe us if we told you, twerps," the Croagunk said, smiling evilly and swaggering closer. "Really, I don't think you would. It would blow your tiny little minds right out of your skulls."

"Get AWAY from us!" Saura threatened, whipping his vines in the air. "GET _OUT_!"

Team X began to laugh in unison.

"Ah… Ahahah… Do you… _really_ think we're just going to turn around and leave?" the Seviper chuckled. "Do you realisssse how difficult it was to come all this way and track you down? And to just… _leave?_"

"Heh. Heh heh heh. I don't think you realize just how much _pain_ you've caused us, you filthy little _children_," Croagunk spat. "Do you know how many _nights_ we spent, _plotting_ to get through to you, huh? Do you have _any clue_ how many times we had to fall back and regroup because _you_ had to go and run off somewhere? Well… _No longer. NOW is finally our day to shine. NOW is when we get to win for once! NOW WE HAVE YOU RIGHT WHERE WE WANT YOU, __**TEAM PEANUTS!**_"

Char, Saura, and Ray were speechless.

"Aww, what's the matter?" the Seviper goaded. "Why do you look so _flabbergasted_ that we remembered your team name, even after you so _arrogantly_ yelled it in our faces? It's amusing how much you underestimate us."

"Alright, time to end this," Croagunk growled, rearing back a fist…

_*Pop!*_

An unexpected, expertly-aimed sleep seed collided with Ray's head. The Raichu thumped to the ground.

"Excellent shot, Croagunk!" the Seviper cheered to his companion. "See, you kids get to take a nice long rest _after all!_"

"_EUGGGHHH!_ NO!" Saura roared, launching himself at the Croagunk and flailing his vines…

_*Pop!*_

And Saura collapsed, too. His extended vines swiveled to a rest upon the ground.

Char thought quickly. He had to defend himself and his teammates. He knew that fire was harmful to the Croagunk; he thought of a strategy. Pouncing away from the Infernape, he bolted into the corner of the cave.

Unfortunately, as soon as he had turned his back, the Seviper slithered after him with surprising haste. Before he could turn around, the viper's coil had wrapped around his body once, squeezing him quite tightly and holding him in place.

Char struggled. He roared threateningly. He bit and he clawed at the snake's scales. He tried to hold his breath and overheat himself, but his fire's power was just too spent from all the effort he had given.

"_Feisty _one!" The Seviper teased, grinning wide. "Hey, Croagunk, how good is your aim from this far? Can you hit him from over there?"

_No…_

_Not good…_

Char tried to wiggle free from the coils, but the more he struggled, the tighter the snake held…

The Croagunk produced one more sleep seed from a tiny satchel strapped to his back. He held it, tossed it from hand to hand, judging its weight.

_Not… good…_

Char made one last effort to move, but he was too exhausted. His last cry of defiance came out as a pathetic whimper.

"Hey, Char…" the Croagunk said cockily, rearing his hand back to make the throw. "Say goodnight."

_*Pop!*_

And Char fell into a deep sleep.


	69. Interlude: Char's Lullaby

_Welcome back!_

_It's been a long time since we've last met. It's good to see you._

_Do you remember me?_

_**Y… yes…**_

_I have been watching over you. You have come a very long way in this new life of yours._

_I have watched as you took your first steps, and I have watched as you explored your new world._

_I have watched as you have collected companions, other Pokémon who have accepted you for who you are._

_Most importantly, I have watched you learn. You have experienced a new perspective. You have begun to see life through the eyes of a Pokémon, and not a human._

_Tell me, does it feel different? Does being a Pokémon feel different than being a human?_

_**I… don't know.**_

_You don't know? _

_**Well… in some ways, it is different. The life of a Pokémon is intense. Their emotions are very strong. It was difficult, learning to live with them. I always… had to think about what my flame was telling me, and learn to cooperate with it.**_

_Humans have intense emotions too, you know._

_The heart of a human can be just as strong as a Pokémon's. Many humans don't take the time to think about what their heart is telling them._

_Many humans blindly follow their hearts. Other humans blindly ignore their hearts. The heart becomes an abused thing, a stifled force of power in a human's life._

_**I… I think I know that now. Humans are expected to hide their feelings all the time. So we either act without thinking, or we try to ignore what we feel. We learn not to understand our own hearts. **_

_**But… Pokémon are different. They don't ever hide what they feel. It's expected of them. It's such a strong part of life for them… The heart is one of the first things a Pokémon learns.**_

_And do you think this is a good thing, or a bad thing?_

_**I… don't know.**_

_**Why are you asking me questions now? I can't focus anymore. I'm exhausted…**_

_**I've suffered so much. Please, don't give me any more questions. I can't take it.**_

_I'm sorry that you have suffered so._

_I suppose I only wanted to know how you felt. I was interested in what you had learned so far as a Pokémon. And you should reflect upon it, too; the lessons you learn now will come to serve you in the challenges ahead._

_**What challenges ahead?**_

_**Look, whoever you are. I failed. I was an awful leader, I let down all of my closest friends, I almost got everyone killed in the blizzard…**_

_**And now, I just got us captured. We're probably being taken to the Master's dungeon right now, as we speak. I failed, alright? This is the end. There are no more challenges for me.**_

_What do you mean?_

_You are doing so well, little one…_

_**What?**_

_Don't you see? You've come so far… There were unexpected difficulties, but still you live…_

_You've lost your way; you've gotten sidetracked into a fate that you did not intend to follow. But this is not the end! You still have every hope to retrace your steps and return to the path you came to follow._

_**How am I supposed to have hope now? **_

_**There's no hope left. I've doomed myself and my team…**_

_Little one, please listen to me._

_What if I told you that when you wake up, you will be somewhere safe and sound?_

_Somewhere no evil will be able to touch you?_

_**Huh?**_

_**How… how can that be?**_

_Do not fear, little one. Trust me; you will be safe. You will rise from this, and you will be free again._

_**But… what about the others? Saura and Ray, My friends? Will they be safe, too?**_

_Yes! They will be safe as well. When you awaken, you and your team will be together again, stronger than ever before. I promise!_

_**I… don't believe it… **_

_You do not have to believe it right now, little one. You will see for yourself when you awaken._

_But for now, it is time for you to rest. After what you have been through, you deserve a very long, deep rest._

_Let your heart be at peace…_

_**Peace…**_

_Yes… empty your mind, calm your heart… Let everything go. It is okay; you can leave everything in my hands for now. I will take good care of you._

_Focus on my voice… and let your dreams take hold._

_The shadows of the night  
come to fall.  
You've fought so long and hard,  
gave your all._

_Now see your reflection  
in the stars  
and drift away,  
drift away…_

_The time has come,  
little one,  
to rest your mind and  
let your worries go.  
Forget your pain  
just for now;  
The work you've done  
means more than you can know._

_Listen as your foes will laugh  
in the fate they've spun.  
Ignorant, confident,  
thinking they have won.  
That is when you'll rise again,  
fight again,  
'till your battle's done!  
And stand  
in the morning sun!_

_The gods in the sky  
sing your praise.  
The constellations shower you  
in their eternal rays!  
Forever the legends  
will honor the soul  
by whose design  
the darkness came undone…  
in the morning sun!_

_For now, take your refuge  
at my side  
and drift away,  
drift away…_

_The time has come,  
little one,  
to rest your mind and  
set your worries free.  
This one small peace  
you deserve;  
the work you've done,  
it means so much to me._

_Someday you may rest again  
when it's said and done.  
Celebrate, recreate  
all that had been gone.  
All will see what heart you gave,  
price you paid,  
victories you've won  
revealed  
in the morning sun!_

_Just how far is there  
left to go?  
How much can be expected now  
from such a tiny soul?  
But you'll find the strength,  
persevere through the night,  
and end your journey  
where it had begun:  
in the morning sun!_

…

_When we next meet, it will be your turn to ask the questions._

_Have a good rest, Amadeus…_


	70. Special Episode: Fate Surprises All

"**Fate Surprises All"**

"Remember, Saurlee. Don't talk to anyone."

"Okay, already! I know!" the young Bulbasaur girl said to her brother. "I'll be quiet. I promise."

"And stay close," the Ivysaur warned her. "We need to get in and out of Shuca Town as fast as we can. Try to keep up with me."

The little one grumbled. "I'm getting tired," she whined. "Slow down! You're walking too fast! Brother, it's not even noon yet! We don't have to run from the Watchers! Why do we walk so fast?"

"I'm sorry," said the older one, trying to hide his anxiety from his sister. "We can rest soon. Just keep up the pace a little bit longer, alright?"

"I'm trying…" she moaned, stepping in a small puddle of mud.

Though she was tired, the little Bulbasaur followed her brother through a thick, bushy forest, tracing the shore of a small river. She squinted as she forced her way through a prickly dead shrub, trying to keep the pace with him.

"Why don't we just use the roads?" she wondered. "They would be faster!"

"Saurlee…"

"And why do mommy and daddy need us to bring food?" she implored, scampering around dents in the forest floor. "Can't they just get berries from the forest?"

"Because… there are no berries in a cave," the Ivysaur replied, keeping his focus on the path ahead. "I told you… mommy and daddy and the rest of everyone are all staying in a cave right now."

"Why?"

"Saurlee, we've been _over this_," the Ivysaur snapped, stopping in his tracks for a moment and looking at her sternly. "We need to stay hidden from other Pokémon for now."

"Oh…" she said, looking at the ground. "It's because of Saura, isn't it?"

With a solemn frown, the Bulbasaur's brother nodded his head.

"I'm getting tired of staying hidden," she whined, digging a paw into the wet dirt. "Saurvor, when can we stop being hidden?"

Saurvor sighed, casting a sad glance to the young one.

"Come on, we need to keep going," he said, turning his attention forward and forging a path through the foliage. "We'll get to Shuca Town in a few minutes."

"Brother?"

"_What?_" he yelped, stopping again.

"Can we stay with everyone else this time?" Saurlee asked. "I miss mommy and daddy… I'm tired of walking to different towns all the time. I _miss_ them…"

"We'll see," Saurvor responded. "It depends. We'll stay a little while, at least."

"Promise?"

The Ivysaur smiled.

"Yeah, I promise. I miss them too, you know."

Though the young one was weary, she grew excited at the prospect of seeing her family again. She took a distressed breath and continued to follow her brother through the overgrowth.

* * *

Shuca Town was a quiet and relaxing garden town, certainly not as bustling as Iron Town or Sitrus City, both of which were places Saurlee had visited in weeks prior with her brother. They entered the town upon roads assembled from colorful, polished cobblestones winding their way through roadside flowerbeds and relaxing streams of clear water. It was so plaintive and quaint a place, with no tall buildings and no yammering of Pokémon voices to drown out the sounds of nature. The late-morning sun cast long shadows from the rocks and signposts beside the road, and made the stones in the road sparkle.

…But even though there were almost no Pokémon walking the streets with them, Saurlee noticed that her brother kept glancing over his shoulder and looking around. It was something he did no matter what city they were visiting.

"Act natural," he reminded her in a quiet hiss. "And keep an eye out. If you see anyone take a look at us and run away really fast, let me know. You remember the code word, right?"

"Poison ivy!" she recited, proud of remembering.

"Good. Now, this shouldn't take long. And remember, don't call me by my real name. And don't tell anyone your name, either. We just need to find a satchel of cheap berries, and we'll be on our way home, okay?"

"Alright, brother."

She followed close beside him, taking in the interesting culture of the new town along the way. Saurlee had been to a lot of towns lately, and this one wasn't very exciting in comparison, but she found a couple neat things to look at. The flowers in the beds were growing at differing heights, forming what looked like puddles of wobbling water with the fine, blue pedals. The cobblestone road occasionally had a bright ruby or sapphire-looking stone embedded in it, and Saurlee curiously peered at her reflection in them as she passed. Looking beyond the roads, she saw that the outskirts of town were large, flat farmlands and peaceful orchards, the plough-tracks carving the meadow into brick-like patterns.

To pass the time, Saurlee remained on the lookout for new species of Pokémon she had never before seen. Every town and city seemed to have brand new species of creatures to meet, some which awed the little Bulbasaur, and others which caused her to laugh at how ridiculous they looked. Saurvor had asked her to point out any Pokémon she didn't recognize, and he would tell her what kind they were. She was always impressed at his knowledge of Pokémon species; he seemed to know them all.

With excitement, she spotted one, and called out to her brother.

"What is _that?_" she wondered in a squealing voice, indicating a short but bulky quadruped walking on the opposite side of the street.

"Oh, that?" Saurvor quipped quietly. "That's a Donphan. They're pretty strong. They probably have a lot of them living here; they like dirt and they are strong enough to pull the ploughs in the fields."

The hardy elephant Pokémon did not even give her a passing glance she continued to stare at it in curiosity.

"Alright, here we are," Saurvor said, indicating a market booth on the street corner. "This looks like what we need. You can keep watch for a minute. I'm going to go buy some berries, and then we'll figure out how to get home from here, alright?"

Saurlee nodded, staying a few paces behind her brother as he approached the merchant. On the other side of the wooden stand, a Ledian meticulously arranged colorful berries in rows, judging their sizes.

"Excuse me?" he called to her. "Miss?"

The red bug paused and glanced up. Opening her wings, she buzzed over her berries and perched on the front counter.

"Good morning!" she called. "Oh, my. Been a while since I've seen a 'saur, you must be passing through!"

Saurvor nodded, producing a small bag of coins from the folds of his flower. "We're heading north for the waterfalls. We need something for the road, and those berries of yours are looking awfully appetizing…"

She smiled, bowing her head. "Aww, you know, it's an honor to be flattered by a 'saur. You're some of the best gardeners, you know. You know quality when you see it."

"Yep," he said, humoring her. "Certainly caught my eye. Those Orans in particular. Very round, no blemishes, well-guarded, ripened on the vine for seven days…"

"Ahh, it's a shame we have none of your kind living in Shuca Town," she sighed. "You would be of great help. Do you have a family at all? We're always looking for new gardeners to recruit."

"Nope, just me and my sis here," he laughed curtly. "The rest of my family is all over Ambera; don't exactly hear from them anymore."

"Well, then! What can I do for you, good traveler?" the ladybug said proudly. "I'd hate to keep you from your travels."

"No, it's no problem!" Saurvor said, grinning. "What do you have?"

Nearby, the little Bulbasaur stood guard, watching as a Pokémon wandered down the road or flew overhead every now and again. As always, she watched for Pokémon who would look like they were afraid of her – Pokémon who would see her and pick up the pace, trying to get away quickly. She didn't quite understand why, but it seemed important to her brother to spot Pokémon who would do that. Luckily, she'd never seen it happen.

Furthermore, for a good length of time, she couldn't spot any Pokémon she didn't know. A line of Sentret wandered by once. Later, there was a Buizel, followed by a Roselia. A few Starvia flew past, perching on the signposts to rest. They were all Pokémon she'd seen many times before. Nothing special.

After a while, she started to become bored. Saurvor had insisted upon starting a long, uninteresting conversation with the Ladybug Pokémon, and all she could do was sit and stare at the serene yet empty little town and its inhabitants which slowly passed by.

There were more Sentret… a Grotle…

Finally, after what seemed like an hour, she spotted a new kind of Pokémon she'd never seen before.

It stood a block down the road at another market-booth, speaking softly to the merchant on the other side. With inquisitive yellow eyes, it appraised the seller's wares, things which looked like large seeds and cloth-stitched satchels to hold them in.

The Pokémon was red, and very tall. Its armor gleamed in the sunlight, as though it were made of polished steel. It had great pincers at the ends of its arms, reminding her of the Krabby she had seen during her recent trip to the seaside.

Fascinated, she stared at this creature. It looked strong and magnificent. It impressed her with a sense of awe and respect, unlike any bug Pokémon she had seen before.

As she stared at it, wondering how strong it was, the tall red insect paused, calling off its conversation with the Machop it had been speaking to. It turned its head, and one of its eyes gleamed in Saurlee's direction.

"_Brotherrrrr!_" Salee cried. "Hey, hey, brother?"

"Excuse me," Saurvor said to the Ledian, looking a little frustrated. "What is it, sis?"

"I found a new kind of Pokémon!" she told him.

"Oh, um…" he said, awkwardly. "Remember what it looks like, and I'll tell you later. But sis, look. I'm having a conversation right now. It's rude to interrupt."

"You said we'd be quick!" Saurlee begged. "I'm bored. Can't we go yet?"

The Ivysaur and the Ledian exchanged an awkward glance.

"Oh, sorry. Pardon me, I ramble sometimes," she said, quickly assembling the pouch of berried he had ordered. "Go on, go on! Don't let me keep you stuffed in the dirt."

"No, really," the Ivysaur insisted, looking mortified. "It's fine."

"Nonsense!" she hummed, presenting him with a hefty pouch filled with a dozen blue berries. "I know what it's like to have kids. You've gotta listen to them sometimes, it helps keep you on track! There you are, sir!"

After a quick exchange of formalities, Saurvor paid her some golden coins and continued down the road with his sister, tying the satchel to his back with his vines.

"Brother, why did you take so long?" Saurlee moaned. "You said we'd go soon!"

"Sis, I thought I _told_ you _not_ to talk to anyone!" he scorned. "You promised you would be quiet… I need to be able to _trust_ you, Saurlee. This is very important."

"I'm sorry…" she sighed. "I promise! Next time I will be quiet."

"Even if it's boring?"

"Fine! Even if it's boring."

He gave her a playful nudge. "Very good. I'm sorry it was so boring, by the way," he told her. "I admit, I was getting a bit bored, too. But acting natural means you have to have a conversation sometimes. If you look like you're in a hurry to get away all the time, that looks suspicious."

"Fine, whatever," she mumbled. "Can we go yet?"

"Yeah, we can go," he said, casting wary glances in all directions just as he would normally do. "Follow me. Let's go this way."

He began leading her down the road which appeared to lead out of and beyond the little town.

"Brother, that's north!" she corrected him. "Weren't we going east all morning? You said mommy and daddy are to the east."

"Well… We'll go north first, then east," he said hesitantly. "It's alright; it won't be that much further. Trust me."

Stifling a grumble, the little Bulbasaur shut her mouth. She really didn't understand what her brother was thinking sometimes, and it was always useless to argue. She did trust him, however.

"Hey, can you tell me about that Pokémon I saw?" she said suddenly as they were nearing the end of the town, the cobbled road underfoot turning back into a plodded-down reel of dirt.

"Sure," he replied kindly. "What did you see?"

"Well, it was a red Pokémon," she started. "And it looked like a bug. It had a really shiny shell…"

Saurvor laughed. "You're silly, you know that? That was a Ledian. You know that! You've seen them before. They're grown-up Ledyba."

"No, not _that,_" Saurlee insisted, scampering right up to her brother's side. "No. This one was a _big _bug. It was really tall and it stood on two legs."

"Oh, really?" he chuckled. "What else?"

"And it had crabclaws. And a mask. And spikes on its head."

"_Ohhh,_" the Ivysaur sang, nodding in understanding. "That was probably a Scizor."

"Scizor?"

"Yeah. They're a grown-up Scyther," he explained. "They're a lot nicer than Scyther, too. Much more calm and deliberate. But that's interesting; Scizor are kind of rare. You don't see very many around this part of the country.."

"Scythers are scary!" the young Bulbasaur quipped. "I hope I never have to meet one… Do you think they could live around here?"

"Aww, don't worry about it," he said, comfortingly. "But not every Scyther is bad. Sometimes you can meet a nice one. That Scizor you saw is probably just a town elder. Scyther make very good gardeners, you know. They're good at harvesting crops and cutting down weeds. You can't always trust their tempers, though. But yeah… sometimes, you can meet a nice one."

* * *

As they walked down the lonesome road, going the wrong way just to "act natural" as Saurvor would put it, the little Bulbasaur's mind drifted back to her home. Her _real_ home. Before Saura left, she never imagined that the world would be such a huge place. But no matter how many places she discovered, her heart was still deeply planted in the meadow where she grew up.

"Hungry?" Saurvor said, tossing her a berry from the bag. "You can have one. But we have to save the rest for the family.

She caught it on her nose and swiveled a vine around it, keeping it from hitting the ground. She turned it over, looking at the interesting piece of fruit. It was blue, and it had leaves and a stem still attached.

She nibbled it, enjoying the sharp and bitter flavor.

"When do you think Saura will come back?" she wondered, blue juice dripping from the sides of her mouth.

Saurvor turned his head away, refusing to answer.

"Brother?"

He grit his teeth, looking into the distance with disdain.

"_Sauuuuurvor?_" the little one whined. "I said, when do you think Saura will come back? I miss him!"

"I miss him too, Saurlee," the older one finally answered. "But… I don't think he'll be coming back for a long time, if… at all."

"Aww, _why?_" she cried. "What's wrong with Saura?"

"Saura did something… very bad," he said reluctantly. "And… he has to keep himself hidden. Like us. Except… worse. Or something bad will happen to him."

"Aww, but brother, he said that he's okay!" Saurlee insisted. "He said that the Master would just find a new Bulbasaur to take his place!"

"I don't think that's quite the case," Saurvor said, lowering his voice and choosing his words wisely. "The Flareon was really specific about wanting him. They still want him. He made the Master very angry."

"Well… they still might find him!" she cheered in hope. "Then he can come back and be with us again!"

The Ivysaur sighed, hanging his head and staring at the ground. He stopped walking.

"Sis, there's something I need to tell you, and maybe it's the best time to tell you now, before we get back to the others."

"What?" she chirped, looking confused.

"Saura isn't… exactly…"

He dug his paw deep into the dirt road.

"He's not welcome in our family anymore."

Saurlee blinked. "What do you mean?" she said.

"I mean, mom and dad don't want to see him anymore," Saurvor uttered, looking gravely into his sister's eyes. "They said that they don't want him around anymore. So… we might be able to meet him one day, but… they… what I'm saying, is… he's not allowed to come back home. Dad said that."

Saurlee stood still. Her gaze was frozen at him.

"Sorry I didn't tell you until now," he said. "I just don't like to see you cry. But… it's just… because of what Saura did, we might have to be fugitives for the rest of our lives now. And… well, maybe mom and dad will forgive him someday. But not now. Now, we just… have to let him go."

He stepped close to her, his deep, sympathy-filled eyes watching as she tried to hold back tears.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "You can cry if you want. I cried too…"

Saurlee jumped at him, pressing her forehead against her brother's side. And she sobbed loudly.

"I'm sorry," he said again, nuzzling her forehead.

* * *

After a few hours of walking down empty roads, and a few more hours leaving the road behind and wandering through the unpaved, untamed wilderness, the little Bulbasaur and her brother arrived to the cave where their family stayed.

Saurlee had been silent for the rest of the journey. She didn't feel like saying anything. She kept seeing Saura in her head, wondering if she'd ever see her favorite brother again. Saurvor let her be, knowing just how she felt; it was the same way he had reacted when he heard that Saura had been ostracized. He was, and had always been, a part of the family; he would likely stay in their hearts for a long while after he was gone. Even if he had forced them all to become fugitives.

After navigating through a barren region covered in rocks and gravel, Saurvor found the awkward entrance to the cave. It was a long, narrow crack in the rocks underfoot, hidden by an overhanging slab of shale which made it appear as though the ground was flat and unbroken.

"It's cold," Saurlee spoke, her first words in a while, as they carefully lowered themselves into the wet, rocky passage.

"Caves usually are," Saurvor replied, carefully guiding the little one down with his vines and looking over his shoulder one last time.

"How do we know they're in here?" Saurlee wondered, listening as her voice began to echo.

"Because it's exactly where the letter said it would be," Saurvor replied. "Ah. Look, see that dent in the rock?"

Saurlee glanced up. There was a large, unusually-shaped gouge in the slab.

"Mom and dad probably dug that out so they could fit through and into the cave," Saurvor said. "They're in here, sis. They have to be."

Once the little Bulbasaur found her footing on the slanted cave floor, she scampered forward into the shadows, looking for any signs of her family.

"Hellooo?" she wailed, hearing her voice amplified by the darkness.

Then, she turned a corner, and saw them. In the light of a glowing green stone hung upon the wall of the chamber by some dead vines, she saw two elderly Venusaur and seven young Bulbasaur planted snuggly around them, taking a midday nap.

"Saurlee!" cried one of the little Bulbasaur, jumping to attention. "Saurlee's here!"

Soon, all seven of the young ones were wide awake, clamoring in joy as they tackled their sister.

"Ah, we're happy to see you," the mother Venusaur said, her eyelids fluttering between opened and closed. "Is Saurvor with you?"

"I'm right here, mom," the Ivysaur called from across the chamber, quickly catching up. "Yeah, we made it. Oh, wow. Everyone looks so wilted. Hungry? Here! I have berries for everyone!"

Like little baby birds, the Bulbasaur all crowded around their brother and begged for food. He happily passed out Rawst Berries to his siblings.

"You're early," grumbled the father Venusaur. "You should have come when it was darker. Are you sure no one followed you?"

"Not that I saw," he replied. "And besides, I had Saurlee help me keep an eye out. You didn't see anyone suspicious, did you, Saurlee?"

"I… don't think so," she replied, trying to remember all the Pokémon she saw. "There wasn't any Pokémon who saw us and then ran away really fast."

Having already ate her fill earlier, Saurlee stepped back and watched as her brothers and sister devoured the contents of the satchel.

"Mommy?" she said suddenly.

"What is it, Saurlee?" she said kindly.

"Why can't Saura be a part of the family anymore?"

The room went silent. Even Saurlee's siblings hesitated, berry skins hanging from their mouths.

Saurvor grit his teeth. The two Venusaur glanced at one another.

"Saura is gone," the father spoke in a deep grumbling voice, "He decided not to be a part of our family anymore."

"But daddy…"

"No, no buts," the father said, raising his voice. "Saura left because _he_ wanted to leave. He has decided not to love us anymore."

"No! He still loves us!" Saurlee squealed, stepping past her siblings and meeting her father face-to-face. "Daddy, I _met_ him! He misses us a lot and he wants to see us again!"

"Wait, you _met_ Saura?" one of the other little Bulbasaur gasped. "Was he okay? How was he?"

The bunch of little Bulbasaur seemed keenly interested.

"Was he stronger? Did he sprout yet?"

"Was he rich?"

"Does he lead a big army?"

"Why didn't he come back?"

"_Quiet!_" the father shouted, drowning out their voices. "I told you. I don't want to hear you talking about Saura anymore."

"But…" squeaked Saurlee. "But, father…"

"_No buts," _he said forcefully. "He does not grow from our vine anymore. The faster we can forget about him, the better off we'll be. The next person who says Saura's name is _sitting in the corner_."

"_I guess that will have to be me, then!_"

A hushed silence fell over the family; the voice had not been one of theirs.

There was a Pokémon at the cave entrance that was not part of the family. The little Bulbasaur all dropped their berries and froze in fright, holding their breaths and trying not to make a sound.

Saurvor gasped in panic, leaping in front of his siblings to stand in the way of whomever was coming.

Turning the corner and revealing itself in the soft green glow of the chamber was a Flareon.

"Saurvor," the father Venusaur spoke gravely. "You were followed."

Saurvor's heart caught in his throat.

The fiery canine wasted no time in approaching the family, standing dominatingly above the children.

Saurlee knew this Pokémon. It was the same Flareon that wanted Saura to come with him. The same Flareon that had gotten mad and burned down their gardens when he heard that Saura was no longer there. The same Flareon which had set a deadline for getting Saura back, a deadline they had missed.

It all made sense to her now. She understood why the family was hiding.

It was for safety. They were hiding from the fire. From _him_.

Standing before the bunch of shocked little Bulbasaur, the Flareon glowered at the Venusaur who stood behind them.

"In all honesty, I'm _sorry_ if you're sick of hearing about him, but Saura is just the one I have come to talk to you about. And we need to have a serious talk. Oh, _do _we."

The Venusaur mother softly growled at the intruder. The children began to back away from the fox, afraid of being burned.

"Tell me; how is it that you have managed to keep _all_ of your children at your side, except for the most important one?" the Flareon spoke to the father. "That seems a little, how to say… _tragically_ convenient?"

"Because he wasn't running away from us," the father answered. "He was running away from _you_."

"_YOU HAD ONE JOB!_" the Flareon barked loudly, startling everyone. "_ONE. JOB._ Your job was to _GIVE HIM TO ME._ HOW DO YOU _LET HIM GET AWAY LIKE THIS?_ HE IS A _CHILD! _YOU ARE _STRONGER_ THAN HIM! _HE WAS SUPPOSED TO TRUST YOU!_"

There was a moment of burning silence after the fox's outburst ended.

"Pardon me," the Flareon said in a plain voice, pacing a semicircle around the patch of little Bulbasaur. "I have let my temper get the better of me, again. But, you see… we are at an impasse, Grayleaf. The child is still missing, and the Master still needs him. What do you propose we do?"

"Get out," the Venusaur snarled. "Get out of my den, leave my family alone, or… I will put out your fire."

The Flareon paused. Saying not a word, he stepped up to the Venusaur and stared him down. Though the Venusaur towered above him, the Flareon did not seem to lose confidence.

The Flareon shrugged. "You probably could, if you tried," he said. "I have no doubt, Grayleaf. You have proven yourself well in the past. However… Could you also put out _their_ fires, too?"

A pack of Houndoom entered the green light of the cave, sealing off the entrance. The Bulbasaur all gave muffled gasps at seeing them.

"I'm only going to say this one more time, Grayleaf," the Flareon growled softly at the father Venusaur as the children cowered in terror. "I am _willing_ to cooperate with you. So _tell_ me… what do you say we should do about this problem? I am quite open to suggestions."

The two of them stared at one another, in silence, for a whole minute.

The little Bulbasaur all quivered in fright.

Saurlee pressed herself close to her Ivysaur brother, hoping he could protect her.

The mother Venusaur tensed. Fearing for her children and her mate, she prepared to lash at the attackers at the first sign of trouble, thinking nothing of her own safety.

At last, after many silent moments filled with held breaths and pounding hearts, the Flareon sighed.

"Fine," he whispered. "Fine… if that is the case, fine."

He turned his back to the Venusaur and hung his head, walking slowly back to the cave entrance where the Houndoom pack waited.

He looked into the eyes of the dark, fiery hounds.

"Take the children. We can use them to draw the fugitive out of hiding. As for the mother and father… burn them. The Ivysaur too, if you must."

"_NOOO!_" screeched the mother Venusaur, leaping to the protection of her children.

Then, the fighting broke loose.

Saurvor quickly wrapped up Saurlee in his vines and tossed her away. Her head smacked painfully into the wall and she landed in the corner of the cave, far from the violence.

And she watched.

There was screaming. And fighting.

And fire. So much fire…

She watched as her brothers tried to fight back with their leaves and vines. Leaves and vines which caught on fire.

She watched as the evil hounds charred them and slashed them and tore at their leaves and their skin.

Saurlee's throat convulsed into a long, powerful cry of agony. Tears flooded her eyes.

She watched as the Houndoom breathed long, blazing streams of fire onto her mommy and daddy.

She watched as her mommy and daddy burned.

"_N-noo! Noooo! No!"_ She wailed from afar. "STOP IT! STOP!"

She watched as the swirling smoke clouded and gathered at the ceiling of the cave chamber, filling the room and making everything look dark.

And the last thing she saw, through the darkness… was a Pokémon of red.

That Pokémon with the claws on its hands and the spikes on its head. That Pokémon which hid its face behind a shining, steely mask.

It stood at the cave entrance, staring at her with those gleaming yellow eyes.

And Saurlee realized her mistake. It was _him_. He was the bad guy. He was the one who had caused their family to burn.

He was the one who had taken everything away.

They were coming for her now, those dark hounds. They were approaching her, their teeth drawn into loud snarls, their smoke and fire brimming from their mouths. They had burned her mommy and daddy. The Venusaur had turned into crusted black shadows and had stopped moving.

"NO!" She screamed with her tiny voice, coughing as she sucked the smoke into her lungs.

She shut her eyes and waved her vines futilely at them.

"NO! _NO!_"

And then…

It was silent. The sound of the fire. The sound of the growls and screeches of battling Pokémon. The sound of wails and laments from her family. It had all paused.

Saurlee opened her eyes. The Houndoom were no longer approaching her. In fact, they were leaving her alone.

They were walking _backwards_.

They walked backwards until they began battling with her fallen parents once more. This time, however, they were not burning anything. They were removing the fire from the leaves of the two Venusaur. The flames were peeling and curling off of her parents' bodies and flying back through the air, and the evil dark hounds were swallowing it.

Her father stirred. He was regaining his strength as the fire left him. Shards of his attacks, his leaves and spores, were shooting out of the wounds of the Houndoom and flying back into his flower. His vines whipped off the fire which had caught them. One of the hounds sucked up a vine from the floor and used its teeth to re-connect it to his father's control.

Saurlee couldn't move. She felt numb. She felt like she had no control over her actions. And she didn't know what was going on. And it was all in complete silence, as though she had gone deaf.

The hounds ushered the little scattered Bulbasaur children away from themselves, until all her siblings had formed a group, and Saurvor stood in front of them in protection. They continued doing everything while walking backwards.

Then, Saurlee moved. With a power that was not hers, she leaped into the air straight at the cavern wall, smacking her forehead against the rock. But the collision did not hurt; this time, it seemed to take the pain away. She careened through the air until Saurvor caught her in his vines, righted her so she stood firmly on the ground, then retracted his grasp.

She stepped away from her brother. Now she saw the Flareon walking in reverse, his back turned toward her father.

_It's backwards,_ Saurlee realized. _This is going backwards! Everything that's happening now has already happened! _

_Everything… is… starting over!_

She watched as the Flareon stood off with her father. She watched as the Houndoom retracted themselves into the shadows, disappearing from sight.

She watched as her father spoke to her, mouthing out words but saying nothing. She stepped away from him, walking in reverse and taking her place along with her siblings. She watched as her brothers suddenly began to devour the Rawst berries in unison, coughing them up from their bellies piece-by-piece.

Then… just as soon as it had begun, it was over. Reality became normal again.

Sound once again rushed to Saurlee's ears. She regained control of her legs.

Gasping, she looked around at her family. Everything had been reversed, like some very bad dream. Everything had been undone. Nobody seemed to remember it.

She gaped again, trying to form words in her mouth, trying to create some kind of desperate scream, a warning of some kind, to cry out with.

"…Well?" Saurvor said, looking at her strangely.

Saurlee held her breath in hesitation. "What?" she said.

"Answer your brother's question, Saurlee," her mother instructed. "It's important."

Saurlee shook her head. "Sorry, I didn't hear you…" she croaked. "What did you say?"

"I said, you didn't see anyone suspicious on the road, did you?"

She froze in apprehension.

"Saurlee?" the Ivysaur spoke in a concerned tone. "Saurlee, are you okay? Ahh… Mom, I kind of… had a discussion with her on the way. She's still swallowing it…"

"_YES! YES I SAW SOMEONE!_" Saurlee squealed, making the collective family jump in fright. _"THE SIZER! THE SIZER IS COMING! WE HAVE TO RUN AWAY RIGHT NOW!_"

"What…?" Saurvor yelped. "Saurlee, calm down! Now, say it again."

But she couldn't calm down. Not after what she had seen. "The _sizer_ we saw in the village was a bad guy! He's coming to get us right now! _AND THE FLAREON TOO! THEY'RE GOING TO BURN US!_"

Saurvor swallowed hard. "Saurlee, I don't think… Saurlee, what do you mean? Did he _look_ like a bad guy?"

"No, brother! You don't understand!" She cried desperately, jumping at his feet. "I saw it happen right now! Just now! But it all went _backwards_ and now you don't remember any of it! But it's going to happen again! _PLEEEEASE_, we have to RUN!"

"_I'm afraid you have done enough running._"

The Flareon once again appeared in the doorway, its eyes sparkling with malicious glee in the green light of the cave.

"See? There he is! Saurvor!" Saurlee gasped quietly.

But Saurvor said nothing. He just tensed, leaping between the Flareon and his siblings to protect them. But the Flareon cockily approached him, glaring into his eyes and down at the seven little Bulbasaur he protected.

"We need to have a _talk_, Grayleaf," the Flareon said, motioning to Saurlee's father. "Oh, _do we._"

Saurlee's mommy growled at the fiery fox. The little Bulbasaur all began to inch away from the intruder and to closer to the safety of their mother's side.

"Tell me," the fox growled, "how is it that you have managed to keep _all_ of your children at your side, except for the most important one? That seems a little, how to say… _tragically_ convenient?"

Saurlee realized… it was happening again.

It was happening all over again, the same way it had happened the first time.

Nothing was going to change.

"Because he wasn't running away from _us_," the father shot back. "He was running away from _you_."

Saurlee knew she needed to do _something_ to save her family. Screaming in rage, she pounced at the fire-type Pokémon. But the Flareon effortlessly batted her away with a paw, sending her rolling across the floor.

"_YOU HAD ONE JOB!_" he roared, closing in on her father again. "_ONE. JOB._ Your job was to _GIVE HIM TO ME._ HOW DO YOU _LET HIM GET AWAY LIKE THIS?_ HE IS A _CHILD! _YOU ARE _STRONGER_ THAN HIM! _HE WAS SUPPOSED TO TRUST YOU!_"

"No, no NOOOO!" Saurlee squealed, getting back to her feet. "NO! IT'S HAPPENING AGAIN!"

"_SILENCE,_ little flammable weed," the Flareon shouted at her, snarling. Regaining his false composure, he started to swagger around the gathered group of children. "Ah, it seems I am not the only one with temper problems. Pardon my outburst. But you see, Grayleaf, we are at an impasse."

He stepped up to the Venusaur, glaring at him.

"The child is still missing, and the Master still intends to have him. What do you propose to do?"

"Get _out_," Saurlee's father growled. "Get _out_ of my den, and leave my family alone. Or I will put out your fire."

The Flareon paused, seeming to chuckle at the Venusaur's insubordination. "You know, Grayleaf, I wouldn't put it past you. You probably could put out my fire, if you tried hard enough. But you see, I don't take my business lightly. And I'm not the only one whose fire you need to put out."

The pack of Houndoom filed into the cave, as if on cue.

"I'm only going to say this one more time, Grayleaf," the Flareon whispered menacingly to the great Venusaur. "I am _willing_ to cooperate with you. So, _tell_ me… what do you say we should do about this problem? I am quite open to suggestions."

"_DADDY! HE'S GOING TO BURN YOU!_" Saurlee cried. "_DADDY! Daddy, don't LISTEN!_"

"Your daughter is a smart one, I see," the Flareon chuckled. "Very perceptive. Alright, if you don't have any ideas, I'll tell you mine, Grayleaf. Since you have failed to hold our bargain, I am going to take your children away from you, and use them as bait to lure Saura out of hiding. As for you… I have no more use for you anymore."

He motioned to the pack of dark hounds. "Burn them," he ordered, with a wave of his paw.

"_NOOO!" _her mother screamed in that same awful, broken voice Saurlee had heard the first time.

And just like the first time… the fighting broke out.

Saurlee couldn't take it. She had already seen her family burned once. And it was happening again.

Wailing, she joined the fight with her brothers, hoping to the gods it would help to change her destiny in some way.

"_**STOP.**_"

At the command of a loud, authoritative voice, the violence ceased. The hounds hesitated, their claws and teeth not having torn through anything yet, their fire not having singed a single leaf upon the Venusaur.

Out of the shadows walked the Pokémon in red. The Flareon, as well as all of the Houndoom, seemed to act reverently in his presence. He turned his head, appraising the frozen scene of chaos before him, his bright red shell turning an odd rusty color in the light of the green glow-stone.

"Commander," the Flareon addressed. "What are your orders?"

"Stand down," ordered the red Pokémon. "There will be no bloodshed today within this cave."

"Commander," the fiery fox replied defensively. "We are only following the orders you have given. What has changed?"

The Scizor paced through the cave, eyeing the young Bulbasaur for a moment.

"A sign," the Scizor simply said. "I have been given a sign from divine providence that we are not to bring harm to this family."

The Flareon coughed. "Divine _providence?_" he laughed bitterly. "What is it, commander? What have the gods shown you?"

The Scizor shook its head. "In truth, this is the second time I am watching these events occur," he explained. "I have watched you capture the children and disable the elders. Then, when the deed was nearly finished, I witnessed, before my very eyes, the sum of your actions becoming undone, as time flowed in reverse."

"You watched time flow in reverse," the Flareon reiterated, "and so, because of that, you believe we should let these traitors be?"

The Scizor stared powerfully at his underling, his gaze hotter than any fire.

"Yes."

"I have never known you to have a sense of humor, Commander," the Flareon said snidely. "Surely, you jest. That is one of the worst excuses I have ever heard come out of your mouth! They call you the blood-knight, yet what are you now, but a knight in shining armor? You have grown impressively skilled in _avoiding_ bloodshed, commander, for one who is supposed to enjoy it."

The Scizor was unfazed by the comment.

"To slaughter for pleasure is foolish," the Scizor spoke, disregarding the Flareon's frustration and approaching the Venusaur. "It is one thing which my colleagues do not seem to understand. I am not controlled by bloodlust, Hunter, in the way you are. That is why I am useful to the Master. It is what makes me your commander, and you the weapon which I use at my disposal. And be thankful I chose to assume the role of 'knight in shining armor' this day. The work we perform is delicate. As strong as we are, we cannot survive if one of the most high gods were to turn such a profound wrath against us. I do not know which god we have angered, but one which possesses the power to reverse time would also possess the ability to change history, or to alter fate. I do not wish to make enemies with such a god; do you, Hunter?"

The Flareon sat himself on the cave floor, bottling his anger.

"We have our orders, Commander," Hunter reminded the Scizor. "Would you defy Enigma's order? And on a hunch of witnessing time reverse itself: such a thing that cannot be proven, something that none of your fellows have witnessed with you?"

"Enigma trusts my judgment," the Scizor spoke. "Again, it is the reason I have been assigned to command you, and you to obey. If you do not obey my orders, I will hand you over to her, and she will give you the consequences she deems necessary."

"So… _what?_" the Flareon barked, astonished. "What _now_? Are we just going to _leave them alone? _We came all this way, searched for them for so long, and what now? What are we going to do with them?"

"We will escort them back to the meadow which is their rightful home," the Scizor spoke, "and leave them there until further notice."

"But, Commander…"

"At _once_, Hunter," the Scizor grunted. "Get out of my sight, and take this poor family with you. We have agonized them _enough_. Grayleaf; you may be at peace. Take your family home."

Hunter spat a fireball at the floor in rage, then began carrying out the order. He ushered the Venusaur and their children into a small group, and led them away.

The Scizor's yellow eye gleamed at Saurlee as she passed him.

"Wait," the Scizor spoke. "Let me speak to the little girl. Take the rest of them."

Saurlee gasped, looking to her mother and father in terror.

"It's alright, Saurlee," her mother told her. "Listen to the red Pokémon. Do what he says."

"Alright, mommy," Saurlee chirped, feeling so fearful.

Saurlee and the Scizor remained in the cave as the Bulbasaur family, the Flareon, and the pack of Houndoom all left their presence.

Finally, the Scizor spoke to her.

"The first time, you were standing there," he said, pointing one of his giant claws in the corner where Saurvor had tossed her. "The second time, you were there," he said, indicating a place in the center of the chamber. "You witnessed it, too, did you not?"

"Y—yeah," she croaked out. "I saw it. Time ran backwards."

"And so you changed your course of action to try to rewrite the fate of your family," he said. "When I saw that you had chosen to put up a fight the second time, I knew, at that moment, that what I had seen was not a hallucination."

The Scizor kneeled down close to the little Bulbasaur girl, bringing their gazes together.

"Do you know who I am?" the Scizor spoke. "Do you know my name?"

"No," Saurlee admitted. "Sorry…"

"It surprises me," the Scizor said. "I am a well-known Pokémon. Many Pokémon know my name. I am Adiel."

"I'm… Saurlee," the little one replied. "You—you work for the Master, right?"

"I do," he said, nodding. "The Master gives me many tasks I must carry out. One of them was to bring Saura to him."

"Why did you need Saura?" the little one implored. "I don't understand!"

"That is what I hoped I could tell you about," Adiel spoke. "As it turns out, he is impressively skilled as a fugitive. Skilled, or lucky. But it does not matter. My top priority in these past months has been to track him down and capture him, and it has proved a challenge. I say this as a compliment; I usually am able to take whatever I want, when I want it. Saura is proving to be the rare exception. I applaud him; he has learned how to evade me."

Saurlee cocked her head, wondering what the red Pokémon was talking about.

The red Pokémon looked down at her.

"He is also not your brother," he said.

Saurlee squinted. "Huuh?" she yelped. "Saura is my brother! We have known each other all of my life!"

Adiel nodded. "Yes, but he is no more your brother than I am his father. That is to say, we both adopted him and played our roles to him, but we are not truly related. See, little seedling; in the beginning, I _found_ Saura."

"Found Saura?" she echoed, not understanding.

"As an infant, a tiny seedling, he was alone and orphaned," Adiel explained. "However, there was something very special about him; he possessed a latent power that was very strong. It was a power, for decades, the Master has been searching for. When I discovered Saura's power, I decided to take him. Yet, I did not have time to raise a child; the Master keeps me very busy with many tasks, and so, I gave him to Grayleaf, your father, so that he and his mate could give him the love and care which a Bulbasaur deserves. And I commissioned them, telling them that if they raised this little Bulbasaur into a strong and worthy Pokémon for me, and returned him into the Master's possession when it came time, I would reward them handsomely. Grayleaf and his mate failed to hold their end of the commission, the Master grew very mad, and so he told me to take desperate measures. However… I finally realize something. I know, now, why I was never able to capture Saura. At least, I understand why he kept slipping away from me… Do you want to know why, Saurlee?"

Saurlee only nodded.

"Because… the gods are on his side," Adiel said. "Somewhere, up there in the great sky, there is a being who helped to set the earth into motion, or wove the time stream… and that great being has found favor with Saura, and protects him from me. There is a god, perhaps even Arceus himself, who guides him and protects him, and is watching over him with every step he takes. And this god has blessed him with great power and great fortune, keeping him out of my reach. For as strong as I am, as strong as the Master is, or as strong as anyone is on this Earth… no one can defeat the gods in a fair fight. They always win."

"Wow…" Saurlee breathed. "Saura is really that special?"

"And by extension, so are you," Adiel told her. "You and your family are also being protected by this god. When I saw time reverse, I at last understood. I knew, by instinct, Saura was involved in some manner. And I knew… I could no longer touch you, for I fear divine vengeance."

Adiel stood to his full height.

"Be at peace, Saurlee; you and your family. Know that I, or any of the Master's forces, will no longer seek to harm you from this day forward. I am going to forgive the debt which your father owes to me, and I will forget the deal was ever set in place. Then, I'm going to send you home, and I will leave you there, where you and your family will rest peacefully for generations to come."

"But…" the little Bulbasaur gasped, "But what about Saura?"

"What about him?" Adiel returned. "There are times when a father may not know a son, nor a son a father. Yet, deep within the heart, you shall always know who your brothers are. Tell me, little Saurlee, do you love Saura? Do you look up to him and count him among your family?"

"Yes!" she replied without hesitating.

"Then he is your brother," Adiel said with a gleam in his eye. "And never let anyone else tell you otherwise."

"So… you're…"

"I'm going to stop hunting him too, yes," Adiel said. "I will simply inform the Master that Saura is beyond our reach, and not by anyone's fault. Besides, there is another Pokémon I must begin hunting very soon, or he may get away from me, too. So, I must say farewell to you, Saurlee. I enjoyed our talk. Hurry and catch up with your family."

At that, the mighty Scizor and the tiny Bulbasaur left the cave together. They joined with the rest, and began the long, long journey back to the Tiny Meadow.

* * *

"She still will not be happy about this," Hunter told the Scizor as they led the procession. "She may very well be furious."

"She will understand," Adiel reassured the Flareon. "Besides, as fortunate as we would be to have the Call in our possession, removing Adron from the picture is far more important. Which reminds me; report to me on his current whereabouts."

"He has not been sighted around the Great Plateau, nor Iron Town, as of late," Hunter told him. "It makes sense, considering that we know him to be vacationing to the northern lands at the moment. Although, curiously, Cepheus's team tells us that he has caught glimpses of him, on multiple occasions, around Basin Canyon."

"This does not make any sense," Adiel said flatly. "There has been no report that he has returned from his flight to the northern lands. And furthermore, no report that he has returned from his trek to the arctic lands beyond that."

"Maybe he's just in three places at once," the Flareon shrugged, his tone oozing sarcasm. "I wouldn't put it past him…"

_Maybe he is,_ Adiel thought to himself. _Brother… how can you be in three places at once? How do you pull it off? _

_I have not been paying close enough attention to you,_ Adiel determined. _But that will change this very day. Beware, Adron. It is time we met face-to-face again. We have much to discuss._

_This time, I will win our little game._

_I will find you… Wherever you might be hiding, I will find you…_

**End of Season III**


	71. Chapter 51: Poisonous Allies

**Season IV: Ember**

* * *

**Chapter 51**

…

…

… … …

"_I don't like this."_

Two enormous figures stood before a backdrop of swirling celestial colors.

They were dragons. One studded with sapphire, the other adorned with various shades of lavender.

"_Do you think he will make it?"_

Dialga and Palkia.

Dialga glanced in Char's direction.

"_He'll come through,_" Dialga said, nodding confidently. "_The soul is strong enough. And he's smart enough to know not to give up."_

For the first time in a very long while, Char became aware of himself. He remembered that he was not just a disembodied ghost witnessing the conversation between the legendary dragons; he remembered that he had an identity. Though, at the very moment, it was difficult to remember what, exactly, that identity entailed.

He could not seem to cry out to them. His arms and legs were as stiff as cement. His lungs only gave heavy breaths when he tried to produce sound.

But it seemed that he was already the topic of conversation.

"_Then what don't you like about it?"_ the spatial dragon wondered, turning to glance at Char as well.

"_Well," _the great diamond dragon told his companion_, "I honestly do not know what else I can do for him. Every day, it's always 'Help Char! Bring Char back!' Char this, Char that. Even the orders coming down from superiors are all, 'Char is your highest priority.'"_

"_I suppose I agree; it may set something of a false precedent," _Palkia replied. _"Celebrities will always be the highest of our priorities whether or not they deserve it. Just because everyone's heart goes out to them. You fail them, you fail everyone. And all the poor nobodies we've got in back who need our help more than Char does are going to get neglected."_

Char felt confused. He had no idea what the dragons were talking about. They almost didn't seem to acknowledge his attention even though they were both glaring directly at him.

"_Not that, so much,"_ Dialga replied. _"What I mean is, I, well, there is only so much we can do. We can only pave the road on which he walks. When he comes through, it will be him, not us." _The temporal dragon looked inquisitive, peering close to Char with his gleaming red eyes.

"_And there is no way to tell them," _Palkia affirmed. _"At least, no way which they will easily accept. It was the same with Aether such many years ago. Ahh… She couldn't—"_

"_Quickly, the chesto, please_," Dialga suddenly barked, interrupting the spatial dragon's thoughts. "_His fire has flared, and his breathing seems to have escalated. It seems as though Char might be coming back to us. His battle has been won, it seems._"

"_Yes, here._"

"_Good! Good… now… the only thing standing between poor Char and the world is… his beauty sleep._"

A blur of vivid colors opened before Char's eyes. The dragons continued to stare at him expectantly. He attempted to move, and perceived that he had come to a mild success; with enough struggling, his arms and legs gave way.

"Char?"

The colors faded to darkness, returning to full force just moments later.

In a brief flash of clarity, Char thought that Dialga had possessed two sets of eyes.

"There he is. Awakening at last. Char… what a fright you've given all of us."

"Indeed; you've been asleep for fifteen days. The Division will be happy to see you animated again."

"Not to mention your friends."

Char stirred. He was intoxicated with weariness, but not uncomfortably so; the sacred fire pulsed with health from inside his chest, and he was pleasantly warm. The biting cold of ice and wind, the deep gashes from battle – they had vanished somewhere, fallen into a forgotten abyss of memories, as though they had happened in another life entirely.

"Where…" Char tried, annoyed that he couldn't keep his eyes opened for more than a split-second.

"You're upon a bed in the intensive care unit at the Gold Division base, under the caring eyes of Dr. Orde, and also my own. You are _safe._"

_Safe…_

That one word rang true to his heart, causing his fire to leap with gladness. Safety was not something he was used to feeling in a very long time. Yet… somewhere, deep within his soul, he knew everything would turn out alright.

Though it didn't make sense, he felt as though something had told him not to worry.

Char succeeded in prying his own eyelids open and adjusting to the light of the room. The odd visage of Dialga and Palkia turned into the faces of a Hypno and a Slowking. They each stared upon him with satisfaction and relief. Even the Shellder upon the doctor's head seemed to acknowledge and share his gladness.

"Saura…" Char uttered, testing his tongue again. "And Ray. Are they okay?"

"They're perfect," Hypno replied, "if not endlessly worried about you. When you arrived here in our care, your bodies were flooded with a type of ruthless poison and an overdose of sleep-seed, which made you very sick but kept you so deeply asleep that you were shielded from your own misery. Saura was not affected by the poison, naturally, so he was the first to awaken after the sleep-seeds wore off, and later, Raichu recovered from the poison and joined him. They are in perfect health and we released them back into the Division just two days ago, although they have spent most of their time here at your bedside waiting for you to show signs of life."

_We made it,_ Char realized. _We're alive. We survived. Against all odds..._

"Can I go see them?" Char struggled to say, rolling to his side and watching as the infirmary room turned sideways around him.

"If you think you can move, do whatever you think you are capable of doing! I sent them out to the waiting-room while we examined you. They should be there," the Slowking replied cheerily, turning to do something at a table next to Char's bed-side. "Ah! Good day, happy day, to have Team Ember reunited at last."

Feeling a surge of joyful strength welling in his limbs, Char gave a thrust with his muscles and sat himself up. Blinking several times more, he examined the skin of his orange limbs and his white belly. There were no cuts or bruises, no aches or pains. There were only a few faint scars from his battle wounds. With a sudden compulsion, he reached behind his back and gathered his tail into his claw to gaze upon his flame. It, too, was perfect, burning vividly and smoothly like a well-oiled lantern, flickering slightly as he jerked it around. It was a deep orange color, signifying that the Watchers had subsided just hours before. It was morning.

Char grinned, feeling a wave of exuberance fast approaching. He did it. _They_ did it. They had braved the merciless northern savage-lands of Ambera, got mixed up in political and legendary affairs, _died_ and returned to life…

…And through it all, they were still standing. They were given another chance at life, at being the team they always wanted to be. He remembered all the promises he had made to Saura and Ray as they trekked hopelessly through the snowstorm, all the resolutions and changes he would make _if they lived_. How they would stop being helpless and start being self-reliant. How he would strive to be a better leader, and live up to the high standards held by the Gold Division and all of its members who treated him as some kind of prodigious celebrity.

He knew now, as he stared into his tail-flame, that each and every one of those resolutions would be kept. All he needed, now, was to meet his dear friends face-to-face.

After stretching and yawning, Char leaped from the flame-proof bedding and landed on the warm, tiled floor. Before he escaped from the room, he sent a questioning glance to the caretakers who had helped him pull through.

"Um… do I need to pay?" Char asked awkwardly.

"You pay us with your dedication to the Division," Hypno replied. "Remember, the good doctor here is one-fourth of High Intelligence itself; he already receives a steady tax from every team here. There is no need to pay him extra for his medicinal practice."

"Yes, yes! Now go, get out there!" the doctor shouted proudly, almost melodramatically. "Keep up the good work and mess the Master up! Get out into the world, and _NEVER COME BACK! _…Well, what I mean to say is, never come back to this particular wing of the base, because that would mean that you are sick and injured again, and I do not wish that upon you! … Good luck and fortune to you, at any rate!"

Char earnestly thanked the doctor and his assistant for their services before dropping to all fours and scampering away.

… … …

The white-tiled floors and brown walls swept past Char as he sprinted through the hospital and dodged the startled passersby he met in the corridors. He was driven by a fiery longing and thought about nothing else: he just wanted to see his friends. He wanted proof they were still alive, like him.

He followed the paths and hoped they would eventually converge on the exit. At one point, he faintly recognized the admissions room from a tour he had taken long ago and knew he was on the right track.

A few seconds before he burst into the main waiting room, he heard their voices.

"Should we go back in? They've been away a long time."

"Maybe they got him to wake up!"

"Maybe. Should we go see?"

A few moments too late, Char saw Saura's forehead peeking through the doorframe as though intending to venture inside but hesitating.

_***SMASH***_

Char ploughed into Saura head-on, and they both tumbled back into the waiting room floor. But they made no move to separate, and the collision soon turned into a tight embrace.

"_CHAAAAR! Char, it's YOU!_" Saura cried happily, squeezing his vines around the Charmander and not caring that one of them had caught on fire.

Ray eagerly gathered his friends up from the floor, holding them dearly and putting out the tiny flame that sparkled upon Saura's vine. They stood, united, for an entire minute, unable to hold back their gasps of amazement or their hearty laughter.

"Char, you're _back_!" Ray screamed in glee. "We're _all _back! We're all in one piece! Can you believe it? Haaaaa-_yeaaah_!"

"I can't believe it," Char gasped, almost so happy he could cry. "This is probably the happiest day of my life. Too many times, I thought all was lost. Just too many times… and now… Now, we're here."

"They said once there was a slight chance you wouldn't make it," Saura admitted, his voice profusely wavering. "So we promised that we would stay here in the hospital until we knew for sure… Ahh, Char, thank you for staying alive. It means so much to us."

"I couldn't have done it without you," Char told his friends, his arms quickly growing sore from holding his friends so tightly. "Thank you for everything. I owe everything to both of you."

"_Aww, look. The peanut-brains are finally awake._"

A sneering, arrogant voice broke through the heartwarming moment. Char turned to see a Seviper and a Croagunk standing beside them in the waiting room.

In just that single moment, the profound happiness had turned into sheer terror_._

"Could you guys try to cut it with the mushy-gushy friendship stuff for _once_?" the Seviper said nonchalantly in the moment of shock, its red fangs glistening in the orange torchlight. "You're making us both sick."

"_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"_

Saura panicked_._ Instantly hyperventilating, he leaped back from his friends and drew both of his vines into the air, though he seemed too afraid of attacking anything with them.

"_TEAM X IS IN THE BASE!_" He shouted at the top of his lungs. _"TEAM X! IS IN! THE BASE! Team X… in… the base… WAAAHHH! HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?! HOW! AUGHH!_"

Char's blood was searing with adrenaline, his tail-flame flaring into a beacon of strength. He was at full health and in the company of his friends; he knew he could put up a good fight. He dropped to all fours, but hesitated in pouncing. Instead, he glared at the foes, his mind still not seeming to comprehend that the villainous duo had indeed penetrated the defenses of the Gold Division to its very core and stood within its confines, all of its deepest secrets laid out before their prying eyes.

Feeling the instinct to act as the leader of the team, Char stepped out from his friends and approached the poisonous ones.

"How did you _come here?_" Char demanded, a growl escaping from his throat.

The Croagunk matched his hostile stance, holding his fists in front of him and saying "Well, maybe if you'd put a gag on your friend and let us _have a word in_, we might be inclined to tell you!"

"_Hss._ Don't bother," the Seviper sighed. "They wouldn't believe us if we told them. Their simple little minds just wouldn't accept the truth."

Stepping up to the Croagunk, Char rose again to his full height. He glared into the eye of his foe.

"_Try_ us," he challenged.

The Croagunk smirked. "For your information, pipweeds, we were _invited._ By none other than your Scyther friend."

Char tried to resist the urge to stagger, but his face paled as the suggestion sank in and he stumbled backwards. Saura and Ray wore horrified expressions.

"Scyther? You know, big green insect?" Seviper goaded sarcastically, whipping his bladed tail around to display it before the flustered Team Ember. "Has blades for arms, they look like this? You've hung around him for long enough, surprised you don't know who I'm talking about."

"Scythe…" Ray hissed to himself, looking very confused. "Why…? Why did he let you in?"

"It's simple," Croagunk explained, crossing his arms. "We made a deal. _We_ wanted to get into the base; _he_ needed to babysit you because he was afraid you'd get pneumonia and die. So he struck a deal with us: he said that if we'd be his fallback and brought the three of you back to Iron Town alive, there'd be an operative there from the Division that would let us into the base. So, we did it."

"You're thieves," Char growled. "We can't trust you because you're thieves. When we first met you, you had a whole hideout full of stolen goods…"

"Aww, _bwaaaah,_ that's the best reason you've got?!" Croagunk scoffed. "Every single member of this base is a thief and a criminal, and you know it. Not like a _resistance force_ are _criminals_ or anything? Not like _Kecleon_ is an evil criminal with his shop full of stolen goods? Heh heh, we're good at what we do. We fit in here."

"But… you're…" Saura squeaked. "You're… Master… the Master… you work for him… why would Scythe… why would he…? Why would he trust you?"

"…Excuse me for a moment," Croagunk uttered as brushed the Charmander aside and walked past, coming to stand over the frightened and cowering little Bulbasaur. Before Char could react, Croagunk lost his temper.

"_BECAUSE WE'RE GOOD GUYS!" _the Croagunk blasted down at the Bulbasaur's face. _"GOOD. GUYS! Arceus ABOVE, _We've been TRYING to TELL YOU THIS since almost the _BEGINNING,_ and you _JUST. DON'T. LISTEN! Do you have any idea how FRUSTRATING this was trying to get in here?! Being good guys and have nobody BELIEVE US?! _Gods _almighty_, Team Peanuts, would you stop and consider _JUST ONCE,_ maybe _JUST ONCE,_ that we _MIGHT _be telling the truth, huh?! _EVER CONSIDER THAT?!_"

"Is it because we're poison-kin? Is that the reason why you can't bring yourself to trust us?" the Seviper added, slithering closer to Char. "If that's the case, Char, I want you to take a deep breath, turn about eighty degrees to your right, and take a good, close look at the Pokémon you're standing next to. You might find that they're just as _untrustworthy_ as we are, by those standards."

Char turned as instructed, facing Saura. Saura looked up at him with tearful, uncertain eyes.

"He's even a _frog!" _Croagunk furthermore blasted. "Legends forbid a _poisonous frog_ could ever be a _good guy,_ right? _*CROAK*_"

Silence fell over the group. Char thought to scan the waiting room for the presence of other Pokémon and spotted only a meager Taillow clinging to the rim of a chair in the far corner of the room, looking absolutely breathless as it watched the scene unfold.

Mustering his courage, Saura spoke back to the Croagunk. "I… don't… believe you," he forced out. "I'm… I'm sorry. I just… you work for the Master."

Croagunk emitted a gurgling sigh, slapping his own forehead with a fist.

"Okay, look," he said, surprisingly lowering his tone. "I'm only going to say this one more time, and I don't care if you believe me, but you'd better listen. So yeah, maybe we work for the Master, or maybe we don't. Don't matter. Either way, revealing the location of this base and getting it blown up isn't going to help anybody, and it sure as the blazes isn't going to help us. Not now, not ever. See, we have a foe we want to take down, and she works for the Master, and so the only way we're going to defeat her is if we stick with the resistance. And that makes us a resistance team just like you. We both want the same thing. We're both fighting the empire. So we belong here. So quit getting in our way!"

"I'm surprised you don't see the blatantly obvious writings on the wall," the serpent added. "If your Scyther buddy trusted us enough to make the offer in the first place, not to mention arranging us travel so we could secretly tail you into Zerferia, and your High Intelligence trusted us enough to let us stay in here, and your registrar let us become an official resistance team… you _still_ suspect you know better than all of them? Can you truly claim that? Pray tell, what do you know that they don't?"

Char was silent. He only clenched his fists tightly, feeling the tingle of his inner ember as it flared with disgust and lingering suspicion.

"I warned you they wouldn't believe us," Seviper hissed. "It was pointless to come down here and check on them. We're done here; we've got more important things to do than to argue with children."

"Yeah," Croagunk spat, looking disdainfully at the Charmander. "Hey, twirps, we've got missions to run. When you're ready to, y'know, actually _thank_ us for saving your lives – which, by the way, wasn't easy – catch us around."

And they just left, a speechless and bewildered Team Ember standing in their wake.

Char instinctively turned to look at the Taillow's reaction. The little bird returned a blank stare of confusion and a shrug.

"Well," Char said, finally breaking the silence, "I think… we should at least go and see if our rooms are still in one piece. We can have some privacy to think about this a bit more."

"I second that," Ray sighed, looking uncomfortable. "I guess we could lock ourselves in there if the base suddenly went on high alert. I think I'd feel safer."

… … …

Making their way back to their team headquarters was a challenge. The Gold Division was bustling with activity as the morning rush was in full force, and trying to walk against the flow of a Pokémon crowd was never pleasant. Char was always afraid that someone's spikes or poisoned barbs would unexpectedly skewer him. He and his friends made a few attempts to push their way to the staircase, but they were always forced back to the entryway of the hospital wing. Eventually, they decided to give up and wait for the crowd to subside, at least enough to make it to the elevator.

Char watched all the Pokémon of the Gold Division marching past, yapping and clamoring with a hundred strange and interesting voices. Some of them seemed happy and excited, others seemed stoic and strong, and others visibly wore contempt for the missions they were assigned. But one thing was prevalent among the troops of the Gold Division: there was energy, so much energy and hope and vibrancy in the room that Char couldn't help feeling a bit uplifted at the sight. It was nothing like the Emerald Division he'd spent a few nights in, where the Pokémon needed to remain hardened and emotionless lest the sting of bitterness destroy them from the inside. These Pokémon were always alive and active and focused, like the whole Gold Division was a place on fire.

Char realized how much he missed this place. This was his home, or the closest place to home he knew as a Pokémon.

For a few moments, he oddly considered to himself that none of the Pokémon paid him much mind. None of them knew what he'd gone through. None of them knew the dangers he'd faced, the legendary Pokémon he'd spoken with, or the disasters he'd escaped from. There they were, all of them on their way to whatever daily missions they had undertaken, their minds absorbed with exploration strategies or route-planning or money-making or politics or whatever else they were doing; none of them knew what Temporal Tower truly looked like on the inside, or what heart-speak was, or what it felt like to die and be reincarnated, or how Dialga's demeanor truly sounded like.

Some caught sight of the little Charmander and let a gaze linger for a few moments, others waved to him, but most kept their eyes upon the road ahead or upon their teammates, leaving the famous and prodigious Char neglected in the corner of the chamber. Most probably didn't even realize Team Ember had taken a vacation at all.

"They don't know the Call is useless," Char realized, speaking quietly to Ray and Saura. "Do you think we should tell them? The Call was always one of their greatest hopes…"

"Nah, let's wait a while," Ray replied, a hint of melancholy creeping into his voice. "No need to tell them if it's just gonna make everyone depressed… We can keep it as our little secret."

Char nodded. He knew that was the right thing to do. There was no need to take away the hope these hardworking Pokémon had if it meant giving them nothing in return.

"Whoa, hey!" Saura shouted, gazing with surprise into the crowd. "I thought I saw someone familiar in there…"

"Hmm? Who?" Char responded, scanning the crowd for anyone he recognized.

"I don't know… it was just a face," Saura replied. "Someone I saw at the Emerald Division, maybe. Or maybe I could just be seeing things…"

"You think someone followed us here from up north?" Ray wondered. "It's possible! We were asleep for two weeks, right? That's enough time for someone to fly down here."

Char was suddenly reminded of Team X, who were no doubt somewhere in that loud procession. No one would ever know they were actually servants of the Master, and indeed, the entire Division might have been enjoying its final day of freedom before the duo would bring back legions of forces from the Master to siege the base. The fire in his stomach turned sour just thinking about it.

"We'll keep an eye out," Char decided. "If someone's here from the Emerald Division, I think we'll run into them soon. Let's just go to our rooms now, alright? There's a break in the crowd. Quick!"

Forcing their way through the steam, Team Ember stumbled into the elevator cart and waited impatiently to be taken to their long-missed rooms.

… … …

Everything was just as they had left it.

The plaque above the door reading "EMBER" in Char's native human language hadn't moved, nor had the four ornate ghost-torches which framed it. Holding his breath, Char pounced toward the door, pushing it next to the frame where the locking mechanism was situated. He forced his claws against it for a moment before realizing it was still locked.

"Uh, we have to get the ghosts to open it," Ray remembered. "You can't open the doors from the outside at all if they're locked like that."

Char sighed, but before he could turn around, the door slid open, revealing a pleased-looking Alakazam.

"I figured you would be coming up here shortly," the High Intelligence officer said. "The doctor told me you had recovered, Char. I welcome you back. Come in, we have some things to discuss."

While Saura and Ray seemed delighted at the personal greeting given by the Division's leader, Char's heart sank into his gut. There was one part of his room he was most looking forward to seeing again: the real-fire torches beside his bed. His mind immediately fled to them, wondering – no, _knowing_ – what High Intelligence had done once they discovered the illegal mechanisms commissioned within his room. Though they had been turned off for the duration of the trip, Char had no doubt that Alakazam had wandered into his room and taken or dismantled them with no further thought.

He felt as though a spike had hit him in the chest, but he focused and retained his composure as best as he could. He knew he probably couldn't have controlled the way his tail-flame was wildly dancing, so he decided to ignore it and show Alakazam the most reverence and respect he could manage.

Shaking with nervousness, Char followed the psychic Pokémon into his own hall and straight to the meeting room.

"The mission was very intense… sir," Char blurted, awkwardly trying to start a conversation. "We have a lot to tell you about."

Char took a seat at the meeting room's table, Saura and Ray filed in beside him, and Alakazam stationed himself at the opposite end of the table, several leafs of paper and scrolls set out in front of him.

"In truth, you have nothing to tell me," Alakazam spoke. "While you were asleep, I took the liberty of extracting your mission report from your memory. I know everything."

"_Everything?_" Char cried, stifling the incredulous tone of his voice at the very last moment. "So… you know about what happened to Scythe?"

"I do."

"And you know what happened in Temporal Tower?" Ray asked in disbelief. "You know what the Master did?"

"I do."

"And you know… about the Call, I guess," Saura said. "You know why it actually happens."

"Indeed," Alakazam sighed. "Indeed, I do. In many ways, your mission was an utter success. Your expedition has taught us many truths about this universe, many indeed that we have never glimpsed at. And it has answered many questions I have held for as long as I have remained in office here."

An awkward moment of silence presented itself. Char bit his tongue, wanting nothing more than to escape to the privacy of his room and to light his torches. If they were still there. Which they probably weren't.

"But, you see, I did not come to discuss what has happened in the past," Alakazam told the team, rearranging the papers upon the table. "Instead, I have come to discuss what is going to happen from here on out. Char… I beg of you, please pay attention to me. I sense you are not listening."

"S-sorry," Char stammered, shaking his head and gluing his eyes upon his commander. "…sir. I'm just not used to being back here… yet."

Alakazam's eyes narrowed upon him. "Understood, but you will have enough recreation time shortly; you will be relieved of missions for both today and tomorrow to help yourselves become re-acquainted with our facilities. But as of now, I require your full attention. Can you give me your full attention?"

"Yes, sir."

"Very good," Alakazam spoke. "Now, then, our business: while it is unfortunate to learn the true uselessness of the Call, a force we have placed our hope in for many decades here in the resistance, and it is even more devastating to hear of Dialga's fate, I have reason to believe that our hope may still lie with you, Char."

This was the last thing Char was expecting to hear. At best, he thought Alakazam would demote him to a training team because his Call was useless.

What was still special about him?

Alakazam proceeded to answer this unspoken question. "As a former human, your past is unknown, but I have reason to believe your nature might be inextricably linked with the Master, seeing as how he was willing to destroy the very time stream in his grand attempt to destroy you. Furthermore, as I recall, when speaking to the Dialga illusion, it mentioned a divine plan which was already in place to dethrone the Master. Does this sound correct?"

"You're right…" Ray gasped, surprised at the memory. "Dialga… or, Celebi-Dialga… he _did_ say that. It made Scythe happy. I remember."

Char remembered it, too. He didn't think much about it at the time, especially after Celebi's illusion had been revealed as fake, but it dawned upon him that Celebi's illusion had purposefully told the truth in almost everything it said. And it _had_ said there was a divine plan against the Master.

Alakazam nodded. "In consideration of these facts, I have concluded that there is a possibility… Char, as a human, may have conceived this very plan. Because this plan might mean the downfall of the Master, I cannot turn a blind eye to its existence. No; I am forced to consider this as a true possibility."

Char's eyes lit up. He suddenly felt thankful that Alakazam had volunteered his genius to put the pieces together in ways he could not. The Division's leader was right; it _was_ a possibility.

"Unfortunately, there are no means by which we can know for sure," Alakazam continued. "No_ natural_ means, at the least. _Supernatural_ means, on the other hand, could provide the answers."

Alakazam slid a torn segment of a scroll in Char's direction. Peering down at it, he saw that it held an inky sketch of a strange figure. It was a long, serpentine beast with armor, spikes, and unusually-shaped wings. Its tail curled in knots at the side of the parchment; it had no visible feet.

"This is Giratina," Alakazam said. "Or, at the very least, this is how we believe Giratina's physical form appears. As I recall, Dialga's spirit ordered you to find this Pokémon with the understanding that this Pokémon would tell you everything you had once known as a human but had forgotten as a Charmander, including your true name and the nature of your plan."

As Char stared at the drawing of the underworld god, his stomach felt uneasy. This Pokémon didn't look pleasant or comforting, certainly not like the incarnations of Dialga he had witnessed. Instead, Giratina's form was disturbing, like some kind of twisted sea creature or alien demon. Its depiction on the coarse orange paper didn't make things better, as splotches of ink dripped from its outline like slime or blood.

"That's a Pokémon?" Saura remarked. "That's a weird-looking Pokémon."

"Locating this Pokémon will be your top priority, Team Ember," Alakazam ordered. "But you are not in this alone. I and my colleagues will do our best to research this legendary figure, just as we had done with Temporal Tower and Dialga, and we will compile our findings in an attempt to play a hand in reuniting you with the legendary dragons."

"Thank you," Char replied earnestly. "…sir. I'm in debt to you. I'm not sure I could have done any of this on my own."

"You lead me to my next point," Alakazam spoke, striking Char as odd. "According to Dialga, you were thrown-off course from your plan, and we must do what we can to return you to the proper course of fate, or else we risk never meeting Giratina or having any of our questions answered in the end. I have given some careful thought to this matter…" He sifted through his papers and pulled out another one, this one a clean white rectangular sheet, and set it before Char.

Char blinked at the text. It was written in Unown. He could understand it.

"This is a list of things I need you to accomplish," Alakazam spoke. "I have taken my best considerations, and asked Metagross to perform some general simulations, and here is an agenda I believe you would have accomplished had you not embarked on the Temporal Tower mission. If you follow your old course of action, it becomes more likely that you will encounter the circumstances that will eventually lead you to meeting Giratina."

Char squinted at the list, trying to make out the letters as they were rotated and connected in unusual ways. The list itself was very short, but the handwriting was large.

Char read it:

_One. Learn to read and write in footprints._

_Two. Install a bulletin board outside of your team base._

_Three. Learn to succeed at one-star ranked missions with your team._

Confused, Char flipped the paper over to view the back. It was blank.

"That's it?" Char wondered, turning the page face-up again."Is there another page?"

"No, that's all we have determined you should do for now," Alakazam replied. "These three simple tasks should set off chains of causality which, if we are lucky, will return you more or less to where you were before you left. If there is one thing which fate teaches us, it is that a simple act is never only a simple act. Do you understand? Can you, and your team, comply with this?"

"Yes, sir," Char affirmed, setting the page down and gazing at his high commander. "Anything else?"

"Perhaps," Alakazam said, folding his hands upon the table. "I ask that you please continue to keep your usual secrets from the public at large. Confide your knowledge to your intimate friends and teammates as you see fit to trust them, but do not let the public know about the Call, or Dialga's capture, or anything which could cause mass hysteria. This should be a self-evident directive."

"Alright, sir!" Ray replied cheerily. "That won't be a problem."

"We will make announcements as we determine information becomes important for the Division to know," the psychic Pokémon reassured them. "The weight of these revelations should lie upon us, not upon you."

The Alakazam shuffled several of the papers into his hands, leaving only a few on the table for Char's team to keep. He then stood very formally and addressed the team with a solemn, sincere tone.

"That is all I intended to say to you, Team Ember. There will be no further interruptions from us, unless, of course, a breakthrough is made concerning Giratina's whereabouts or your relation to the Master. Until then… you are a resistance team. You are not a training team, and you are no longer truly children; you answer to no other team and no other Pokémon but my fellow officers and I. Your fate is ultimately in your own hands, and what you choose to do with the help I give you is your own decision. Do you understand what I am saying?"

"I do understand, your honor," Char replied with conviction. "I knew this day was coming, sir. Ever since… I mean, I always knew that things would be different if we ever made it back alive. I'm ready. We can do things on our own. We can be a resistance team."

Char turned to his friends who returned small nods of support. They understood what Char was saying.

It was finally Team Ember's time to shine.

"Then I have no further business here!" Alakazam spoke cheerfully, taking his papers with him. "Good day to you all, Team Ember. I must be off to address some new recruits in a couple of minutes. I should mention; I owe you a reasonable debt for your efforts in the northern lands and the answers you have provided me, and I intend to pay it back to you somehow. But as of now, I will simply thank you for your good work. Please do keep it up. I hope to see you out on the field on the day after tomorrow."

_*TZAING*_

Alakazam simply disappeared in a strange, distorted flash of light and sound. He had teleported elsewhere.

Char and his friends glanced at one another for a moment, their first true moment of peace and quiet in what seemed like years.

Then Char remembered something. He bolted out of his chair and down to the very end of the hall, the place where the team leader's room stood. He gave an energetic headbutt to the door, opening it easily. On the other side was a dark room with stagnant, dusty air.

Almost reluctant to know the truth, he ran around the edge of the room and activated all of the spiritual torches, touching each one and giving a psychic command much like the way wonder orbs were used. As the flames carved away the darkness, Char squinted into the center of the room and beheld his bed.

The giant fire-dishes were still there.

"_Ha-ha-HA!_" he cried happily, leaping into his bed and gazing wistfully at one of the huge empty bowls of coal-rocks beside him. They hadn't been taken away. Alakazam probably didn't even enter his room to see them; after all, he could only see through minds, not through walls and doors.

Just this one little thing, this silly little perk, seemed to make everything worth it. This was the one comfort he always seemed to remember when his mind wandered back to the Gold Division base, and now this was his reward for all those hours spent in the cold, snow, and deadly dungeons.

He spat flames into the metal dishes, sustaining his breath until the coal-rocks caught on fire. He then scampered down and around the base of the dishes, opening the oxygen-grates so the fire would gather faster. Finally, he sat upright on his bedding, marveling at his work and waiting for his teammates to catch up.

_Alright, alright, enough acting childish,_ he said to himself, sighing contentedly. _I'm finally happy. Time to put the past behind me and start acting mature. I can do this. _

_It's just like Saura said. I was a leader as a human, so I can be a leader as a Pokémon. It's that simple._

_And it's all going to start right after… right after I relax for a while._

… … …

For the next few hours, Team Ember took their well-deserved rest. Char, Saura, and Ray curled up upon their respective bed-nests, staring at the ceiling and saying nothing save for a quiet comment every now and then.

For just this one moment, there were no missions, no crises, no one dying and no one threatening to kill them. It was absolutely heavenly. Char let the pulses of warmth from his bedside flames massage him as he tried to clear his mind of all thoughts about anything. After all, if he thought too hard, he might remember that their team was totally broke, devoid of any valuable supplies, and without their Scyther mentor they had come to rely on for so long. And when he did remember those things, he drowned them out with the blessedly warm breezes from the fire and told himself that it wouldn't matter. They could overcome anything. The Temporal Tower mission proved that.

"Hey, I've been thinking," Ray uttered absentmindedly. "What are we going to do about Team X?"

Char softly bit his tongue. This was an issue he couldn't merely avoid or ignore. This one required some thought.

"I… guess we should have asked Alakazam at the meeting earlier," Char admitted. "I'm sorry, I didn't think of that."

"You know, the more I think about it, the more I wonder if maybe Alakazam knows about them already," Saura mentioned. "If he collected our memories, he would have seen what happened in the Scarred Crags and he would have known they had brought us back here and came into the base. So maybe… maybe they really are trustworthy. I can't believe I'm saying this, but… maybe they really are a resistance team."

"But on the other hand, maybe they're not," Char grumbled. "I don't know, I'm just getting this foreboding feeling every time I think about them. Just… remember? Remember how they kept trying to weasel their way into this base? And remember how they said they serve the Master with all of their hearts? I just don't see how we can feel safe with them walking around the base. For all we know, they could be scheming to get their way into High Intelligence's treasury and steal their relics. That's what they do; they're thieves, after all."

"But can we trust Alakazam's judgment?" Ray wondered. "Or maybe Alakazam really doesn't know about them. Alakazam doesn't read minds all the time. He might not have read theirs. The real question is, can we trust Scythe's judgment about them?"

Char shook his head. "Before Scythe left, he tried to teach us one more thing," he recalled. "Scythe's final lesson: don't blindly trust anyone. Not even him. So… no, I'm not going to blindly trust anyone this time. If we want to trust Team X, we need something to base that trust in. Some kind of evidence. Maybe… maybe we need to see them make some sort of sacrifice."

"Well, uh, they did kinda save our lives," Saura said meekly. "Hard as I try, I can't overlook that."

"Right, yeah, but… that doesn't count, because they were willing to do _anything _to breach this base," Char considered. "What we need is… We need to know what kind of decisions they make, and what kind of things they say when they think nobody is watching."

"Alright, let's eavesdrop on them!" Ray said excitedly. "But wait, how are we gonna pull that off? We don't even know where they're staying or what they do around this place. This might take a lot of work."

Char didn't reply.

Something in his mind had clicked; he remembered something from a long time ago, something from before they had left the base. His eyes glazed over as he stared into the fire and contemplated a certain option that had just come to him. Perhaps there _was_ a way to peer into the mind of the poisonous team after all…

A voice echoed in his mind.

_Stay on guard, and return safely._

_I'll be waiting for you._

"I know how we can tell if Team X are good guys or not," Char declared. "I know how we can find out."

"How?" Ray wondered, curious at the change in Char's tone.

"Follow me," Char instructed, dropping out of his bed and heading for the door. "There's someone we're going to meet."

… … …

_*knock, knock*_

Char rapped on a certain door that was a few floors below his own and on the opposite end of the complex.

"Whose hall is this one?" Ray wondered. "I don't think I ever met the team that lives here."

"That's because no team lives in here," Char told him, knocking on the door again. "It's deserted. But there's a certain Pokémon who's hiding in here… well, they could be, if they're still in there after all this time… _HELLO? Anyone in there? _Eva_?_"

"Eva?" Saura repeated quietly. "You mean, that filthy rotten Espeon… _She's_ here?"

_Char…?_

Char stopped knocking when he heard the telepathy.

_Char, was that your voice? Are you there?_

He almost couldn't believe that Eva had managed to hold out in these deserted rooms for the entire time they were gone. Yet, there she was, her telepathic reply resonating in his head.

She had waited for him, just as she had promised.

_One dedicated Pokémon right here,_ Char thought. _Either that, or just desperate._

He waved off his friends so Eva wouldn't see them at first, and tried to force their presence off of the surface of his mind. Though part of him was relieved to meet the Espeon again, a larger part of him had a bone to pick with her. Several bones, in fact. She was going to need to answer to her past transgressions if he was to trust her with the task at hand.

The door opened by a crack, and Char spotted her deep violet eyes glimmering inside. She peered out the door, as if in terror of monsters that were hunting her.

_Char! It is you!_ She shouted telepathically, her mind beaming with joy and relief. _I heard rumors, fragments of thoughts, saying you had returned, but your room was deserted! And then I sensed Alakazam nearby, and I became terrified…_

"_Eva!_" Char hissed, not caring about speaking telepathically since he wanted his friends to hear. "You've been hiding here this _entire time?_"

_You had my word,_ Eva replied, bowing her head. _I would never go back on my word to a human. I stayed here, because after all this while it remained the most effective place to hide, and a place where I could occasionally spy upon stray thoughts which Pokémon sent my way. Char, I am… overjoyed to see that you have survived the attack which Scythe was planning. The attack you asked me not to tell you about, remember? Because I would have, if only you'd have let me._

Eva opened the door a bit more, and Char got a better look at her. Her velvet fur was a mess, patchy and overgrown in places. True terror and desperation sparkled behind her eyes, as though she had been running for her life just moments ago. Through them, she gazed upon Char with the same sense of adoration and concern she had shown him months ago.

_I sense bitterness and hesitation in you,_ Eva told him, her telepathic voice seeming so gentle and nurturing. _Please, despite having lost a deal of my… dignity over these past weeks, please know that things between you and I have not changed. I still… wish to be your servant. Help me remain hidden from High Intelligence, and I promise you, Char: every mind in this Division will be opened at your command. You will know any secret they keep from you, even Xatu's or Alakazam's if that's what you desire. _

Char scowled. "Alright, Eva. That's fair," he told her. "But could we maybe start with… _yours?_"

Char motioned for his friends to step into view, and Eva balked upon seeing them, giving an audible _eeep_ and quickly retreating back into the darkness of the room. She tried to close the door with telekinesis, but Char kept it from closing with his foot.

_Char! You… brought your… team, _Eva stammered as Char forced his way into the dark room. _I am in… no condition to… entertain visitors! Char… why?_

Char glanced around the room. It was dusty and stank of rotten berries. Only two ghastly lanterns were lit at a far corner of the hall, presumably lighting the way to the bedroom where Eva stayed and casting a dim glow throughout the whole chamber.

The Espeon took careful steps backward as Saura and Ray filed into the room. Char held his tail forward to light the way, and in the light he saw the distress upon Eva's face. The fur on her back was standing on end.

"We have a few questions we need to ask you," Char told the frightened Espeon threateningly. "Eva… back when you tested us for the Call, why did you blackmail us?"

_Char… we've been over this!_ Eva replied nervously. _It was because…_

"_Speak,_ so we can _all_ hear you!" Char snapped, causing the Espeon to jump back.

"Very… well," she spoke in a cracked whisper, her true voice sounding broken and ineloquent compared to her telepathy. "I told you this already, Char… I… I… after I… tested Saura for the Call and he didn't have it, I decided I… didn't want to… expend the effort to test you. So I… skipped you. I thought it was pointless. I didn't realize… because the odds were so astronomically unlikely…"

Char and Saura glanced at one another. "Tell her," Char told his friend.

"Eva," Saura said carefully, stepping closer to the unkempt Espeon as though to confront her. "I have the Call. I was tested in the Emerald Division."

Eva blinked. For a brief moment, she squinted in confusion before her expression turned to pure dread.

"You _can't…_" Eva coughed, her voice raspy and weeping now. "You… no. No!" she twitched nervously and glanced all around her as though searching for an escape route. "No… so what you are meaning to say is that… you, Saura, and you, Char… you are… _both_… Call-bearers…"

"See our problem, Eva?" Char replied. "So now we know you didn't test Saura either. You didn't actually test _either_ of us! Instead, you just gave Saura a little pain, and you gave me blackmail. So what's your secret, Eva? Why didn't you test us?! _Why did you lie?!_"

"This wasn't supposed to happen," Eva whispered, beginning to break down. "How can… how… it wasn't possible, for you both to have the Call. This wasn't supposed to…"

She sat herself on the floor in defeat, her head drooping ashamedly away from those who confronted her.

"Fine," she rasped. "I'll tell you the truth. Close the door and I'll tell you."

Ray did so, and Team Ember crowded around the poor Espeon, expectantly awaiting her reply.

"I didn't test you because…" she hesitated, her shame-filled eyes turned to Char. "…because I don't know how. I don't know how to test for the Call. I never learned how."

"This is starting to make some sense now," Saura uttered. "Finally."

"But wait," Eva said, glaring disdainfully at Saura's comment. "I – I do have a talent. But this talent is not for sensing the Call. You see…"

She pawed at the ground for a moment before giving her answer.

"I am a con artist," she admitted simply, looking each of them in the eye. "My talent is… lying. I use my limited psychic abilities to feed Pokémon words they want to hear, and I gain their trust. See, my psychic potential is pathetically weak for an Espeon. It always has been this way; for whatever reason, there was a malfunction in my evolution, and I was never able to train in the ways of the psychics because my signals are inadequate. So I did what I could with the power I had, and I learned to deceive Pokémon into trusting me, and become accepted by them, and profit from them. As I did with Scythe. I convinced him that I could hear the Call by reading the responses he expected me to make. When he trusted me, he paid me to help him secretly search for the Call. And I was able to live here in the base. Now that I lost him, I thought I could make a client out of you, Char, and get out of this abandoned hall into someplace more dignified. Even if you weren't going to pay me, I just wanted somewhere to stay. With other Pokémon, I mean. As a psychic, even one so pathetic as myself, loneliness is torturous; I require the mind-waves of other Pokémon for comfort, and for… sanity."

She sighed deeply, running a paw over her head. "And that is the truth, team of Ember, and without any guile to hide it. As you requested."

Char hummed in contemplation. Though he was no psychic, he was certain the Espeon had told the truth this time. He turned to Saura, who had a mixed look of sympathy and uncertainty on his face, and at Ray, who looked as though he would cry for her.

"What now, human-turned-Char?" Eva spoke dejectedly, glaring at the floor. "I'm not even reading your mind now, I have closed off my mind. So what will become of me now, in your eyes? I will soon be banished from the Gold Division, perhaps even worse. There's a new team that will move into this hall soon. I have nowhere else to go…"

Char turned to his team, as if to soundlessly ask them a question. They shared an unspoken answer.

"Eva," Char said gently, "We have fourteen unused bedrooms in our hall. You're welcome to stay in one."

Eva shook her head. "You're insane," she sighed. "I just told you that I'm a filthy liar, by _career_, and you still choose to trust me? Are you even listening to yourself talk?"

"Well… to tell you the truth, we could use a filthy liar," Char told her with a small grin. "What I mean to say is… we could use your services. We've never been all that good with the division politics. You could help us with that. And maybe… if we all decide on it, maybe you could be a member of our team later on."

Eva's expression changed; Char saw a twinkle of pride in her eyes.

"I would not want to join your team," she admitted, pawing the ground again. "Not… not yet, at the least. I would not wish to associate you directly with someone who is effectively a Division outlaw such as myself. Although, in regards to the prospect of helping you… In exchange for shelter and rations, I would do anything for you. And I say that not as a liar this time, but as a beggar. And perhaps a friend, if you would permit it."

"So… it's a deal, then?" Ray said, looking quite excited at the prospect of having another friend.

Eva laughed bitterly. "As you can see, I'm not in the position to reject any offer I'm presented with," she sighed. "But it would be an honor to work with you. Not all of my respect for you was fabricated, Char. I am truly fascinated at the idea of working for a human. I will try not to let you down."

Char smiled. "Alright," he decided. "You can live with us. But to start out with, there's one condition."

"Yes?" Eva asked respectfully.

"You need to do us a favor."

… … …

Later that day, it was time for Char to put his plan into motion.

"So even if you're not such a very good psychic, can you still read secrets?" Saura wondered to the Espeon as he and Char helped to escort her quietly through the empty base halls.

_Yes, mostly,_ Eva explained. _Reading secrets requires cleverness, not force. It is trivial for any respectable psychic to read the thoughts on the very top of one's mind, and though I hesitate to call myself a respectable psychic, I am no exception. I can read secrets by striking conversation, bringing up the proper topics, and causing the secret to rise to the top of the target's mind. For instance, if I wanted to know how much money you possessed in the bank, I might come to you and say something along the lines of, 'I just purchased a mobility scarf from Kecleon,' and that would raise pangs of jealousy in your mind, as well as the particular number I wanted. It is a game of strategy, a game which happens to be my specialty. I will have no problems learning the true fidelities of Team X, as long as you ask the questions I need you to ask._

Char and Saura tried to act naturally as they conversed with the Espeon, knowing she had notoriety with some members of the base and trying to make it look as though she was simply a business partner. It was uncomfortable to imagine that Alakazam could teleport before them at any point and banish her on sight, and that wasn't to say anything of the other enemies she had apparently made which she seemed too exasperated to list. It was lucky that Scythe was not a threat at this point in time; he would have probably been the most dangerous one to meet with.

Char tried not to feel uncomfortable. With enough time, he figured, maybe she would become an accepted member of the resistance again. She had at least taken some time to groom herself so she no longer looked like the cave-rat she had become.

Ray came bounding up the nearby stairs.

"I got 'em," he announced. "They're in the base after all. Floor nine, next to cold storage. I saw them go in the room where the freezers are. I don't know what they're doing, but they're there."

_Well done,_ Eva said to him. _Now, I will need to go to floor eight. If I am in the room directly above, I will be able to read their waves. Alternately, a dark corner or a hidden room on floor nine would work, but if my only option is the freezer, I'd prefer looking at floor eight first._

"Sounds like a plan," Char said. "Alright, Ray, take her to floor eight. Saura and I will catch them and keep them busy.

… … …

_I've got them,_ Eva announced as Char and Saura hesitated to approach Team X. _I can read them at this distance. Remember, Char and Saura, you can speak to me as well. Just imagine your thoughts being broadcast upward and I'll hear them. The only disadvantage is that your friends won't hear what you say. _

_Right,_ Char replied silently.

_Well? Are you going to go in? _Eva said oddly. _You were supposed to be there by now._

Char peered into the next room which was the freezer lobby. It was a medium-sized room with low ceiling and a brown, tiled floor. A few small metallic doors were fixed on the walls, each leading to the cold storage rooms. They were not nearly as large or heavy-duty as the ones he'd seen in the Emerald Division, but he imagined that they'd be just as cold inside and he had no interest venturing in.

Instead, Char fixated upon the only Pokémon standing in the room. Team X stood on the opposite end from the door, yammering to one another about something. It seemed like idle chatter, and a very odd place to be occupying at this time of day. Char couldn't make out anything they said, but he knew Eva had linked with their minds from the floor above and knew every word they spoke.

_We'll go now,_ Char told the Espeon. _But what should we say?_

_Simply making your presence known would be a good start,_ Eva replied. _I'll let you know when they start to reveal their secrets, and what to say._

"Alright, let's do this," Char hissed to his best friend. "Let's see what Team X is hiding."

They walked into the room. Team X continued yammering to one another, not noticing their sudden company.

"I sold it to Kecleon," Croagunk said. "No sense holding onto them."

"Idiot!" the Seviper hissed. "We needed those! We're short on orbs, good sir, in case you haven't noticed."

"Heh heh, it's called liquidity, my dear friend," the frog shot back. "Just buy it back later when it's on sale. Cheap profit. Besides, we wouldn't use all six of those orbs on the same day."

"Except that any one of them could have been useful, and now we don't have them," the Seviper seethed. "Croagunk, look at me. We're never going to get anywhere in this place without supplies. Supplies get us through dungeons, not money. You have no earthly sense of –"

They turned in surprise to notice their company. Their jovial attitude turned cocky and smug, as expected.

"Peanuts," Croagunk addressed them. "What's the deal now? Need something?"

"Please, spare us a lashing, we've had plenty of them in the mystery dungeon today," Seviper said. "And we've nothing to even show for it. Croagunk here went behind my back and sold all the rewards we got for pouch-change."

"That _pouch-change_ wasn't taxed by the Division, now was it?" the Croagunk returned. "It's called _gaming the system_. Learn it. But yeah, Peanuts, if you're just here to argue with us, do us all a favor and scram. We're not in the mood for it at the moment. In fact, we're about to be busy."

Char fished for words. "Actually, we, um… we wanted to apologize."

Croagunk looked surprised, but Char couldn't tell if his reaction was sarcastic or not.

"Hey, now that's something I didn't think you were capable of saying, heh heh heh," he goaded. "Go for it, kiddos. Apologize away. We're all ears!"

Their attitude was making Char's fire roil with annoyance, but he made an honest attempt at letting it slide. After all, he wasn't after their respect. He was after their motives.

Saura spoke up, piecing together a forced reply. "Yeah, uh… I'm sorry… we both are… for lashing out at you and all. Thank you for saving our lives from Zerferia. We know that was hard and you didn't have to do it. We owe you."

"Am I hearing things?" Croagunk gasped in mock-shock. "This can't be! Respect? Actual, down-to-earth _respect_? Are you getting this, Seviper?"

"Yeah, I'm hearing the same," Seviper returned. "Can't say I believe it, but it looks like they're saying something sensible for once. By the way, you're not welcome. We only did it to get into the base, and we have no real concern for you. But we appreciate the sentiment."

Char's flare of rage was cut off by a telepathic announcement.

_I'm getting something,_ Eva called down. _There's a train of thought building in the Seviper, and I think we can pull it out. Try saying this:_

"To be fair, all those times we rejected you, we were just trying to be a good resistance team," Char repeated as instructed. "If we let you in so easily, we might as well have let an enemy in too, and then the Division would be destroyed. And you wouldn't have been able to join it."

"Yeah, we had no way of really knowing," Saura added, presumably also at Eva's instruction. "If we just took your word for it, what if you really _were_ bad guys? We would have ruined everything."

The Seviper appeared thoughtful, swiveling his body around and coiling up his tail. "He's got you there, Croagunk," he teased. "The Peanuts make a good point."

_Yes! Progress! _Eva cheered. _There's something coming to the surface. I think it's only a few thoughts away. Also, Ray says 'hi'. He's keeping watch._

Char couldn't restrain a smile.

"What're _you_ laughin' at, firebreath?" Croagunk shouted at him. "You think you _cornered_ us? Think you can just… blame it all on us, huh now?"

"I'm certain that's _not_ what he meant," the Seviper said to him, then to Char: "You need to pardon my colleague. He has temper issues."

"_I DO NOT HAVE TEMPER ISSUES!_"

"Then calmly explain to us why you're yelling."

_They're actually on the intelligent side, surprisingly, _Eva warned them. _They know what they're doing. I believe they've conditioned one another to appear clumsy and idiotic so that they would be underestimated by foes. But they're respectable fighters. Think twice before crossing them._

Croagunk took a swing at his partner, but the serpent shifted his head and dodged it. Char watched them bicker and gave an ironic chuckle at Eva's definition of "respectable".

"_Whose side are you on now_?" the frog demanded. "What's the problem, huh?"

"The problem is that I believe we made a mistake when we told these children that we served the Master," the Seviper said, eyeing Char sideways. "If you think about it, do you really think that would have gone over well with anyone else in this place? How do you think the gatekeepers or the registrar would have responded if we just waltzed up to them and proclaimed some kind of patriotism for the Master? We'd not have gotten this far. It only worked with the Scyther because the Scyther was nuts. Dare I say, these Peanuts might be as sane as they come."

_Interesting! _Eva reported. _I just found a very unusual thought in the Seviper's consciousness._

_What is it?_ Char called back. _I don't know why, but I think Seviper is actually siding with us. _

_Seviper is under the impression that the Master is… I mean to say… They believe the Master is good, and also that the resistance is good, _Eva explained. _This probably indicates the other one's loyalties as well. They view the Master, and the resistance which opposes him, as… on the same side?_

_That's a joke,_ Char thought to himself. _The Master tried to kill me._

_What?_ Eva said in surprise. _What do you mean?_

_Never mind,_ Char replied quickly, backpedaling. _I forgot you were listening to my thoughts for a moment. But I don't get it. How could they think we're on the same side as the Master? Doesn't that defeat the point of calling ourselves, you know, the 'resistance'? That's ridiculous. _

_Feelings often are irrational and ridiculous, _Eva said amusedly. _There's nothing unusual about that. But the trick is to find the root cause of those feelings._ _Carry on the conversation for a bit more, and I'll have that answer for you._

"Croagunk, I believe we offer these kids an apology of our own," Seviper said. "They took the time out of their busy lives to come down and make amends with us, and we stomped on them. Perhaps they're merely looking for some respect as well."

"Well, they wouldn't _have their_ _godforsaken lives left_ if we hadn't _pulled them out of the snow!_" Croagunk shouted, stomping around and punching the air in anger. "How's _that_ for showing respect? We don't need to show them any more than that."

"But as I said just moments ago, plain as the day, we only did that to get into the base. We meant them no respect by that. They have _every right_ to feel threatened by us, because we've given them no reason not to."

_Interrupt them,_ Eva instructed to Char, sounding urgent. _Remember to sound as honest as you can, and say this:_

Char swallowed hard; this next line took a measure of courage. But he stepped up and he shouted just what Eva wanted him to shout:

"Hey, guys. Maybe we could… start this all over?" Char called to the poisonous team, faking humility as best as he could. "Look, maybe it's because the first job request we ever took in this place was to get into your hideout. It was our job to be your enemies and that got us off on the wrong foot. Let's forget that ever happened, alright? We can start over."

"Oh? Now you want to be _friends?_" Croagunk spat, laughing bitterly. "Hate to break it to you, but I don't think we have the stomach for that."

"Maybe not friends," Saura said, stepping up beside Char. "But we could be allies. After all, we're in the same base, fighting on the same side, right? You said you were fighting someone that works for the Master. That's good enough for us."

Croagunk paused, as though he was genuinely surprised Char had actually listened to something he'd said. Seviper smiled, but not evilly.

_Got it!_ Eva called down in triumph. _That's precisely what's going on. Char, you and Team X have a common enemy: a Pokémon named Enigma. That's all they care about. They want to destroy a Pokémon named Enigma who is on the Master's side. Their so-called fidelity to the Master doesn't mean anything. Perhaps it is misguided, but their service to the Master has no bearing upon their actions. They mean you no harm, and they have no intention of infiltrating this base. They just want the Division's support in opposing Enigma. That's all. There are no deeper motives. They hate Enigma with the same passion that most of the resistance hates the Master. _

Char blinked, processing this information.

"That's exactly what they've been saying all along," Saura hissed quietly in disbelief. "They were telling the truth."

_There you have it, _Eva said, proud of herself. _My verdict is that they're trustworthy. That's your answer._

Char couldn't believe himself.

Perhaps he had _wanted _Team X to be villains all along. Perhaps it was just easier to believe.

But they weren't villains; not really. They were just fighting their own war, and they needed help.

Char and his team had always assumed they had been lying, but to prejudiced ears, the truth sounded too much like a lie.

Maybe the minds of other Pokémon were more complex than he gave them credit for.

Char had his answer. He could go about his everyday life without worrying that the poisonous team was plotting to destroy them. He could let them mind their own business. They were harmless.

"_Alright_, alright," Croagunk said reluctantly, but with a hint of amusement. "Okay, good idea. Let's start all over. Hi, I'm Croagunk, and this is Seviper. We're Team X. _N—_nice to meet you."

Char obliged. It was the least he could do. "I'm Char, this is Saura, and Ray the Raichu is somewhere else. We're Team _Ember._"

"The pleasure is ours, I'm sure," Seviper said half-ironically. "Now, with that out of the way, we're about to start some training, so we'd be thrilled if you'd clear out. Alright?"

"Training? Down _here?_" Saura said oddly. "Next to the freezers? You know, there's a dojo upstairs."

"We know about the dojo; we just enjoy training in private," Seviper said. "Until they start preparing dinner, this room is no thoroughfare."

"Fair enough," Char said, trying to escape from the awkward confrontation as fast as he could. "Alright, see you around."

He turned to flee. Saura followed.

"Hey, _Peanuts!_"

Char cringed. Against his better judgment, he answered to the call, facing the Croagunk once more.

"So is this it?" the frog shouted. "We just gonna go about each other's business and not meet up anymore?"

"Uh, yeah, sure," Char replied. "Don't see why not."

"Well, for one, I think that'd be a real shame," Croagunk replied, nodding to his partner. "You aren't half bad a team, you know that? You went through Temporal Tower and lived to tell the tale. That's not something we can croak at."

Char felt confused. It took him a moment to realize that the Croagunk had actually given him a compliment.

With a subtle swagger, the frog approached the Charmander. "It seems to me, a promising team such as your own would be needing some _rivals_," he said.

"Rivals?" Saura squeaked.

"Yeah," Croagunk said, smirking. "Not enemies, just someone to… y'know, keep you on your toes? Help you get stronger? Competition breeds character and all. And if you want to know a secret, we feel a bit lonely here. We could use some friendly rivalry our own, 'cause… well, we aren't the best team in the world either. No shame in saying it."

Char didn't know what to say. Croagunk was actually showing humility.

_He's not faking it, is he?_ Char called up to Eva.

_Not in the slightest,_ Eva replied with a hint of laughter in her telepathic voice. _Want to know what's on his mind right now? "Rivals: friends who do their best not to act like friends."_

Saura nearly cracked up, and Char knew he had heard Eva's reply.

"Deal," Char said, resisting the urge to shake hands after he remembered it wasn't Pokémon tradition. "Rivals."

"Heh, heh!" Croagunk chuckled, looking pleased and giving Char a teasing punch in the side of his head. "Better start watching your back."

"You, too!" Char shouted back, deciding to join in the fun. "See you around!"

"Yeah, you can count on it," Croagunk said, "Next time you're – oh! Boss! _There_ you are!"

Croagunk looked surprised at something above Char's head.

Char spun around and was nearly horrified to find a large ghost Pokémon looming over him. It had a large, black, zig-zagging body, two massive hands, a single red eye, and a strange metallic helmet.

"_Waaah!_" Saura yelped, jumping backwards from the intimidating Pokémon.

"_Boo_," the ghost said ironically. "Good evening, Char and Saura. I'm Dusknoir, leader of Team X. I was overseer of your rescue operation from Zerferia. It is good to see that you're finally awake."

"Wait, you have a _boss?_" Char said almost reflexively, the thought having never crossed his mind that Team X had more than two members.

"Well, uh, _yeah_, you think we'd be a team without a boss?" Croagunk said oddly. "I'd like to know how _that_ would work."

Still trying to overcome his surprise at the large figure of the Ghost Pokémon, Char watched as the Dusknoir produced an object from inside his own body.

It was a small, round object with a circle on the front. Half was white, the other half was pink and purple.

Char's breath caught in his throat.

_No._

_That can't be. That can't be what I think it is. …Can it?_

Before Char could say anything, the Dusknoir pitched the object across the room. The Croagunk, who had already backed up to the far wall, skillfully caught it.

"WAIT!" Char cried, panicking. "What… what _is _that, exactly?"

"Heh heh heh, only the most valuable object in all of Ambera," Croagunk bragged, tossing the ball from one hand to the other and judging its weight. "_Master Ball. _It's a human Poké Ball, but it can imprison _any_ Pokémon you throw it at – _on the first try_."

"_Can I see it?_" Char nearly squeaked, feeling his memories and anticipations circling through his head like a whirlwind.

"Sure," Croagunk said. "_Catch._"

Croagunk hurled the ball at Char's face, a masterful pitch. Acting on instinct, Char reached up and caught it.

"Nice catch," Saura commented flatly. "Nice throw, too."

"Yeaah, years of practice," Croagunk said. "Careful with that thing. Just don't arm it. You'll capture yourself. That kind of thing's happened before, by the way. It's not pretty."

Char turned the small, spherical object over and over in his hands, admiring its beauty. He traced a claw over the tiny button on the front, over the strange pink bulges on the top, and over the letter "M" – an Unown letter – imprinted between them.

"How did you _get this?_" Saura gasped in awe, marveling at the alien object with eyes wider than they were when he saw Dialga.

"Long story," Dusknoir said. "This ball used to belong to a Pokémon. We had it _reset_; we can use it again."

"Humans are greedy with their Poké Balls," Seviper explained. "They designed the things to only be used once, even if they failed to catch a Pokémon. If they caught one, it would imprint with the Pokémon's DNA so the ball would be forever attached to just one Pokémon. See? That's so you'd have to buy more and more and more, and the greedy humans would get money. But with some technical knowhow, you can take off the DNA imprint after the Pokémon is released, and it can be used again."

_I can't believe I'm holding this!_ Char thought to himself. _What if…_

_What if this is the ball that I saw in my dream?_

"How does it work?" Saura wondered. "How do Pokémon fit in there?"

"No one knoooows!" Dusknoir said spookily. "It's a human secret how it actually contains Pokémon. We'll probably never figure it out. But it has something to do with the material it's made out of. If you want to open it, gently tap that button," the ghost instructed. "Don't hold it down; that'll arm it for capture. Just tap it."

Char did so, clicking down the button on the front of the ball and releasing it again. There was a delay of about three seconds, and with a tiny _ping_ sound, the ball snapped open.

Inside the ball, it seemed there was a hexagonal network of mirrors all meant to reflect light at one another. Char wondered if Pokémon were actually converted into light energy and endlessly reflected off the mirrors.

"That delay is because some humans like it when they toss the ball and the Pokémon bursts out in midair," Seviper said. "For showmanship, I suppose."

"Alright, you've had your turn," Croagunk said, reaching for the ball. "Give it back. I have some pitching to practice. We're going to use this to catch Enigma, and we only got one shot, so we've gotta practice."

Char barely heard anything they were saying. He stared at the ball, caressing it with his fingertips, as one singular thought took hold of him:

_This isn't it._

_I'm sure of it. This isn't the ball I saw in my dreams!_

_No… it looks different. The one Dialga and Palkia were holding… It has a different design._

_This isn't the same Poké Ball._

_And Dialga is still captured somewhere, obviously not in this one…_

_Could it be…?_

_Could there really be more than one Poké Ball in Ambera?_

* * *

**Author's note:**

Welcome back! I would like to thank everybody for their understanding in my absence. I really needed that break! Unlike the forced break I took in the middle of the Temporal Tower expedition, this one was actually refreshing.

I have a few notes for returning readers.

One: As of the revision, I have divided up the existing part of the story into three "seasons," previously called "parts." The seasons are named "Gold," "Emerald," and "Temporal." This chapter begins the new Season IV. Three down, three to go!

Two: I have changed the name of "evolution stones" because they were getting confused with the game items used to evoke evolution, like fire stones. As of the revision, they are now called "feral-shards." If you're curious as to why they have that new name, don't worry; it'll be mentioned again very soon.

Three: Document 58, previously "The Inevitable Author's Note," has been updated with actual content, so go check that out if you're interested. Try to read it in the mindset of foreshadowing the climax of the previous season, because that's what I tried to make it feel like.

Four: I answer a lot of reviews you guys post, especially if you're asking me questions. So if you want an actual answer to your questions, be sure to log in rather than posting an anonymous review.

Finally: As of this writing, the revision is not yet complete. I will continue to work on it between new chapters. By the time the revision catches up to this chapter, I will have probably found errors to fix anyway.

The following season is one I have been looking forward to writing for over two years. I'm really excited, so I hope this will mark the beginning of frequent, steady updates again.

Glad to be back! See you next update.


	72. Chapter 52: We Meet Again

**Chapter 52**

Char watched Dusknoir and Croagunk play catch with the Master Ball for a few minutes, impressed at how masterfully the poisonous frog could launch the thing across the room. The priceless ball always flew straight and swift like a missile beneath the low ceiling, landing safely in Dusknoir's large hands. It was obvious that Croagunk had been practicing for a long time, and Char wondered why he even bothered to keep training; it seemed, at least to him, that the Croagunk was already the best there ever was at handling a Poké Ball. But he supposed, if he only had one shot at capturing this "Enigma," he needed to keep himself from growing rusty at the skill until the day came when he'd need to make that one perfect throw.

After a few minutes, Char got bored, exchanged a gesture of acknowledgement with his new rivals, and returned to his room with his friends. He and his team still had lots of relaxing left on the day's agenda, and now they could rest even more peacefully knowing that the Gold Division base had _probably _not been breached by a true enemy.

… … …

Char rested between his two wonderful fires and sighed contently. He knew it was late in the afternoon; there was still plenty of time to slack off and enjoy the peace of the moment. Tomorrow, although there was no mission that needed to be run, he knew there was much to be done: he had to read the news, collect the new job listings, find out what risk level the base was at, look through whatever supplies were left in the closet that weren't lost on the Temporal Tower mission… but that was all for tomorrow. Today, he would rest.

"Urk…"

A small, pained noise escaped from the Bulbasaur's throat. Saura was pawing at his forehead, cringing.

"Saura, are you alright?" Char asked with concern.

Saura shook his head. "Ah, it's nothing," he muttered. "My head feels a little strange."

_Oh…_ Char realized, his heart dropping. _It's been so long, I almost forgot that Saura was hurt by a Watcher… Ahh, this felt so much like our old times together that I forgot that something had changed._

"Oh… your headaches aren't coming back, are they?" Char asked worriedly.

"Ahh, I'll be fine," Saura reaffirmed, shrugging.

"Maybe we can get Eva to try helping you," Ray suggested. "She has to be able to do _something_ to help. Maybe just kill the pain again like Gardevoir did."

"Nah, I don't think I'm ready to let _her_ into my mind again," Saura said frankly. "Besides, Gardevoir said he couldn't help me, and he was good at being psychic. Eva's not a good psychic, so what do you think she could do? I'm just going to… have to live with it. _Uhn…_"

Saura cringed again, rubbing his forehead against the rim of his bedding. Char pitied him; he knew what getting touched by one of the wayward newborns felt like, and though he had the great fortune of being revived from the curse, he could still vividly remember the sickening feeling and the bad dreams it had given him. He didn't want to believe that Saura would be stuck with those for the rest of his life.

He wondered if evolution would do anything to help Saura someday. Until then, perhaps he would just need to learn to cope with the pain. Maybe.

_Are you doing alright, Eva?_ Char called, sending his thoughts to the newest resident of his hall.

_I am comfortable, _Eva reported from the room she occupied. _Thank you. I am indebted to you for letting me stay here. I promise not to be a bother; I'll stay out of your way and fend for myself when I need to go about the base. But thank you. If you need anything, I'll be available for – _

He felt a sudden questioning thought come from the Espeon.

_There's something bothering you? _she called. _What is it?_

_Hey, you promised not to read our minds, _Char said half-bitterly, suddenly feeling paranoid of her.

_I'm not reading your minds,_ Eva replied calmly. _Hence, I asked "What is it?" to you, instead of learning for myself. I will not break my promise. But realize, you send feelings to me with your words. _

Char calmed his heart, and scorning himself for being still too quick to judge his new ally. He knew he would need to get used to giving her the benefit of the doubt.

_It's Saura,_ he told her. _Saura got caught by a Watcher on the trip, and now he has nightmares that give him headaches._

_Oh, I didn't realize, _Eva replied, sounding genuinely surprised. _It's not as bad as Scythe, I hope? What are the symptoms? _

_He has a recurring nightmare about his family,_ Char explained to the Espeon. _He keeps seeing them getting captured by the Master over and over again. It happens whenever he thinks of them. I – I'll try to convince him to let you look at him._

_Watcher curses are strange beasts, _Eva replied with some sadness. _Though as bad as they are, any Pokémon who escapes the Watchers with their life is fortunate, as they have been known to harm their victims in many ways worse than twisting the mind. I… confess, it might not be within my power to help him, but if he will let me examine him, I will do what I can. Regardless, please keep me informed. It would be a shame to see it worsen – _

Char felt a pang of surprise from the psychic Pokémon.

_I think there's someone knocking on your door,_ she reported. _I can't tell who it is; their mind is strange. It could be a dark-type._

"Someone's at the door?" Char said to his teammates. "Eva says there's someone at the door."

"_SQUAAAAAAAAK!"_

A very loud bird-call resounded through the team's chamber, almost startling Char enough to make him fall off his bed.

"Wait, that could be the mail-bird," Ray considered. "Sounds kind of impatient, though."

"I thought they don't usually come around this time," Saura said. "Only in the middle of night and in the morning. Unless there's something urgent."

"_SQUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAK!_"

"Sounds like something might be urgent," Ray said, jumping out of his bed.

"Alright, _alright, _we're coming!" Char groaned, dropping onto the floor and hurrying to the foyer. He sent a thought towards the Espeon: _Eva, please tell them we're coming to the door! We'll be right there!_

Char scampered through his team's hall, trying to imagine who could be bothering him at this time of day. He knew he was a popular Charmander among the base, at least by association with Team Remorse, but he didn't actually expect anyone to require his team's services, or to need to speak with him on a professional basis like Alakazam had. He knew his team wasn't ready for that, and he hoped whoever was screeching at his door understood this fact.

Nevertheless, he knew he needed to start acting like a team leader, and he resolved to act as professional as possible to whomever was calling upon him.

Char unlocked the door and slid it aside into the wall.

He was greeted by the sight of a single Pidgey. It had no mail to deliver and no companions. Char figured it was a messenger bird and was sent to give them news. However, it stared at Char for a moment, expectantly, making Char wonder if he was supposed to speak first.

"Hello," Char said to the bird. "Did you need something?"

The bird hopped in place for a moment as though trying to peer past Char and his teammates. Finally, it spoke.

"This is your room?"

"Yeah?" Char replied. "If you're looking for Team Ember, that's us, and this is our room. Why? What is it?"

The Pidgey hesitated for another moment, an unreadable expression in its eyes that might have been amusement. Instead of answering Char's question, it leaped, fluttered over Char's head, and landed upon the carpet in the middle of the room.

_What the…? _Char wondered. _Is it an inspector? Is it looking for something? It's not going to find my fireplaces, is it?_

The bird glanced around at the many doors and furnishings adorning the spacious main hall. Then, it hopped into one of the bedrooms and didn't come back out.

Char and his friends were stunned in surprise for a moment, leaving their front door wide open. Char didn't know the proper way to deal with this visitor. Would it be impolite to disturb him? Should he throw him out?

"Guys…" Ray uttered, having a moment of clarity. "Guys, I think… I think that was Otto."

_Otto?_ The name sounded familiar, but it took Char a moment for the recognition to set in.

Otto. Their fourth team member. The little Pidgey they had sent to civility-school before they had left for the expedition. Char had, embarrassingly, forgotten all about him until now.

"Buh—what, wait, no!" Char rambled. "Are you _sure_? Otto isn't—he isn't that _big_! And his voice isn't like that! That can't be him!"

But even as Char listened to himself speak, he already knew it was probably true. Otto, that little Pidgey that had once been a wild, unintelligent bird… that little cute bird that Char had grown attached to at first sight, and insisted on keeping… what had become of him? He had grown in size and stature, and he had obviously matured. But how had school treated him? What was it like? What kind of a Pokémon _was_ Otto?

Char felt an icy nervousness in his belly as he realized that it was time to find out. It was time to welcome his fourth member onto the team.

The three Pokémon eagerly burst into the room Otto had disappeared into – he had not closed his door – and began showering him with shouts of welcome and congratulation. However, they fell silent when Otto returned a look of annoyance and confusion.

"Did I choose a bad room?" Otto questioned, turning to Char.

"Uh… um…" Char tried to say. "No, this one's fine. But… wow! Otto! Is that really you? It's been so long! How _are _you?"

"I am tired, and I would like to rest," Otto said plainly, but not bitterly.

Char shared a confused glance with his teammates, quickly feeling his throat clench with awkwardness and hesitation. Saura gave a nod as though to say, "Let me try."

"Uh... Otto, if you want, we can push this nest into the team leader's room with the rest of us," Saura offered warmly. "It's a big room, there's enough room for all of us in there. We like to talk about things at night, like missions and things. We're not a mean team. We aren't strict or anything. We're just friends, really! You can be our friend if you want. We don't bite."

Otto blinked as though not understanding. "Is that a team requirement?"

"Not really," Saura replied oddly, not expecting this response. "I mean, Char never ordered us to stay in his room… we all chose to go there on our own, and he let us."

"I prefer to stay here," Otto said. "I don't like to be kept awake at night. I prefer to be briefed at the team meeting. When is the team meeting held?"

That's when the sad realization struck Char.

_He's – _

_He's still partially feral._

_He doesn't understand things. His responses are all simple-minded. He… he might not be all that intelligent._

Char's heart sank, the icy rush of excitement in his chest melting away. Wonder and awe turned to disappointment and dread as he began asking himself how he was going to cope with having a half-feral on the team. What would he do? Would the little bird be able to come on missions? Could he at least fight? He began to regret his impulsive decision to let Otto join the team…

"Um, we usually hold the team meeting right about _now!_" Ray blurted, speaking up with great cheer. "Just before bedtime. In fact, we can hold it early today so you can get to sleep, Otto! And we can have it right here!"

Otto nodded. "Yes, very well," he replied. "Please show me how a team meeting is held."

Otto glanced at Char, the Pidgey's eyes sparkling in the firelight. Char realized that he needed to begin this impromptu meeting himself. He was the leader, after all. This was his job.

But he'd never held an actual, formal meeting before. He needed to think of something to satisfy the little guy's expectations, and he needed to think fast.

Mustering his pride and confidence, Char stood tall and cleared his throat.

"Fine. We can begin the team meeting," Char spoke, trying to emulate Scythe's style of addressing his teammates. "Since this is a very special occasion, having a new team member and all, let's go around and introduce ourselves! I'm Char, leader of Team Ember. I have trained under Team Remorse and Team Flamewheel. I… I am famous for having the Call. That's supposed to be a secret, but the whole team knows, so you get to know too."

Shifting in awkwardness, Char turned to Saura, motioning for him to speak next.

"I'm Saura, I trained under Team Remorse, too," Saura said. "And I also have the Call. And that's an even bigger secret than Char's, so make sure not to tell _anyone_ about that, alright? Anyway, I joined the resistance earlier this year with Char when the Master tried to kidnap me. I – "

Saura grit his teeth. Char knew he was fighting the headache. He seemed to prevail after a few moments and continued speaking.

"Well, Scythe saved us both and brought us here, and he trained us to explore dungeons. We've been on a lot of missions and we've had many victories. So we're doing well, I think. On this team, I guess I'm the 'idea guy,' I think. Sometimes I see little things that my teammates don't see, so I use that to help them out. Char runs most of his ideas by me to make sure they make sense, and we try to agree on things."

"Good," Char said, motioning his arm the way Scythe would always motion his blades. "Ray? Your turn."

"Hi, little guy," Ray said cheerfully. "I'm Raikouun. But you can call me 'Ray,' since it's easier. Everyone does that. And I'm the odd one out on this team; unlike my friends, I _don't _have the Call. I guess I finally have some company now? Hah, hah! Anyway, hmm. I've trained under Team Stripes _and_ Team Remorse. I've been here for a long time, really. Few years. How many years? Ah, I always forget; I'd have to check the calendar. The years just seem to blur by."

The little Pidgey showed no emotional reaction, but that didn't faze Ray.

"Anyway. I'm this team's official bag-carrier and equipment expert," Ray continued. "Nice to meet you! I'm also here to keep everyone motivated. I usually wake everyone up in the morning and speak the official team motto."

Ray smiled, but the Pidgey didn't. Not that it was surprising just because Otto was a Pidgey; Char had seen birds smile before, or at least display a lightened expression with their eyes, their cheeks, and their posture. But Otto showed none of these traits as he patiently and stoically waited for his teammates to stop talking.

"Now it is your turn, Otto!" Char spoke to his new team member in a hopeful tone. "Tell us about yourself!"

Char, Ray, and Saura eagerly awaited the bird's reply. The bird blinked.

"I'm Otto," it replied.

It paused, as though to think for a moment.

"I am of species Pidgey. I was discovered in the Wanderer's Meadow by Char of Team Ember as a wild, and trained by Syr and Karow of Team Silverwing for sixty-eight days. I have been extensively trained in reconnaissance missions, exploration missions, assault missions, patrol missions, and survival procedures. I have been trained in outdoor environments, including forests, badlands, and civilizations, as well as indoor environments and caves. I am adept against both land-based and flying opponents. As of my last examination, my attack power is one hundred eighty-six, my defense power is one hundred thirty, my agility is two hundred ten. I have twenty / six vision. My weight is approximately two pounds; I can carry up to one third of my weight. I can fly at eighty kilometers per hour and can remain in the air for one hundred fifty-five minutes without resting if flying distance, sixty-one minutes if battling or laden. My intelligence quotient was unable to be measured, but is estimated as eleven-and-a-half stars. My mission record is forty-four successful, three failed."

When Otto finished speaking, Char's mouth was hanging open. He didn't look, but he figured that his friends were just as speechless as he was.

_Well, so much for the idea that he's not smart… or combat-capable, _Char told himself.

"Wow, that's pretty great!" Ray cheered to him, breaking the intensely awkward pause in the team meeting. "Ha-ha, wow! I can't wait to go on a mission with you! You sound like a very strong addition to our team!"

Otto tilted his head, not seeming to know how to respond to the compliment. After a moment, he nodded as though to agree with Ray.

"Ah, you know you don't have to be so official with us," Saura tried to tell the Pidgey. "Like I said, we're just friends here. We're not really in this for the resistance, even! We're in this for each other. In fact, if Char wanted us to do something that went against the Gold Division's rules, we'd probably go along with it! That's how close we are."

"Of course you would," Otto replied plainly, scratching himself under his wing as he spoke. "Those are the Division's rules."

"Huh?" Saura responded, confused.

"Rule six, clause twenty-two of the Gold Division codex states: should a team leader issue a command which conflicts, directly or indirectly, with the laws of the Gold Division, the subordinate members of the team are under no obligation to disobey the order; the consequences of disobedience will fall upon the leader who issued the order, not the subordinate who carried out the order, as long as there is a witness who verifies the order was given," Otto recited. "So we must obey Char's orders even if they might contradict with Command's. I expected you might test me on Division law."

The bird hesitated for a moment, appearing confused. "May we continue with the meeting? What is the first item on the agenda?"

Char bit his tongue. He was feeling very uneasy now.

"Excuse me… Team Ember?" a voice spoke from the doorway of Otto's room, frightening Char. He turned to find an Espeon standing just outside the room, motioning for his attention.

"I need to discuss something with you; it's urgent," Eva said, sounding anxious as she peered over her shoulder for a moment. "Come quickly."

Char nodded. Secretly relieved at the interruption to the mock "meeting," Char turned to Otto. "We'll finish this later," he told the little bird. "You can rest now. We'll talk more tomorrow."

"Yeah! Sleep well!" Ray said.

Otto tilted his head. "Shouldn't I come as well? I am Team Ember as well," he said.

"Oh, no, don't worry about it!" Ray insisted, betraying some awkwardness. "You're tired. Go ahead and rest, just like Char ordered!"

Otto nodded in understanding. "Very well," he said turning around and snuggling up against the side of his bed-nest. "Please try not to be noisy."

Char left the little bird to sleep, filing out of the room alongside his friends. He followed Eva across the hallway, stopping just short of the master bedroom. Once they were far out of Otto's earshot, Eva's expression soon changed, dropping the appearance of urgency from her face and her posture.

"What was going _on_ in there?!" Eva whispered, sounding surprised and concerned. "Ray called me over with his mind and asked me to come rescue you from the meeting. What _happened_?"

"It's Otto," Ray told her, fretting nervously. Char was surprised to see him acting this way; it seemed very unlike himself. "He's… ah, I don't mean to sound mean! Really, I don't. But he's _weird_. He talks weird, and I don't know what to say! He doesn't respond to anything."

"He seems to know a lot, but he talks like a robot!" Saura added.

"Yeah, I know he used to be wild and all, so I knew he would be a little different than other Pokémon," Ray said. "But I was hoping we'd at least be able to make a connection with him. But I don't know how."

Eva twitched her tail, looking thoughtful. "You say he was wild?" She spoke softly. "This is a common problem with wilds. When a wild is impressed, its prior memories fade into an indistinct blur. So when it opens its eyes to intelligence, it has no childhood, no knowledge, as a point of reference for its life. So a wild will tend to act strange until it learns how to adapt to civilized society."

"Oh, so this is normal?" Char said with relief. "That's good to hear. Is there a way to fix it?"

"Of course," Eva said. "Simply send it to civility-training and feed it a regiment of gummis for a few weeks. If the teachers know what they're doing, they will have its mind opened to the idea of civilized society very quickly."

"Uh, we already did that," Saura said. "Otto just got out of school. It was expensive, too. We're all broke."

Eva twitched in surprise. "How long was it schooled?" she inquired.

"Since before we left on our trip," Char said. "That should have been enough time, right?"

Eva began pacing to the opposite wall, looking down at the floor in contemplation. "I see," she muttered. "Yes, this is unusual. I do not quite understand why it would not have learned manners by now. But you say it shows intelligence?"

"Maybe he's _too_ intelligent," Saura said ironically. "He says his I.Q. is eleven-and-a-half stars. And the star scale only goes to ten!"

"The star scale is not perfect," Eva said, shrugging. "Scythe's I.Q. was, I believe, the same when it was measured: eleven-and-a-half. Alakazam's I.Q. was estimated to be twenty-five stars. Hmm. Did Otto show any sign of disloyalty?"

"Not in the least," Char replied. "In fact he seemed so dedicated to the thought of being a soldier for our team that I couldn't even tell what his personality was like underneath."

Eva shrugged again. "It seems like you have gotten to a good start," she said, sounding much less concerned. "Your new teammate is loyal and intelligent; I see nothing wrong with that. Do you want my advice? Just take him out on missions, have him fight at your side, and develop an idea of his abilities. Develop kinship with him. Once he begins to develop kinship with you, he's bound to open up to you. Until then, you might need to accept that he won't respond in conversations the same way other Pokémon would."

Char peered over at the door to Otto's room, remembering the meeting he had just held and the way Otto had acted. The little bird had only seemed interested in the facts and the important information; he seemed oblivious to their feelings of happiness and excitement.

_Maybe Eva's right,_ he considered._ Otto just caught us off-guard. Maybe next time, I'll try to get used to the way he acts. I'll try. Maybe I should go and apologize to him right now…_

Ray noticed Char's gaze. "Probably not a good idea to wake him up again," he warned. "Especially since he asked us not to. Let's try again tomorrow."

"Right," Char said with a sigh. "Alright, let's sleep. Thank you again, Eva, for helping us."

"It is what I am here for," she said with a reverent bow. "It is the least I can do for your kindness."

"Are you sure you don't want to join our team?" Ray blurted. "I think you'd be a natural."

"Well, I cannot say for certain that I would not _want_ to join your team," Eva said as she walked back toward the doorway to her room. "But I have not battled paw-to-paw in a while; I couldn't guarantee I'd be useful in your missions. Let us save that question for another day, alright?"

At that, Eva returned to her room, and Team Ember returned to theirs.

"She might still be conning us, you know," Saura hissed to Char. "I wouldn't trust her just yet."

"I don't know why she would be conning us," Char replied. "I thought about that, but I figured: she already told us she's a professional liar, and we're freely giving her food and shelter, which was all she ever wanted from Scythe. So I don't think she has anything to gain by lying to us."

"Not _now,_ maybe," Saura said. "But later, something could always come up. She could turn on us if she really wanted to. She's got enough of your trust to do it. Don't forget Scythe's final lesson: no blind trust."

"I know," Char replied quietly. "We'll just keep an eye on her."

As Char climbed back into his bed, he considered Saura's words. Yes, it was possible Eva could con them. But it was also possible she was another "loyal and intelligent" ally with a unique talent that could soon become useful to their growing team. As team leader, he knew that both possibilities needed to be weighed as evidence presented itself.

But that, too, was a question he'd save for another day.

… … …

The following day began when a voice pierced through Char's dreams.

"_The fire will never die!"_

Ray's wake-up call filled him with energy, just like it always had in the old days. He jumped to his feet, proudly proclaiming his answer as his voice joined with Saura's…

"_Until the last ember fades!"_

Char stretched his limbs and smiled brightly. He had forgotten all about this old life of his, and he was excited to return to it.

"Good!" Ray said. "No slacking today. We've been an exploration team for too long. Today's the day we've gotta learn how to be a resistance team again."

Char wiped the gunk from his eyes as he staggered out of his bed.

"Alright," he sighed, wandering towards the door of the room. "That's enough rest. We need to figure out what needs to be done today, I guess."

Char opened the door, intending to start the day by glancing through the contents of the storage room and seeing if there was anything left he could possibly sell to replace all the equipment they had lost on the big mission. But when he did, he was surprised to see the little brown bird standing just outside of his door, waiting expectantly for him.

"_Ahh!_ Oh, Otto, you scared me," Char told the bird as it fluttered out of his way. "Good morning… How long have you been awake?"

"One hour, fifty-six minutes," the bird replied. "I wondered if you were testing my patience, and I hoped to pass."

Char squinted at the Pidgey. It had obviously rested well, as it seemed to hop around the floor with much more energy than it had the previous night. Char also thought it might have been smiling at him.

"No, I wasn't testing you," Char admitted to the bird, trying to say the right words and act kindly. "You give me too much credit! We were just sleeping in, really."

"Oh," the bird chirped, hopping in place with acknowledgement. "What is there to do today, Char? Should we finish the meeting from last night?"

Char froze in awkwardness again. He peered back into his bedroom, where his two friends were giving him odd looks.

"Uh… hold on a moment, Otto," Char said. "S-stay there. We'll be right out."

Char waited for a word or even a motion of acknowledgement, but Otto gave him nothing. Char swallowed hard and returned into his room, shutting his door behind him.

"What are we going to do with him?!" Char cried quietly to his friends. "What should we say?"

"Well, we should try just treating him like a team member, for starters," Saura suggested. "Like what Eva said. Let's just bring him along and see how he acts."

Char fretted nervously with his claws, thinking about it. "I guess, but… I don't know. I don't think I could bring myself to treat him like an equal so soon," he whispered. "I mean, the three of us are all equals. We understand one another. We don't hide any secrets, we all know about the Call, and about me being human, and about Scythe and everything. Otto doesn't. How can we get him to understand that's what our team is like? We're not soldiers. We don't function like Team Silverwing does!"

"Char…" Ray said calmly, looking into the Charmander's eyes, "Maybe you should talk to him. Just you."

"Me…?" Char echoed, gulping hard.

"You were the one that impressed him in the first place," Ray said. "According to his instincts, you're his true master. So maybe you should just go out there and… have a conversation with him by yourself, without us distracting you."

"You're not just trying to get rid of me, are you?" Char said with a nervous chuckle. "Are you scared of him, too?"

"Hah! Char, how well do you know me?" Ray said with a smile, patting him on the shoulder. "I'm not Croagunk, you know. And yeah, I'm scared of Otto too, a little. But I honestly think it'd be the best way to break through his defenses, if he had a heart-to-heart with you. Honest!"

Char looked at the closed door behind him, biting his tongue.

"If you need us to rescue you, just knock on the door," Ray said reassuringly. "We'll come right out."

"You know… he really respects you, Char," Saura added. "That much I could tell by the way he acted last night. How bad can he really be?"

"Alright," Char decided, bowing his head and putting a claw on the door. "I'll try. Wish me luck, guys."

… … …

The door shut behind Char. In front of him, the little Pidgey stood attentively and expectantly.

Char took a deep breath. He could feel his inner fire flickering like crazy, churning with emotions of awkwardness and hesitance.

"Hello," he said gently to the Pidgey.

Char waited a moment, but Otto did not respond.

"You know, when a Pokémon tells you 'hello,' you're supposed to say 'hello' back," Char said. "So they know you're paying attention."

"You can't tell I'm paying attention?" Otto chirped oddly with a voice that was a few tones lower and stronger than it had been when Char sent him to school for the first time.

Char clenched one fist, but resisted the urge to knock on the door and summon his friends. Instead, he found the courage to reply.

"Not necessarily," Char told the Pidgey. "Sometimes, Pokémon can get… lost in thought. They might be staring straight at you, but not listening to anything you say. So no, you can't always tell if someone's paying attention just by looking."

"I understand," Otto said, giving a small bow of admission. "Hello."

_He listened to me!_ Char said, feeling a spark of hope in his heart. _That makes me feel a small bit more comfortable. Maybe Ray was right about Otto…_

"How are you today?" Char tried. "Did you sleep well?"

"I am healthy and well; I have no ailments," Otto reported. "My weariness is gone. I am ready to assist with the day's mission."

"We aren't going on a mission today, Otto," Char told the Pidgey. "See, we just got back from a very long trip, and Alakazam gave us one full day to prepare for our next mission. And today is that day."

Otto seemed to understand. "No mission. What is the day's agenda?" he asked plainly.

Char sighed, clenching his fist tighter this time. The temptation to bail from the interview was strong, but he remembered that he just needed to give Otto a chance. Renewing his composure, he answered the bird's question.

"We have a few things to do today; we need to read the news, look at job opportunities, and go shopping for items, to name a few things," Char replied. "But I didn't want to talk to you about the day's agenda, Otto. I wanted to talk about something else. I wanted to talk to you about… about this team."

"I understand; you need to explain to the rules of Team Ember," Otto said. "Your team's rules do not seem to resemble those of Team Silverwing. What are your team's rules?"

Char struggled to choose his words very carefully.

"We don't have rules on this team," Char tried to say, sitting down on the floor to level his eyes with the Pidgey's. "At least, not in the way other teams have rules. Team Ember is a very… different kind of team than other teams in the Gold Division. See, we… we don't follow much of a process here. There are no strict rules and no fixed punishments for making mistakes. We are all equals here, so… it's not right for us to punish each other."

"Then who is your team leader?" Otto asked, sounding very confused. "I was told numerous times by many Pokémon that you are the leader of Team Ember."

"I _am_ the leader," Char said, resisting the urge to raise his voice in exasperation. "But, the way we run this team, it is like… All of us are team leader. We are all equals. I'm only considered leader because they had to write someone down on the registration form."

Otto tilted his head, still plainly confused. "So you do not have the power to make a final decision? This power is split between the team? I do not understand how a team functions under the system."

"Well, yes. I still make the final decisions, so in a way, I'm still the leader, but…"

Char silenced himself, shaking his head vigorously. He breathed deeply and regained his composure, the little Pidgey's gaze never leaving him.

"I will try to explain this in a different way," Char said, making motions with his hands. "Do you know how some team leaders have partners? And usually they consort with their partners in private before consorting with the rest of the team? Like… like the partner is higher in rank than everyone else on the team? It's like… High Intelligence is. They are the leaders of the whole Division, but they are _all _the leaders, right? They are partners with one another."

"I understand," Otto replied. "Team Silverwing is led by Syr, and his partner is Karow."

"Team Ember is like that," Char said, hoping his meaning would be clear. "On this team, everyone is my partner. I am the leader, and both Saura and Ray are my partners. And… I want you to be my partner, too. See… this is why I had trouble holding a team meeting last night. Because I haven't held a meeting in a long time. Saura and Ray and I, we usually just… talk amongst one another, and usually we just kind of discuss everything and make decisions as a team. I don't usually dictate them."

"Everyone is your partner," Otto repeated, processing the meaning of the words.

Otto was silent for a moment, though he never took his eyes off of Char. Char held his breath.

"I understand how your team functions," Otto said kindly. "Is this why you wanted to move my nest into the other room? Is this for partnership?"

Char breathed a huge sigh of relief, almost accidentally releasing a fireball onto his new teammate. He smiled widely. "Yes, Otto. This is why."

"Then you may disregard what I said yesterday," Otto said. "If you feel it would help to conduct our team and become stronger, then you may move my nest into your room and we will converse about plans in the way you are used to."

A blaze of gladness was building inside of Char. He felt like giving the little bird a hug, though he didn't want to startle him.

"As a partner, may I make a criticism of our team, Char?" Otto addressed suddenly, his little call instantly reminding the Charmander of the days when his name was the only word he knew.

"Of course," Char said, standing back to his feet. "What is it? And by the way, don't ask for my permission to point out things that are wrong. Just say them, alright?"

"I understand," Otto replied, nodding. "There are great risks to the way you run Team Ember," the Pidgey said with surprising frankness and wisdom. "It is a strong and effective option for team structure. However, if this team grows beyond four, this option would be unreasonable. Personal communication would fail. You would need to write rules and conduct team meetings to direct a larger team. Therefore, ideally you should practice giving meetings before this team grows any larger, to acquire the skill."

Char was spellbound by the little bird's observation.

_He's right,_ Char realized. _If this team gets any bigger than it is now – especially since we have a potential fifth member already – we couldn't always rely on being personal like this. I'd need to step it up. Even Team Remorse was as close a team as they come, but they still held meetings every day…_

"That is… an excellent and well-founded criticism, Otto," Char replied, feeling proud of his new friend. "Thank you for telling me. I will take your consideration to heart."

Otto gave a musical croon, as though proud of himself. He plucked a stray feather out from under his wing. "What is the first item on the agenda?" he asked again. "If you are not certain, we may discuss it as partners."

"Well, I think I already know what the first item on the agenda is," Char said with a laugh. "I'm very hungry. We're all going down to the cafeteria to have breakfast."

"I was told that teams on floor eight and above can request food to be delivered to their rooms," Otto said. "Do you not have food delivered to your room?"

Char winced. "We just got back from a very long and expensive mission, Otto, and we have little money left," he replied. "I doubt we have enough to order food."

"I was told the service was free," Otto said.

Char picked his words wisely once again. "Well, even then, it is not free; it may not cost Poké, but it costs something else: respect. If we requested food here, we may be looked down upon by the Division members. So we won't request food until we have proven our worth to the Division."

"I would not have looked down upon Team Ember for requesting food," Otto said. "But I understand the risk. Very well; let us go to the food room. I am also hungry."

Char couldn't have been prouder to knock on the door and summon his other friends. Saura admitted that they had listened to the whole exchange through the door.

At once, Char and his three companions began their journey downstairs as a unified team.

… … …

As expected, the mess hall was a mess. Two lines for breakfast went all the way out the door. Char and his team patiently took their places at the back of the line, which thankfully seemed to move fast.

Once Char was close enough to peer into the huge room, he wasn't surprised to see that it was filled wall-to-wall with the colorful creatures and that all of the tables were taken. Pokémon were not very tidy eaters, and many of the tables were left with scraps of food left behind as the teams took off to embark on the day's mission. Char glanced around the disastrous room with dread, reminded of why the elite teams chose not to attend the Division's free meals at all. He took a mental note to look into those free deliveries that Otto had mentioned.

Almost twenty minutes later, Char balanced two trays of food in his claws. One held a tray of biscuits and fruit salad for himself, and the other was a pile of plain seeds for Otto.

"Now we need to find somewhere to sit," Char said. "Otto, can you fly up to the ceiling and see if you can spot an open table?"

"Flying is not allowed in the food room," Otto said. "Do you still want me to follow the order?"

"N-no, that's fine," Char said suddenly, almost tripping over as a Pokémon bumped into his back on accident. "We'll find something. Just… just start looking around."

When Char made his way to the area with the tables, the floor was clearer and it became easier not to accidentally run into wandering Pokémon.

"Hey! That's…" Saura suddenly cried out, his vines wrapped around the corners of his tray. "Char, I must be seeing things again. I thought for sure there was someone here from the Emerald Division. Didn't Prince have a Weavile on his team?"

"Yeah, he did," Ray replied. "But we have a lot of Weavile here too. There's Team Dread. They only allow Weavile and Sneasel to be on their team."

"Oh," Saura said. "Yeah. I remember. Still… ever get the feeling that there's someone you know hidden in the crowd, but you just can't look at them fast enough to know for sure?"

"Hmm. Could be," Char replied indifferently. "C'mon, someone's gotta clear out sooner or later…"

"Team Ember! Hey! Team Ember!" Char heard a call rising above the clamor of voices in the room.

Char checked his nearby surroundings for the source of the voice. There was a team half a dozen tables away waving to him and trying to get his attention. He didn't recognize them.

"It's Team Carrier!" Ray said happily. "Looks like they've got a spot for us. C'mon, let's go."

As they took their places at the stony, rectangular table, Char recognized a Pokémon he'd seen around the base long ago: Zachel the Zangoose. Sitting at her side was a large Machoke, a Squirtle, and a Pikachu. All but the Zangoose seemed to be preoccupied by a mouthful of food; Zachel seemed bored with her tray and ate slowly.

"It's been a while," Zachel said, crossing her arms. "We were starting to think you weren't coming back. Where'd you go, by the way? We missed hearing all about your exploits in the news."

"Classified," Saura said with a mischievous smile. "Sorry! Alakazam's orders."

"Ahh," the Zangoose sighed disappointedly, looking down at her food. "That's a shame. Well, hopefully it went well."

"Well enough," Ray said, exaggerating relief. "Now that it's over, at least. It was a pretty tough mission. We're back, and we've got until tomorrow to find a new mission to take."

"Hey, hey. If you're going to take a mission, _don't go north_," the Squirtle warned suddenly. "There's problems up there."

"Right, you weren't here for that," Zachel spoke with a small shudder. "While you were gone, we had another lockdown. Black torches, everything."

"Whoa! What happened?!" Ray cried. "I'm glad I wasn't here for that. It wasn't Adiel again, was it?"

"Afraid so," Zachel said somberly. "Turned out that Adiel was around again. They say… they say he actually _walked across_ the north-eastern back door to the base."

"And he had troops with him too," the Pikachu added. "Several Houndoom. Seekers. It's a good thing that the tunnel leading into the base is so long on that end. They could have smelled something."

_The north-eastern entrance,_ Char thought. _That's… that's the one on top of the Great Flatlands. That's the one Saura and I first came into the base by. That's so far out of the way of any roads… what was Adiel doing up there?!_

"So yeah, keep that in mind when you pick a mission," Zachel said, skewering a berry with one of her long claws and casually examining it. "There haven't been any bans or anything this time, but some of the jobs got raised in rank, and I hear there are still troops around to the north. So if you want to play it safe, stay away."

"Right! Wow, that's scary!" Ray said. "Thanks for the warning! We still haven't read the news yet, so we didn't know about that."

Char turned his attention to his food. As always, he found that he didn't enjoy berries and bread all that much. Though they were nourishing, they were unsatisfying. Thanks to Prince, he knew now that he was a carnivore at heart, and the thought of exploring that part of his nature hung in the back of his mind, nagging him. But he knew he would have to put up with it for now; meat was expensive and rare in the Gold Division, and certainly not handed out for free on a regular basis. He would have to live with eating whatever was put in front of him.

Char turned to Otto, who hadn't even made a peep since taking a table. The little bird was pecking at the seeds, seemingly paying no attention to the conversation.

"Wow, hey, this is delicious," Saura said, swallowing a mouthful of berries. "What _are_ these? These red things; I don't think I've ever seen these before."

"Uhm, razz-berries, I think!" the Squirtle said, examining what was on Saura's plate. "I _hate_ those things. Too strong for me. I always pick them out of the fruit salad."

"I'll take them!" Saura laughed. "Heh, wow. I think I found a favorite new kind of berry. Char, you should try these!"

As the teams finished their breakfast, Team Carrier talked about some of the recent missions they had run, mostly just boring delivery missions that had, somehow, yielded some unexpected and rare items as rewards. Char resisted the urge to tell them all about _his_ mission, but he knew it would be a very bad idea. Instead, he just listened to them ramble as he ate.

"Hey, I've always wondered something," Saura said to the other team once his plate was nearly empty. "Why are you guys called 'Team Carrier' anyway? What does the name mean?"

"Hah, hahah, well, let me tell you about that," Zachel said with raspy laughter, skewering another berry with her claws. "Team Carrier was one of the first teams. Twelfth on the record, existed long before the resistance split into the three divisions. We have a long, proud history of... carrying bags for other teams."

Char gave a chuckle of amusement. "Really, now?" he said.

"Yeah, we were the _original_ training team," the Squirtle said. "The new trainees would all get thrown on Team Carrier and they'd get to carry the bags for all the Pokémon who had no arms or whatever. And they'd get to go into the dungeons and train with all the stronger teams."

"Of course, we don't do that anymore," Zachel said, eyeing the bright green berry on her claw. "Nowadays, we just—are—"

Zachel stopped in mid-sentence. Char glanced up at her, wondering what was the matter.

The Zangoose appeared to be stunned. Her eyes widened and her mouth hung open; the berry fell off of her claw, rolling to end of the table and dropping to the floor. She was fixated intensely on something behind Char.

"Zachel! Oh, no… Zachel?" her Pikachu teammate called to her, noticing her expression.

"Is she okay? What's wrong?" Saura cried, looking worried.

Char turned his head to follow the Zangoose's gaze.

Several tables away from them, Char spotted Team X. They had just sat down and were beginning to devour their breakfast. They seemed content to talk with the other teams sitting at the same table, as though they were just a normal, everyday team like the rest of them.

Croagunk noticed the Charmander's gaze. The poisonous frog grinned evilly in return, taking a punctuated bite out of his biscuit. He then tapped his teammate to get his attention, and pointed Char out to him.

The Seviper gave an indifferent nod of acknowledgement… then froze solid, staring with the same unblinking glare that had taken over Zachel.

"Excuse me for a moment," Zachel said quietly, leaping onto the floor and trudging across the room in Team X's direction.

"Oh _no!_" the Pikachu realized, beginning to panic. "That's…"

"A Seviper," the Squirtle cried. "Oh man! Oh man! This _can't _be happening! Doesn't the Division have _precautions_ to keep this from happening?"

Team Carrier looked absolutely terrified.

"What's going on?" Saura wondered, continuing to eye Zachel as she walked past the other tables.

"Seviper and Zangoose," the Squirtle gasped. "You _can't_ let a Seviper and a Zangoose in the same room together. You… _can't_. You just _can't. _They're mortal enemies."

"Oh no… they're gonna fight…" the Pikachu said, quivering. "This whole room is about to… Oh, _no! I can't watch!_"

Char watched in morbid curiosity as the feline and the serpent approached one another in the isle between the tables. Their eyes were set upon one another; Char could tell that the rest of the Pokémon in the room no longer existed to them.

A few of the nearby tables noticed the confrontation. The murmuring in the general area seemed to die down momentarily as all eyes were fixed on the two Pokémon.

They paused several feet away from each other, staring one another down.

"Hey," Zachel said, beginning to rub her claws together as though to sharpen them.

"Hey," the Seviper replied, a mocking echo.

"Haven't seen you before," Zachel spoke softly, looking at her claws. "You're, uh… you're new here, aren't you?"

"Afraid so," the Seviper replied.

The silence had spread; Char was surprised to realize that the entire cafeteria was soon soundless. The crowd's noises had stopped.

"The Seviper will win," Otto whispered to Char. "It is stronger."

Char began to wonder if this confrontation was a serious problem. He wondered if he should clear out of the room as fast as possible, but part of him couldn't bear to look away.

"Zachel, Team Carrier," the Zangoose said, crossing her arms. "You?"

"No-namer, Team X," Seviper replied curtly. "Nice to meet you."

"Interesting," Zachel said, ignoring the sarcasm. "I don't remember seeing a 'Team X' in the news."

"How is that my problem?" the Seviper calmly replied.

They stared at one another for a moment, as though each expected a reply that wasn't coming. Zachel casually licked her claw.

"I'm not going to have _trouble_ with you, am I?" she spoke.

"Not unless you _want_ it," the Seviper replied. "I think we're both adults here."

Another tense moment of silence. Char thought he saw the Seviper subtly coiling to strike.

"Splint, go stop them!" the Pikachu hissed to the Machoke beside her, still partially covering her eyes and cowering in fright. "Oh no, _oh no!_ I can't watch, I can't watch…"

The Machoke gave a _hmph_ and stood up from his seat. He carefully and calmly approached Zachel from behind. The Seviper noticed him approaching but said nothing.

The hundreds of Pokémon in the room gave a collective gasp as the muscular Machoke grabbed the Zangoose under the arms and picked her up off the floor. The Zangoose did not struggle or resist, but she appeared irritated.

"Put me down, Splint," Zachel said calmly.

"You need to walk away from this," the Machoke warned.

"I promise I will walk away," Zachel replied. "The Seviper is right; we're both adults here. Now please, put me back down."

Splint did so, though not before hesitating for a few moments. With a face that cried "I'm going to regret this," he set his teammate's feet back onto the floor.

Even Croagunk had gotten up from his seat and stood behind the Seviper. He gulped hard, looking worried and powerless to act.

Zachel brushed her teammate off her back, then took a wary step towards the serpent. Her face was emotionless and resolute, but her claws were drawn to their full length.

She took another step. The Seviper recoiled slightly, preparing to strike.

When their faces were mere inches apart, she stopped. She blinked. Char held his breath, as did the rest of the cafeteria.

Zachel gave a slight bow of her head.

"Until we meet again, Seviper," she said humbly.

"Same to you," the Seviper replied, sounding sincere.

Both Pokémon turned and left one another, causing the cafeteria to erupt in applause and cheer.

Hearing the sudden noise, the Pikachu unburied her eyes from under the table and cried happily when she saw that the crisis had been averted.

Ushered by their teammates, the Seviper and the Zangoose returned to their respective tables. Splint stepped behind the Zangoose and followed her away to make sure she wouldn't suddenly pounce when her opponent's guard was down, but Zachel didn't look interested in battling anymore. The cheering from all the Division's Pokémon lasted for over a minute before dying down and returning to the normal level of clamor.

Zachel returned to her seat, her fur ruffled and her claws still fully extended. She breathed hard.

"Wow, now _that's_ something we'll see on the news, no doubt," the Squirtle said dryly. "You okay?"

"Ahh… ah… Sorry about all that," Zachel breathed, scratching her forehead and trying to calm herself back down. "Instincts… blasted instincts…"

"I am surprised," Otto said to Char. "I thought the Zangoose would strike. But I understand now. She was testing the power of her will. And she passed."

"Wow, Zachel, you gave everyone a heart attack! You're going to make everyone end up in the medial wing today!" the Pikachu cried, rubbing her on the back. "We'll get no work done!"

"Yeah, yeah, sorry," she rasped. "Didn't mean to. It's instincts. I just saw it, and… blood… filled with fire. Took over me. I'll be fine now though. I'm over it."

"Zangoose and Seviper battles are not pretty at all," Ray told Char. "You have no idea. They're brutal and… well, you wouldn't want to see one. _I _haven't even seen one. I've just heard terrible stories…"

Char was thankful that the two Pokémon had not started a fight, but something else about the sudden confrontation had nagged him.

"There's just one thing," Char said to the Zangoose. "You said… you didn't see Team X in the papers?"

"Yeah, why?" Zachel replied.

"Are you absolutely sure?" Char said. "Have you been reading all the news?"

"Every day," Zachel said, scratching at the table and looking at her food again. "Kinda have to. It's a team rule."

Char glanced oddly at his teammates.

… … …

"Alright, so here are all the news bulletins that were posted while we were away," Ray said, dropping a large, messy stack of papers onto the table. "Dig in."

After the surprisingly eventful breakfast, Team Ember had returned to their hall, picking up some papers from the newsroom and the registry along the way. They had acquired the current job listings and, at the nagging of Char's gut instincts, a copy of every news post they had missed.

Char sat in his planning room with the rest of his teammates. He began leafing through the stack from the top, glancing over the sheets covered in scrawled footprint symbols and rough, inky illustrations.

"Otto, can you do this?" Char asked the Pidgey. "Look though these news reports and find announcements of new teams. See if you can find one for Team X."

Otto glanced at the papers, then back to Char. "I have read every news bulletin, and have seen nothing mentioning Team X," he said. "But it is possible the bulletin was posted while I was learning to read."

Char collected the stack of papers and flipped it facedown. "Alright, then start from the bottom," he told the Pidgey. "Ray, you can go look at our supplies now. Saura and I will look at missions."

"Got it," Ray said, heading out of the room. "Though, don't get your hopes up. We took most of our best stuff on that trip."

"_Anything_ will help," Char replied. "Even if we can sell it for something better."

As Otto awkwardly scraped the news posts off the pile with his talons and flipped them over using his beak, Char and Saura began scanning the job list. Char mainly looked at the numbers in the column which specified the mission bounties.

"I've got to learn to read," he muttered in annoyance. "If Otto can learn it so fast, maybe I can too. Anyway… how about this one? Reward: thousand Poké."

"It's north, in Skull Town," Saura said. "I'd rather not go to a ghost town if we can help it. Plus, it's a three-star mission. Probably because of the high alert up there."

Char shrugged. "Alright, so… what else is there?"

"Hmm," Saura hummed, scanning the list. "Escort Nidoran, Escort Shinx children, deliver a confidential letter, deliver food… Find a lost escape orb in a dungeon? W-why would someone want us to retrieve an escape orb they dropped in a dungeon? Those are cheap! Can't they just buy a new one?"

Char shrugged. "I don't know, maybe it has sentimental value to someone?" he considered. "Go on; what else is there?"

"Find lost reviver seed, find lost deep-sea scale… find outlaw… find missing Pokémon…"

"Hmm, what's that one like?" Char said with some interest. "A missing Pokémon should be easier to find than a missing item. Or an outlaw that wants to attack you back."

"Kablo the Bagon has not arrived to destination, has been missing for two days," Saura read. "Last seen around Augustus Park. Please send rescue team to scout the nearby mystery dungeons for his presence. Reward: two thousand Poké if found, eight hundred Poké if not, plus gifts from the client. Risk level: B."

"Wait… what?" Char said, immensely interested in this prospect. "We'll get paid even if we don't find the guy? We just have to search some dungeons?"

"That's what it looks like," Saura said. "Augustus Park… wonder where that is."

Char found an old friend of his, the Map of Jirachi, rolled up on a shelf in the back of the room. Though he had lost the portable version of the map on the mission, the larger map had always remained stashed in the study for planning missions. He fetched it and spread it out on the table and made a mental note to get his hands on another copy for traveling.

"Here," Saura said, pointing to a place just south of the Great Plateau. "It's a bit to the west of Iron Town, past the Iron Crevice. That's where we rescued Fern, remember. It's on the outskirts of this place called… Wyrii town. Nearby dungeons are… let's see. 'Shale Cave' which is another dungeon in the plateau itself, and… 'Jormungand's Garden,' which is down here, south of the town. If we want to take this mission, we'll need to look up what kind of wilds live here."

Ray appeared in the room's doorway, looking disappointed.

"Done already?" Char said to him. "Let me guess… there wasn't much to look at."

"It's not pretty, guys," Ray sighed, shaking his head. He held up a tiny object in his paw. "This is literally the best item we have on hand right now. A stun-seed. Other than that, we have a few escape orbs, a bunch of iron thorns, some bags of dried rawst-berries, and a draught-orb which is supposed to evaporate standing water in a dungeon floor. Then we have a pecha scarf, a couple of junk orbs like a hail orb and a lob orb… and yeah. That's it. The rest of our good stuff we took with us, and now it's probably lost in Temporal Tower… We don't even have anything in Morrik's storage, except for… one sitrus berry. If we wanted to sell that, that is."

"Then we shouldn't take the rescue mission," Otto said suddenly. "The minimum objective to succeed at the mission is to explore two mystery dungeons. We do not have enough equipment for even one dungeon expedition. We should take a job that does not require exploring a dungeon."

Char frowned. "I think you're right," he admitted. "Yeah… we're in no position to explore two dungeons, much less one. Maybe we could sell some of our junk and buy some apples for dungeon crawling. Still… it would have been fun to search for that Bagon, I think. Especially if we still got paid even if we didn't find him. That seems like too good of an opportunity to pass by."

Otto chirped, scraping another flyer off the pile to examine.

"I agree, it seems to be a reasonable mission," Otto said. "You could accept the mission and wait for the day after tomorrow to complete it."

"Huh?" Saura replied. "You can do that?"

"Of course," Otto said. "A team may sign up for up to eight missions at once. There are penalties for doing so, however. If the team takes too long to report a success or a failure to the mission, the registrar will add it back on the listings and hold the team responsible for paying the bounty to whatever other team completes it."

"Ouch…" Char said, considering the option. "How long does that take?"

"It is by the digression of Metagross," Otto said. "There is no discrete time limit in the rulebooks. But we can be reasonably certain that waiting one day to complete a mission will not be an issue. But we take a risk in doing so: we rely on the bounty of tomorrow's mission. We must be certain our bounty will be large enough to let us purchase what is necessary to explore two dungeons in one day. Failing tomorrow's mission would become an unpleasant prospect."

"I see," Char said, scratching his head. "So… if we want to go this route… we need a good mission for tomorrow. One that pays well."

Otto chirped once more, fluttering onto the tabletop. "I've searched all news bulletins until I began to recognize them," he reported. "Team X does not appear. May I help you look for missions now, Char?"

_Interesting… and worrisome,_ Char thought. _Was Team X lying about signing up as a team? Ah well… if Eva still says their hearts are in the right place, then that shouldn't be an issue, right? Still, I wish I knew why they weren't in the news. _

"Yeah, go ahead," Char said, gesturing for him to read the list. "Any input is appreciated."

Otto glanced at the list for a few minutes, fluttering his wings as though some of the list entries were amusing to him.

"This," he said suddenly, scraping the list with a talon. "This would be the optimal mission."

"Whoa, that was fast!" Char laughed. "What's the mission?"

"Find thunderstones," Saura read, scanning the text with a paw. "Solo explorer collected three thunderstones in dungeon, but was knocked out and expelled before escaping. Retrieve as many thunderstones as possible from dungeon and return to client. Bounty: eight hundred Poké per retrieved thunderstone. Risk level: B. Location… Jormungand's Garden? Wait! That's…"

"That's the same dungeon as the other mission we wanted to take!" Ray cried in realization. "We could look for the missing Bagon in one of the two dungeons he could be lost in, _and_ look for the thunderstones _at the same time!_"

"Yes," Otto said. "It is risky. We would need to prepare for a dungeon expedition today using whatever means we can. But it is a profitable and calculated risk. I recommend this."

"We could kill two birds with one stone!" Char said, grinning. "That's a good idea!"

Otto ruffled his feathers, looking confused. "Why would we want to kill birds with stones?" he squawked.

"Oh… I'm sorry," Char said awkwardly. "That's just a human saying for doing something efficiently, I guess. I didn't mean to offend."

"It is an odd phrase for efficiency, then," Otto said. "There are many more efficient ways of killing birds than with stones."

Char laughed. "I guess you're right! But yeah, good choice. Let's take both missions. Any objections?"

"Nope, looks good to me," Saura said.

"No, but let's make sure we can actually buy what we need first," Ray replied. "Let's check and see what kind of enemies live in this 'Jormungand's Garden' place. Then we'll go to Kecleon's before we officially sign up for the missions. If we can't buy what we need to survive in the dungeon, well… we'll resort to taking a mission from the training teams' lists, I guess. Just to say we did something. Or we could ask another team for help."

"Sounds good," Char said, rolling up the map and replacing it on the shelf. "Alright, we're done here! Next item on the agenda is training. Everyone ready to go?"

The team voiced their agreement.

"Good," Char said, feeling proud of the day's progress. "Oh, and Otto?"

The little bird nodded. "Yes?"

"Good work," Char said affectionately. "You've been on this team for less than a day, and you're already helping out more than we could ask for."

The bird bowed. "Thank you," he replied simply. "I have trained hard to be acceptable to your team, Char. I hope to prove worthy of serving Team Ember."

"I'm thinking we should make you the chief tactical advisor!" Char added with a smile. "You seem to know how to take risks and you know all the rules of the base and everything. You could be in charge of looking for good missions to take and helping us to figure out how and when to take them."

Otto jumped back, as though staggering in surprise. "I am not qualified," he chirped. "I was trained for combat support. I was not trained to manage. I use mere common sense to select missions."

"Well, it's more common sense than the rest of us have!" Ray laughed, gently petting Otto on the head. "No, really. Char's totally right. You're perfect for our team. Where have you been all this time, little guy? We could have used you on our team ages ago."

Otto looked even more confused. "I have been in school," he said simply. "And why do you judge me already? So far I have proven nothing to you, yet you treat me as though I have accomplished a mission. I don't understand your standards."

"But you have accomplished missions! Forty-four of them, right?" Char said with a mischievous grin. "But I'll tell you what. You say you're a combat-bird. Well, then. Show us what you can do."

… … …

When Char arrived to the dojo, he found nothing but a lone Mew using its telekinesis to arrange oran berries on the shelves. It looked bored.

"Domo! You're back!" Ray shouted as he and his team entered the circular room. "Haven't seen you in a while!"

"Oh! Visitors…" the Mew mumbled to itself, floating over to greet them. "Oh, Team Ember! Good day. Indeed, it's been too long."

"So… I heard you were chasing Registeel?" Ray inquired. "How did that go?"

The Mew drooped low in the air, visibly disappointed. "Nowhere to be found," he replied. "Searched everywhere for six weeks, and… nowhere."

_Should have come on our mission,_ Char thought ironically. _You would have seen a Regirock, and an Articuno, and Celebi, and Dialga…_ _Wait, Mew is psychic, isn't it? I shouldn't be thinking about this, Domo might notice…_

"Aww, that's a shame," Ray said sympathetically, although Char could tell he was fighting with the same ironic thoughts as he was. "But we're glad to have you back!"

"You'll be one of the first," the Mew said, landing on the ground and standing oddly upon its tiny feet. "Apparently I have been gone for so long that Pokémon have fallen out of the habit of visiting me. I have been bored, mostly; only a few students to train this week. Fortunately, that means I have plenty of time to help you! So, Team Ember, what can I do for you?"

"We got a new team member yesterday!" Char announced, indicating the Pidgey at his side. "His name's Otto. He says he's a combat bird! We want to see how well he was trained. Could you maybe examine his skills?"

The false Mew looked delighted. Wasting no time, it began a transformation. Its body glowed brightly, growing to a very great size. A mighty pair of wings spread from the amorphous mass, and soon, the form solidified into a Pidgeot, an intimidatingly large bird of prey. Char instinctively took a step away from it. Saura took two. They decided to clear off of the battle platform, giving Domo and Otto the room they needed to train.

"_Croooo!_" It cried. "Yes, it's been a while since I have studied my avian skills, although they were always my favorite forms to take before acquiring Mew." The Ditto flapped its huge wings for a moment, testing them. "Ahh, yes! I remember how this body works now. Yes, let us dance in the air, little Otto."

"Javelin," Otto said.

"Excuse me?" the Ditto replied oddly. "What was that?"

"Your form is Javelin, a member of Team Silverwing," Otto said. "He helped to train me. I learned to defeat him in combat training three times to every four, and in races, one time to every four."

"Really, now?" Domo said with intrigue, though Char thought he caught a subtle hint of uncertainty in the voice. "You say you are skilled against this particular form?"

"I am."

"Well then, where's the fun in that?" Domo said, shape-shifting into a majestic grey-and-white bird. "_Raaaarrr!_ Then you will fight _Staraptor,_ strongest and most dangerous of all birds of prey!"

"You are Syr," Otto said to the starling. "He is the leader of Team Silverwing. He also helped to train me, although I have less practice against him."

"Fine, fine!" Domo cried. "How about _this_, then?"

The Ditto shape-shifted again, this time becoming a strange-looking silver bird.

"Skarmory, the blade-winged bird of steel!" Domo announced proudly, spreading its red wings. "Do you have any experience against _this_, little Otto?"

"I have not," Otto chirped. "I do not recognize this Skarmory."

"Well, then! Let's begin already!" Domo shouted. "Can you… wait. Otto? Where'd you go?"

Char's jaw dropped as he watched Otto's aerial maneuvers. The little Pidgey had zipped through the air at startling speed, and was now hovering behind the still-grounded Skarmory, staying just within its blind spot.

Domo turned his head, searching for his opponent. Otto zipped back and forth, perfectly in rhythm with the Skarmory's glances, staying completely invisible.

"Otto?" the metallic bird cried in confusion. "I thought we were training, Otto. Did you retreat?"

_*PING!*_

There was a resounding metallic noise as Otto swooped and attacked the Skarmory, his beak colliding with the bird's steely armor. The attack was so forceful and unexpected that the Skarmory face-planted into the ground.

Otto turned around and swooped at his downed opponent, grasping one of its long, red wing-feathers and forcefully yanking it clean out of the wing as he flew past. It lazily floated to the floor.

"_YAAAIIIE!"_ the Skarmory crowed in protest. "Oh, a back-handed little one, are you? I will join you in the air!"

The Skarmory took flight and tried to engage Otto in combat, but Otto seemed persistently skilled in staying out of Domo's line of sight. He deftly chased the large bird around the air, taking any opportunity to attack from behind.

_*PING!* *CLAING!*_

Otto mobbed the large bird, landing two hits onto its faceplate before flying away again.

Char could tell the combat trainer was already disheartened. Domo sagged in the air, making weak and floundering motions to catch the annoying little bird that always seemed to remain behind its back.

The battle ended in an explosion of flames. Out of seemingly nowhere, the little Pidgey had summoned energy for a powerful attack which wreathed its body in red and blue fire. It had aimed and attacked the Skarmory from the most unexpected direction – from below – and the collision resulted in an impressive array of colors accompanied by the sound of collapsing sheets of metal.

Domo was lying on the floor when he told finally told Otto to stop, its Skarmory form crumpled and blackened. The little bird landed at its side, gazing curiously at its downed opponent.

"You started before I was ready," Domo growled weakly.

"Your words were, 'let's begin already,'" Otto replied plainly. "I understood it to be the invitation to attack. Should I have waited for a different signal?"

"Ahh… Little Otto," Domo grumbled, transforming back into Mew. "I don't need to train you! You are combat-capable and ready for missions, there's no doubt about that. I have nothing to teach you about being a bird. Silverwing has prepared you well. But… perhaps you might have some things to teach me. Would you train with me sometime?"

"If Char allots me time to visit you, yes," Otto replied. "Although I am not qualified to train. You could consider becoming an apprentice to Team Silverwing."

"Hah, ahh," Domo laughed oddly. "Yes, perhaps. That is one option. Though I would still appreciate your help, as well."

Otto chirped in amusement. "I could battle your Mew sometime," he said. "That is one Pokémon I've never battled with."

"Oh, hahah, you would _regret_ it!" Domo challenged, pride filling is voice again. "No one can defeat my Mew! No one. No one even dares to try! I can read your mind and predict your next move."

"Then perhaps I need to learn," Otto said. "Teach me to battle Mew."

At the side of the room, Char's eyes were nearly tearing up in pride. Otto really _was_ a combat-bird; there was no doubt about it.

"It's almost as though he's too good for us," he uttered to his teammates, still full of amazement. "Can we handle him?"

"Maybe he was meant to be on our team," Saura said with a shrug. "Maybe you were meant to find him. Maybe that was part of your master plan, Char…"

"Yeah, maybe," Char said in consideration. "Since we found him before the Temporal Tower mission, that really is possible…"

Char felt a tingling of confidence in his heart; his team was becoming much stronger than he had imagined. The only thing left, now, was to put Team Ember to the test and see if they could reliably run missions. And the time remaining in the day was quickly ticking past…

… … …

Char gave a whimsical sigh as he and his team entered Kecleon's store. As usual, the emporium contained such an array of wonderful, magical items, but all were outside of his price range. One of the Kecleon brothers seemed preoccupied with a troublesome customer, so Char began shopping around without waiting for a greeting. He knew he needed to focus on the dirt-cheap items, just enough to get him through a reasonably-sized mystery dungeon that was home to some weak dragon and plant Pokémon.

"Char, look!" Saura cried, interrupting Char's appraisal of some whole apples. He sounded almost sad.

Char turned to find Saura playing with a piece of cloth that hung from the wall.

"It's Kecleon's mobile scarf," Saura sobbed. "He… he still hasn't sold it. We used to have one of these, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember," Char said sadly, coming to his side to console him. "It's Dialga's now, I guess. Or Celebi's, if she finds it."

"That was given to me by Vazidor himself," Saura remembered. "Ahh, why did we have to lose all of our stuff, Char? Everything could be perfect right now if we didn't lose all of our stuff… ahh, Char… It's going to take so long to get all that stuff back. Our mobile scarf, our goggles… we had some rare stuff."

"I know, I know," Char reassured him, feeling the texture of the mobile scarf with a claw. "But we'll get our stuff back. I don't know how, but we're going to just have to go on missions until we can buy them all again. We won't stop until we do, alright?"

"Alright," Saura grumbled, looking away from the priceless item on the hook. "Alright… Let's just get what we need, then."

Ray and Otto came bounding down the aisle between the tables of merchandise. Ray was holding a small burlap sack.

"I told Kecleon what we have, and he says he'll pay three hundred Poké for our extra items," Ray reported. "Not much, but it's more than he would have given us. I told him our predicament and he's sympathizing. So… that should be enough to buy some apples and some orbs we could use. And maybe another stun-seed. If we're still desperate, we can still sell that sitrus berry of yours."

"Sounds good," Char replied. "But let's not sell the berry. It has… sentimental value."

"That's fine," Ray said, nodding. "We can still manage. Now we just need to get our stuff. Would you mind running up to our room and getting the stuff out of our closet? You can put it in this bag and bring it back, and Kecleon will buy it."

Char took the brown sack from Ray's paws. He wanted to say _"Why me?"_ but he knew that Ray needed to keep shopping for items, and Saura and Otto both couldn't hold a bag very well, so he begrudgingly agreed.

"Keep the stun seed, both escape orbs, two of the thorns, and the pecha scarf. Put everything else in the bag," Ray instructed. "We left the door unlocked. Hurry back, alright?"

Slinging the empty sack over his shoulder, Char left Kecleon's store to return to his room.

… … …

As promised, the door to Team Ember's lair had been left unlocked. Alone, Char entered his room.

The grandiose hall of his own team base opened before him, the vibrant red-and-yellow rug running all the way to the end of the hall and stopping just before the master bedroom. Along the walls, over a dozen doorways to side-rooms opened up, each surrounded with glossy metallic decorations ablaze with spiritual fire.

And finally, for the first time since returning to the Gold Division, Char paused to appreciate it.

The door shut behind him as he gazed at his team's very own lair, the hall which had been given to him by not just one, but two legendary warriors: Scythe, who had given him this room out of an undying respect for his secret humanity and his Call, and Prince, who had lived in this same place many decades prior before the accident that had changed his life.

It was a gift he knew he did not deserve.

But both of those warriors were gone now, and he was the only one left. It struck him that someday, maybe in the near future, these rooms would be filled with teammates. Maybe the storage room would be packed with valuable relics. And maybe he could be a good enough team leader to live up to the legacies of Prince and Scythe, the two heroes who had come before him.

As if peering into the future, Char took a moment to imagine what his hall would look like. He imagined a huge team of fifteen capable Pokémon all crowded around him, awaiting his briefing at the team meeting.

He knew Otto was right; being close partners with his teammates would only go so far. Soon, he would need to be a real team leader, able to handle the logistics of his team members and command his taskforces through difficult times. Just being friends would no longer be enough.

"Well," Char whispered quietly to himself, trying not to let the prospects overwhelm him, "First thing's first: we need a little money…"

But as Char went to enter the storage room, there was a soft rapping at his door.

Confused, Char dropped the burlap sack in the corner and warily opened the door, hoping the visitor would be someone he could deal with.

He found a familiar Infernape staring back at him.

"Somehow, I knew you would be here," Prince said with a warm smile.


End file.
